Aneeta Pankaj

Leadership Coach

Aneeta Pankaj

Aneeta is a Senior Digital Business and Technology Executive with 25+ years of experience across multiple technology and management functions in MNCs – Sony Pictures Networks, Private Conglomerate and Public Sector in India. She has steered technology convergence wave by leading functions of Broadcast-Post Production, Digital, New Media and IT infrastructure during the course of her career. She currenly heads Content Operations for Anuvu-Middle East at Dubai.

Aneeta Pankaj is a recipient of HerRising award for professional excellence by JobsForHer,India, has also been a nominee for “Women in Technology” awards by Naseba and iiGlobal. Her strong belief is once you bring out the best in each employee, the best comes back to the organization. Aneeta Pankaj is an avid champion of diversity. Aneeta Pankaj mentors women to restart and rise; conduct webinars and speaks on women leadership and coaching for leadership development and empowerment.

By qualification Aneeta Pankaj is a Certified Independent Director, Executive MBA from Haas School of Business – UC Berkeley, Electronics Engineer from NIT-India, ICF- Certified Executive Coach and BSI 7799 certified Lead Auditor-London, in Information Security.

Acing the Leadership Challenge: What Women need to do.

It has never been easy for leaders in the corporate world, irrespective of whether they are men or women. But this is the very challenge which motivates them to take that leap to go beyond, and achieve the seemingly impossible, against all odds.

The prospect of being in a position where one is heard and recognized and seen as inspirational and influential, can expect to achieve personal ambitions and has the opportunity to deliver the best for stakeholders, also bring about a transformation and create other leaders, is surely enticing for any ambitious professional.

However, the journey to such an enviable position is difficult, especially for women leaders. Women have to trudge, skip and jump on a rocky path to achieve the seemingly impossible. This is despite the fact that the cognitive abilities of men and women are the same, notwithstanding the biological differences. So where is the problem?

Undoubtedly, the root cause is our own belief system and vision. Belief can be an offshoot of where we come from and vision is where we are heading; everything in between is how we manage to learn, adapt, take risks, be flexible, upgrade and keep on refining our vision. Moreover, it is the belief system of different people that gives rise to stereotyping and biases against women.

So how can women leaders hope for a smooth and easy ride on the path of leadership? Based on my personal experiences and journey, I have outlined below some specific suggestions that can help women leaders attain long lasting success

Develop an appropriate set of attributes– Women need to have continuous learning ability, positive attitude, communication and listening skills, adaptability, awareness of what is happening around, curiosity and interest in company affairs. They should have resilience, tenacity, capability to stretch and sacrifice and readiness to work hard. They should be brave in the face of adversity and help others to reach their goals. Last but not the least, they should be willing and able to network. Though these attributes are important for all leaders, they become essential for women leaders. Developing these attributes requires constant investment in oneself, understanding of human psychology at various levels, excellent understanding of one’s industry, constant upgradation, and updated knowledge of digital technology.

Gain understanding of traditional business functions– To take the right decision at the right time, it is also important to have a basic understanding of traditional functions of IT, marketing, finance, legal & HR. It not only enhances individual performance, but also benefits colleagues who are looking for ideas, help and support, which leads to more trust and respect. Understanding of business functions along with wisdom and energy, can help increase efficiency, profits, reduce costs and smoothen out wrinkles. They can also bring about a paradigm shift by enabling innovation.

Know when to hold and when to fold– This saves lot of heartburn. Every situation, every company, every boss and every colleague are not meant to be in our situation for life. At times this is a treacherous climb with obstacles, loneliness, fear and doubt. Knowing what to pursue, and what to give up is important to keep us going ahead.

Be courageous– Being courageous is essential for breaking stereotypes. Hence be ready to face a professional and personal world which will not always appreciate and sometimes question our direction too. Don’t slip into comfort easily. Giving up is easy. Be open and look forward to stretch assignments as and when offered. Look for opportunities and lessons in failure. How can you pivot – what were the strengths that helped and what were the weaknesses that didn’t? Which function or a company needs those strengths? Work on and build your own reputation of ownership, honesty, hard work and integrity and create your own luck.

Demonstrate passion- An effective leader is a person with a passion for a cause that is larger than they are; someone with a dream or a vision of a better society or at least a portion of it. Without passion a leader would not be able make the necessary difficult decisions and then translate them into actions. Once we employ our passions to our aspirations, our professional journey starts appearing less arduous. There are risks to be taken at all levels, personal or professional. At times we pass, at times we thrive, and at other times we fail. But then we need to bounce back. Once we slip to our comfort zone, we cease to be a leader anyways.

Create a support structure– A handful around us who are part of our journey might be in a position to support us. Hence, we need to learn to be resourceful and work independently. Many others may look forward to our support too. We need to help them to elevate themselves. Be prepared to make sacrifices at personal level when the going gets tough. This is not easy, considering we may not be in a comfortable place in life to pursue what is expected of us in personal space. It is all about work life integration. Most importantly, network with the right people in the right companies in-person, or through professional networking sites.

Adopt leadership style depending on the context– Competent women who consistently get opportunities may move ahead and lead at top levels. However, once they reach that level, their performance is contingent on their effectiveness as leaders, which is heavily dependent on the context. A successful leader in one organization may not deliver similar results in another organization, due to differences in factors like culture and values. Even within the same organization, effectiveness may depend on response to different situations. To be an effective leader, we should adopt leadership styles considering the context. And what styles we may be able to assume depends on our individual strengths. So, it is important to focus on developing our strengths.

In 1917, Gandhiji said “lack of involvement of women in independence movement made it weak because nation walks with one leg only”. More than 100 years later, Mahatma’s words ring accurately for our economy and industry too. Women leaders will develop once women participate, remain involved and get included in sufficient numbers all across industry and institutions. So, let us not stop ourselves from being and achieving our best, for the sake of ourselves and for everyone around us.