In order to be irreplaceable one must always be different!

The corporate world is currently working to promote more women into senior leadership roles. Despite these progressions, these roles still do not have the gender equilibrium that we would like to see in 2023. However, female CEOs have put substantial effort into forward-moving their careers and accomplishing conquests that many weren't sure were realistic for them only a few years ago, whether it be through mentorship programs or schmoozing opportunities.

When it comes to identifying the headship skills of women in business, a lot has changed. The mainstream of males has held the most senior roles in businesses for far too long, but this is finally starting to change. Many women now hold executive positions in some of the largest and most successful organizations in the world.

Women are having a greater impact on the business world than ever before, from Ginni Rometty, the CEO of IBM, to Safra Catz, the CEO of Oracle. It's wonderful to see strong, capable women succeeding and establishing a good example for the next generations.

It's no secret that men and women are significantly underrepresented in the highest business echelons. Despite the advancements achieved over the years, there are still very few female CEOs and board members. It's not only a matter of justice; there were also chances missed.

According to research, companies with greater gender diversity typically perform better and generate higher profits. So why aren't more women given the chance to hold leadership positions? The solution is not straightforward, but it is evident that we must improve if we want our businesses and our economy as a whole to prosper.

As we all know, women sometimes find it difficult to advance in their careers. But don't worry; there are strategies you can use to grow and progress in your job! Be proactive in looking for chances to learn and develop, first and foremost. This can entail connecting with co-workers or going to training sessions.

Furthermore, don't be scared to speak up for yourself and advocate for yourself. Let your superiors know your professional aspirations and how you see your career progressing. Finally, acknowledge the influence of mentoring. Finding a person who has been in your situation before and can provide advice and support can be quite helpful. You'll have a great chance of succeeding in your profession if you use these strategies!

Despite accounting for about half of the workforce, women are still notably underrepresented in positions of leadership. Female executives face a number of obstacles that prohibit them from rising to higher positions, such as prejudice and gender stereotypes, a lack of networking opportunities and mentors, and difficulties juggling work and family obligations.

However, there has been progress toward achieving gender parity in the boardroom thanks to deliberate efforts to recognize and remove these obstacles. Companies can take action to help and uplift their female employees on the path to leadership by supporting diversity and inclusion policies and offering flexible work arrangements. It's time to remove these obstacles so that women can perform to the best of their abilities at work.

The fact that businesses are working so hard to build a more diversified leadership pipeline is refreshing. One clique has dominated leadership roles for far too long, which has left people from other backgrounds underrepresented and excluded.

We must actively endeavor to eliminate these obstacles and create a more welcoming workplace where everyone, regardless of race, gender, or sexual orientation, has an opportunity to succeed. Companies that are making efforts to achieve this should be commended. Gender parity in the workplace is a serious issue, not simply a trendy phrase. It's essential for advancement. It is an appeal for employers to be welcoming and inclusive of all employees, regardless of gender. However, there is no one-size-fits-all approach to attaining gender equity. This objective is hampered by a number of things, including prejudice, stereotypes, and societal conventions.

We must make a deliberate, ongoing effort to counteract these influences, raise awareness, and implement equitable laws and practices if we are to attain true gender equity. The good news is that while it's a long journey, it's not insurmountable. We can pave the road for a brighter future by cooperating to build workplaces that are really diverse, inclusive, and egalitarian.

For the advantage of women in corporate, for businesses to fully benefit from both male and female leadership, and for organizations to create greater diversity, gender equity should be pursued. We can find comfort in the fact that many organizations are taking practical initiatives to promote gender diversity in leadership positions, despite the fact that female executives' career advancement has stagnated in comparison to that of their male colleagues.

In the end, firms will need to make a concerted effort to remove obstacles that keep female executives from advancing their careers. It is equally crucial for women to construct their own strategies for growth as they chart their own career paths, actively look for mentorship, and climb the corporate ladder. I am convinced that as we work together to achieve greater gender parity, we will start to open up more opportunities, making it feasible to create a workplace where people of all genders are valued equally.

Rab Rakha!!!!!

Lady you have the Parvati (nurturing) and the Kali (destroying) side in you. Use both when needed!

I was not aware of the encounters of the corporate world till I moved to Punjab. Up till then, I thought, what was the burruhaha about?

Ask men and they will marvel why women need to be speaking about women empowerment and equality when they have all the same probabilities. And no, of course, they have never ever treated men and women differently! It hurts them that women would even say that :)

This made me question that perhaps men, being in the majority in the decision-making, both in homes, organisations and countries, may actually be blindsided by the challenges a woman faces sometimes. They can't help with what they don't know!

What can we do? I realized that women may be adding to that by not doing a few things well themselves and maybe starting there...

Many women, in a bid to get to the top, hardly act like women, there is little feminism left in them. What is the point of having more women join any association if they are to subsist only by acting like men? The network also appreciates and gratifies the belligerent drive, the hunt, the rivalry, each to his/her own...whether in men or in women...does not help, don’t do that to yourself, ladies. The feminine vigour is as much needed as the masculine energy. If you are upset about the way that the customer or your manager spoke to you, let them know. And if tears came out while doing that, excuse yourself, or just let it be, cry right there and then come back. Sure, they will stamp you as overtly sensitive and emotive. They will give you a berm and take away the cheque (for being such a ‘sissy’). No problem! You be yourself. Learn from being that and how to express yourself realistically then learn to suppress it.

You are a woman. Stop repudiating yourself and start appreciating it. Wear lovely colours. Wear that jewellery. Get that soft satin shirt. Stop shouting and get back to speaking softly. Be careful of your dress, yes, but don’t be ashamed of it, consistently watching to see if all is okay. How many times you give people no reason to think I’ll of you, they do it anyway. Same here. The world is not changing right away today. No reason to be whacking forever. Wearing yourself makes you vulnerable to the wrong people. Yes. Learn to deal with that and not hide from it. The trick here is to keep your eyes honest. Don’t give anyone a reason to believe they can cross the line with you.

“Real diversity is in valuing the opinion and perspectives that the gentler sex brings” Stand up and say what you think. Don’t mince words and don’t rearticulate them. Just say them! Let people learn what real diversity is! Just because you are too blunt, too gentle, too women-ish, too expressive, talk more than men folks, are way more collaborative and give away too much information, would rather be with the child than in a pub socializing……and anything else that comes with the female hormones sometimes…. live it up! Help the organisation and its people learn to manage this diversity. It is your role to keep it alive enough for them to find a way to manage it. Don’t surrender. If they were looking for more men, then that is what they should have hired :) You are a woman. Sometimes women come with these. Take the whole package or leave it. Wear that up your sleeve.

Don’t benchmark yourself with what a man in your career path can do. You know that society is more sympathetic to men being at the workplace than you do. The factor that in and be proud of where you are. And then, go give them a run for their money!

Don’t compete with them either. Cooperate with them. Educate them on how to team up with you. How you like to be treated and conveyed a task’s urgency and updates compared to the other gender. Maybe you like it less military-like and motherly. Well, let them know! Maybe you want more litheness with your job, for all the extra work you have to do around the house, let them know how you like to manage your work and family. Maybe you care too much if you got the rating or not, it hurts you more that you are not appreciated, let them know what drives you and if you feel you have not been treated fairly. Teach them how to treat you. Maybe they don’t know.

If you have taken a long sabbatical to enjoy your child, wear it with pride. Don’t compare yourself with the men and women who didn’t take the sabbatical. Stand up from where you are and take it up from there, without shame or guilt, driving your decisions. Any company, worth its salt, will see you for your potential (and possibly, your very women-like heart to nurture your young) and give you that shot. Else go find a business and run it yourself! There are many women impresario across the world who have delivered some amazing benefits and impact! If you know how hard it was to even get educated, given your circumstances, don’t underplay it. If you know how hard it still is to leave your child at home and come to work, don’t forget it. Let what you know of yourself and your circumstances drive you forward. Don’t let others' views of where you should have been stop you from where you could be headed! Also, research says women apply only when they know 80-100%, and men apply even if they know only 25% of the job. Don't be tougher on yourself than you have to be!

Ensure you laugh and have fun at normal jokes. Where they become gender specific, let them know you are not okay. Enjoy the camaraderie and diversity discussions bring, but where they get personal, cut the talk. Don’t let a joke or a shoulder when crying, become the reason to let the wrong people into your camp. Say thanks, repay the favour in equally kind gestures and move on. Don’t be over-obligated. Do not compromise for anything. This is specifically true when you become a fish in a pond for a long time and think that the ecosystem is the only system you can survive in, in the world. This is also true when you might have a male in the system who likes to keep you under his thumb, making you believe that the world starts and ends with him. Grow up ……and grow strong! Do NOT be embarrassed and ashamed of drawing the lines! You have the Parvati (nurturing) and the Kali (destroying) side in you. Use both.

I have heard a lot of women quip that it’s the women that cut the other women’s path. Maybe it’s true maybe it is not. You won’t be that woman who gives pay less than the men in your team just because you hate her willpower and her charm. Don’t penalise her because she gets emotional fast and over-jabbers when she is dismayed. You stand up and be an inspiration for the women in your team, in your country, all over the world. This, you do, by being a woman and not like a man (in women's attire) and then and then alone…... you would have stood up for the women as a community. Same in your houses. Support your mother’s perceptions of things. Hearten it.

The first thing to bring down a revolution is to cut its voice. Making men out of women is one way to jeopardize the voice of femininity. The other is to ignore the women when key verdicts need to be made, whether in the house or in projects. Another one is to 'tell' them how they are equal to men and 'act' quite the opposite. Find a way to let them know you have a voice and you plan to keep it. Exercise your voice with chicness and don’t be ashamed to be self-confident (not aggressive). Lastly, if you feel like a superior race for that day only, it's okay to ignore the other voices :)Also, have a voice when the men around you are taking a stab at other women for being too emotional, too right, too this and that. Stop them there. Remember those that chin-wag with you, gossip about you. Yes, it is not always an equal plane when you are out there sometimes. That is when the tips above will help. Other times, don’t use these as a way to feel victimised and overly cautious. These are ways to be on the watch out, not to be used as weapons. Use the women's card to play out your perspective and introduce your thinking in the right light only. Do not use the women's card to get things that you are not getting, because you maybe don’t deserve them yet.

Accept the fact that you have different responses to situations, as a woman, and factor that into your own introspection and decisions. There is a need for women to step up and increase their representation at the top of all organisations. Their perspective will lessen some of the cultural and relationship nuances those organisations face and pave the way for a faster-growing world rich in values, ideas and purposes.

A close friend, once told me she could no longer take all the politics and red tape. She would leave her child at home to nannies and play school only so she could do meaningful work, and that was not happening anymore. Sure, she could have played the game a little while longer, but she realized the 'the hunt and the chase' was what she wanted. She left and is happy making a globally better leader....at home.

Another one felt the same way. She did not enjoy the way she was consistently side-lined to her male counterparts. She left the organisation to run a business. She now makes a lot of money...only it is her own way. She also hires and supports a lot of women candidates.

To being a woman. Have it your way.

Rab Rakha!!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sometimes you gotta be a beauty and a beast!

Alpha females often get a wicked thwack, not surprising as we still live in a male-controlled society that brings down and confines self-confident, courageous women to a predetermined code of conduct. And while men show-off about their alpha male eccentricities, women with these same qualities are labelled as masculine and highlighted in an adverse light. Well, to hell with that. Strong women, or alpha females, are exactly that: strong women who are far-fetched leaders, with alpha traits that are inherently a part of who she is and come across in everything she does. Alpha female traits manifest in her career, personal life, hobbies, friendships pretty much every facet of her life. These self-confident, self-assured women can at first seem daunting, but they’re women we can all look up to, and ones that have our back.

There’s an oft-repeated quote that makes the rounds every International Women’s Day and Mother’s Day, though its author is unknown, it exemplifies the very spirit of an alpha female. The quote goes, “Here’s to strong women. May we know them. May we be them. May we raise them.” Here’s what you need to know about alpha females and why it’s a label that you should absolutely feel flattered to have.

 There are definite characteristics that women exhibit that push them into the category of alpha females. Maybe you recognize these in yourself, in the women who raised you:

• Self-assurance: Generally speaking, alpha ladies have self-assurance. They frequently exude a confidence that can be felt in a room.
• They identify as alpha females: Part of that confidence comes from utilizing the word alpha and living up to its definition.
• Encourage others: Women around strong women are inspired. Alpha females inspire other women to be their best selves by using their leadership abilities.
• Ambition: Women that are naturally alpha tend to be very motivated, ambitious individuals. This may be seen in many areas of her life, not just her profession. She likely aspires to success in her social circles and interests as well as in her professional life.
• Self-belief: This characteristic is similar to others, but it notably denotes that an alpha female has complete confidence in her skills and abilities. She not only has confidence in herself but also a firm conviction that she can accomplish whatever goal she sets for herself.
• Well-Respected: Alpha ladies gain a lot of respect from those around them as a result of encouraging others to achieve success. People appreciate these personalities much for their commitment to all they do and believe in because they exude an atmosphere of conviction and inspiration.

Being an authoritative female is, to be honest, an enviable position. These women, who do not minimize them or treat them unfairly, are strong, push boundaries, pose difficult questions, and continually motivate others around them to improve. If you aren't the alpha female in your life, then ideally you have one close by who can inspire you to be your best self with a little of her magic dust.

To sum this beautiful post, I would say “I love bossy women. Some people hate the word, and I understand how ‘bossy’ can seem like a shitty way to describe a woman with a determined point of view, but for me, a bossy woman is someone to search out and celebrate. A bossy woman is someone who cares and commits and is a natural leader.”

Rab Rakha!!!!!