Dr Sangeetha Madhu - Women & Leadership

Women on Top - Lean in and Lead 

"Successful people become great leaders when they learn to shift the focus from themselves to others."- Marshall Goldsmith

A 2011 study by Zenger Folk man, a leadership consultancy, using 450,000 feedback instruments pertaining to about 45,000 leaders, indicates women not only excel at nurturing competencies such as developing others, inspiring and motivating others, relationship building, collaboration, and teamwork; competencies such as taking initiative, displaying integrity and honesty, and driving for results; women were seen as effective in getting things done, being role models and delivering results. However at the CEO level, worldwide, there are only 3% to 4% who are women. Statistics, research, and current trends point toward women’s leadership capabilities.

Pepsi-Co CEO, Indra Nooyi ‘s advice to leaders is to be a' lifelong learner, help others and be passionate about work as your true calling'. Facebook COO, Sheryl Sandberg’ s video titled 'Lean In' based on her book by the same name, makes one realize that utilizing our strengths and collectively achieving our dreams and goals can become a reality.

In my leadership coaching experience, we need to delegate when necessary, seek opportunities, ask for help, build strong networks to bring more visibility to build a strong, vibrant, and robust team. In our leadership journey may our sons and daughters inherit an equitable planet, wherein the yin and the yang work collaboratively. We need to support and nurture future leaders to benefit the organization and community through building harmonious relationships both at work and at home.