Encouraging Women to Be Leaders

Carrying a start-up that has one main plan is never easy. It’s her grit towards creativity and social responsibility that has led her this far.

After finishing her under-graduation degree in India, Swathi took up a job, but in her mind, she always had ideas about starting some business. “I really don’t know why I was so much inclined to Entrepreneurship. None of my family members were into business. My father was Journalist and Mother was a Govt Official,” she says. “I didn’t know what to start, how to start but I use to explore whatever the small business idea may be included selling dry fruits, (in fact this picked up so much) or even to try starting an ice cream franchisee at least. Due to some personal circumstances I left my job in India and came to the USA and had to take few jobs for my living. But, the burning passion to become an entrepreneur and non-flexibility issues at work motivated me to start something on my own. At that time, I thought, no matter how small my business is going to be, I just want to be independent. This whole thought of being independent made me feel contended.”

Becoming Independent

The most significant barrier for a woman, especially Swathi coming from a South Asian community, is to establish seriousness around the whole ideology of people being laid back. “I do experience a lethargic behavior by people around me, when I voice my opinion. Generally, people assume that inviting a woman Leader to Conference room and give her seat in between them is called inclusion but the real inclusion is when they allow us to brainstorm our ideas and make us part of decision making,” says Swathi. “It is never easy being a female representation of leadership, even in the 21st Century. People always look down upon you or try to dominate your voice. I have faced various such situations in my life, and I’ve learnt to course through them with my mental strength and Self-Motivation.”

According to Swathi, today, women don’t need any empowerment. “One of the best qualities of women is that if she decides to something, she will find ways to do. My wish is that women recognize their strengths and work towards their passion.” Her only advice is, “let people find ways to bring you down, but YOU “DON’T GIVE UP!” I have created SHEJOBS dedicated to enable the women workforce. I am hoping she jobs is inspiring many women to go into the careers and positions they deserve. I want all our young women to aim for leadership roles from the beginning of their careers.”

Swathi’s role model is none other than her mother, who lost her husband in her early 40’s, raised three children without any support. The second most influential person in the steadfast leader’s life is her father, who gave her the mental strength and courage to succeed in her life and culminate into a great leader. “I also consider my neighbor who does 3 jobs to support her family, every one of my team members as my role models as they strive and thrive for their family, career and society. In short, all amazing women around me.”

Creating a Pioneering Company

“When you really work towards your passion, nothing is called a sacrifice. Everything is just a Choice, and I am always happy and grateful for my choices,” says Swathi. “What I have learnt is the importance of empathy in female leadership. There is no factor more important than being empathetic as a leader. Empathy is a unique quality found in female leaders.” Armed with such a unique ideology, Swathi has been taking the company to new heights.

SheJobs was born out of a will and passion for expanding the definition of diversity, inclusion, and equality in the workplace. Why these keywords are important is because they define a woman’s place in the work spheres. Without the correct representation, any and every organization will always remain monotonous in ideas and productivity. Workplaces have the same policy for all women but, it doesn’t work that way. A woman who has a gap in a career must be allowed to come back to work, and SHEJOBS does support their upskilling and reskilling. “We want organizations to create a percentage for women who has special needs children, they must be given more flexibility at work. We want underrepresented minorities to be hired for Leadership roles,” says Swathi. “We request workplaces to be more inclusive for women who went through domestic or mental abuse. SHEJOBS can support organizations to increase their diversity percentages and help them to be more inclusive by creating Return ship programs and by supporting targeted diversity hiring areas.”

SHEJOBS is in their first anniversary, and their most significant achievement is to establish themselves as a support system for women in technology. “We standby those women who are willing to go back to work. We partnered with awesome organizations like Western Union, Corning, CVS Healthcare, EY and many more companies who support Women and URM workforce.”

SheJobs is planning more collaborations with tech organizations, women-oriented thought leaders, and with women and Underrepresented Minorities those focusing on technology. Their future holds a lot more advocacy, workforce transformation, Inclusivity, and change. “We genuinely want to support and increase percentage of women and URM in any organization.”

For more details visit: www.she-jobs.com