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Table of Contents
1 Executive Summary......................................................................................................................................................3
2 Women Empowerment – An Analogy..........................................................................................................................3
3 Challenges – A rocky road to the hill top .....................................................................................................................5
4 Strength of Powerful Women ......................................................................................................................................6
5 Going the extra mile – The path forward.....................................................................................................................8
5.1 Awakening from within - 3 I model......................................................................................................................8
5.1.1 Imbibe –Learn from experiences .................................................................................................................9
5.1.2 Innovate – Apply and Act.............................................................................................................................9
5.1.3 Inspire – React and reform...........................................................................................................................9
5.1.4 How ready is the woman .............................................................................................................................9
5.2 How ready is the world – EMI model.................................................................................................................10
5.2.1 Family – Emotional Quotient Factor ..........................................................................................................11
5.2.2 Society – Motivation Quotient Factor........................................................................................................12
5.2.3 Organization – Innovation Quotient Factor...............................................................................................12
6 Conclusion..................................................................................................................................................................13
7 Reference...................................................................................................................................................................13
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1 Executive Summary
21st century women are emerging from their cocoon with more strength and vigor to color the horizon for a brighter
future. Women in today’s society are shining in incredible fields. We see women performers on board across top
corporate. Industries today sense the difference with women presence amidst them. We see and witness many
corporate giants becoming flexible to encourage women to play different roles in the entire organization hierarchy. The
journey may not have been easy for many of them. They may have hit their valleys before climbing the mountains.
There are certain elements of concerns which still remain as pain points and need immediate introspection and
redressal.
Only 12 Fortune 500 companies are run by women, what is their hidden power which made their names big? What
is the transformation energy required to change the life of billion women and create a galaxy? Do women have access
to an environment that is conducive to their growing into leaders?
After an extensive analysis of industry surveys, Harvard Business reviews and various research reports, through
this paper, I’m building a new ecosystem model with 3 key elements which are fundamental catalyst to manage diversity
and relinquish the power in women and groom her attitude to pathway for success. This model has been proposed
weighing in the current context and the external thrust that is needed to move from today to tomorrow. It’s quintessential
and also need of the hour.
2 Women Empowerment – An Analogy
Over decade, Women have been making their mark since the last few centuries. They have influenced everything
from science to politics. Women with her strong attitude of assertiveness and persuasiveness have reaped success in
all the roles adorned by them. With women literacy percentage at 65.46% (as per 2011 census) in India and 77% across
the world, the rate of women at board level stands at 22% worldwide. Over the past 20 years we are seeing a
considerable increase in acceptance of women in corporate sectors. Best organizations have come to view attracting,
retaining and developing talented women as business imperative.
We come across lot of books and blogs which talks about the difference in men and women, everyone have come
to terms about the untapped power within a women which when unleashed will create a new world. The WEF (World
Economic Forum) in their Gender Gap Report 2012 believes that empowering women economically could boost the
world’s economic growth significantly, and this idea is represented by the oft-repeated refrain that women make up half
of the world’s workforce.
Women of today have built a stronger business case through her specialized skills. Women excel with their ability
to collaborate, build strong relationships, open up lines of communication, and work in teams. Her underlying strength
has proven highly adaptive to the decentralized models that web-based technologies require. Women’s ideas and
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insights have provided organizations to strategically place them in fast growing modern customer base. There is no
absolute scale to measure this progress. However, an interesting analogy would be the concept of “Relative Velocity”.
Fig 1: Relative velocity – An analogy to women’s empowerment
Let us consider the group of women striving for progress and success as the “object in motion” and society and
supporting factors to be the “object on the platform”. The perception of speed and growth is very different, depending on
where you stand - this is the truth with women’s progress. Society sees this as growth at an unassuming speed and the
women in motion see it differently.
We need to get the fundamentals right in order to the track and manage to keep up the pace. The following are
critical to solution and decision-making:
Right Education that is value-based
Ability to self-assess and self-motivate
Family values to strengthen and support
Awareness to the support system to experiment new leadership
Somewhere in the process, one or many of the above are not at 100 percent. The dip in contribution reflects on the
progress and pace which directly and proportionally defines equality. The facts
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given below indicate that the pace is
slow and needs fuelling:
Women’s share of Board Director and Executive Officer positions increased by only half a percentage point or
less during the past year.
Women held only 16.6 percent of board seats in 2012—the seventh consecutive year of no growth.
Women held 14.3 percent of Executive Officer positions—flat-lined for the third straight year.
Women of color held only 3.3 percent of board seats, indicating no growth.
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More than two-thirds of Fortune 500 companies had no women of color as board Directors for the fifth
consecutive year.
Women held only 8.1 percent of top earner slots.
Let us take a break and analyze the challenges in Women’s journey to the top.
3 Challenges – A rocky road to the hill top
There are numerous challenges to reach the summit of success. These are possibly doubled when the travel is by
a woman leader. By and large, irrespective of the geography, strata or situation where the leader is from; some
universal problems pose themselves that need innovation and ingenuity to be resolved.
In Indian society, men are bread winners and women tend to be the home makers. Some women take this as a
privilege and love to be home makers. whereas, many women see it as rife with enslavement and drudgery. They have
aspirations and undoubtedly the ability to be successful but fall short of confidence to step out of their homes to achieve
their dreams. Their decisions are influenced by a family’s dynamic, education level, career choice and financial
situation.
Lack of trust in empowering women opens up pain areas which transition as challenges. Fighting the system or
situation may not be uncommon, but patience is tested and pace is stunted.
The progress boosters - opportunity, flexibility and mentors help speed up the development of women. Not every
organization supports flexi working hours to enable aspiring women to reach their goal. There are lot of role models that
women can look up for inspiration. Despite immense opportunities, lack of flexibility and mentorship makes the journey
to the top task cumbersome.
Looking beyond the obvious in order to make a difference is an inherent trait of the personal. Let us pause for a
moment and capture few traits needed to be successful women.
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4 Strength of Powerful Women
Fig 2: Strength of Powerful Women
In corporate sectors where it becomes level playing fields, we see women outshining their male counterparts
through their work excellence, commitment, “Can do” attitude, highly creative, strong interpersonal skills, inner strength
and her special weapon “Multitasking”. They are more willing to explore, compromise and to solicit other people's
opinions. Women are more tolerant of differences, so they're more skilled at managing diversity. Women are also
technically strong, talented, hardworking and committed to work, straight forward, creative added to their natural
strength of empathy and kindness.
Women identify problems more quickly and more accurately. They encourage openness and are more
accessible. Women are cultured to put relationships first. They become masterful relationship builders as a result. In
companies where people are working in matrix environments, strong working relationships are critical to success.
Women are more likely to get subordinates to transform their own self-interests into the broader goal the group is trying
to achieve. A greater sense of teamwork and commitment to achieving the outcome with others is the result. With the
paradigm shift of leadership from authoritative to supportive, it plays naturally to the strength of women. Though we see
fewer women breaking the glass ceiling and entering the top management, they have made a huge difference. Based
on research,
Communication: Women on board have helped organizations improve 42% higher sales returns, 66% higher
return on invested capital and 53% higher return on equity with their superior Communication skills. Study
shows, women leaders speaks lesser than men and gets the points across.
Marissa Mayer, CEO of Yahoo, helped the stock grow up by 5.7% closing at $16.67, highest level in over a year.
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Initiatives: Study by Harvard business review, women in management rated 11.58 percentile points higher than
their male peers in workplace by taking initiatives.
Indra Nooyi, CEO Pepsico, took strategic initiatives inspite criticism which turned 10 billion $ business to 30 billion $
business in 10 years.
Emotional intelligence: Women’s attention operates like radar; men like laser. According to Daniel Coleman,
on an average 1 woman is equivalent to 2 men when judging a person’s feelings. In his book “The Brain and
Emotional Intelligence”, he states “Truly effective leadership is distinguished by a high degree of emotional
intelligence”.
Meg Whitman, former CEO ebay, current CEO HP, was featured in psychology today for dealing with emotional
intelligence. Ebay is the fasted growing company under her 8 yrs reign.
Risk Takers: Women score significantly higher in their levels of urgency, risk taking and abstract reasoning.
They are less likely to hesitate or focus on small details. They will learn from any mistakes and carry on.
Kalpana Chawla was the first Indian American astronaut and first Indian woman in space. She first flew on Space
Shuttle Columbia in 1997 as a mission specialist and primary robotic arm operator.
“I’ll show you” attitude: Women in addition to interpersonal skills also possess resilience. According to
studies, they score mid-range on ego-strength, though lower, not significant in male counterpart. They may
even dwell on it, and tend to be a little self-critical. But then they will muster their assertiveness, shake off any
negative feelings, learn what they need to carry on and a voice in the back of their heads will say, 'I'll show
you.'"
Dr. J. Jayalaithaa, assume power as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for 3 times against all odds meted out against her
considering her gender.
With so much power hidden in each woman, we still see very few climbing up the career ladder. Women
leaders and successful managers are few and these exceptions are today’s examples. This makes the starting point
hazy. With struggles in order and hurdles that are to be crossed; the road less travelled at this time, needs a beacon. A
woman carrying her flashlight to get across is indeed a good start, but the fuel to pump and push her during the travel
depends on self-commitment, the positive perception and support from the family, organization and the society. On the
context of the path to progress, these are challenges, some overwhelming and needs to be managed. Ultimate success
would be achieved when women leadership is accepted without prejudice. The question is whether every choice is
available to women, instead of being given restrictive choices.
Today, women have a well set platform unlike yester years. If one regularly watches the soft news, one can notice
many women rising up – like a woman auto driver, a woman who sells idlis on the platform educating her son for MBA,
petrol bunks operated solely by women. These are less privileged than us women here – women have good access to
education & information and exposure to the outside world. Though not ideal to the extent what we want, an educated
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women definitely have a platform which is already set, which they probably not realized yet. And therefore women have
sufficient opportunities to inculcate success attributes within them and to grow it.
5 Going the extra mile – The path forward
An outlook change from within the individual and from the rest of the world is a need of the hour. I'm suggesting
the “3I model” of “Imbibe, Innovate, Inspire” for individual growth and the “EMI model” for the family, society and
organizational change to motivate and speed up the path to progress in achieving success. These models have been
proposed based on my individual experiences and my evolution upon practicing them. We need to create awareness
and rework on the perception that is prevalent today to break the shell, both within the family and support. When the
change is from within and the society, women’s empowerment is a dream come true.
5.1 Awakening from within - 3 I model
“Climbing to the top demands strength, whether it is to the top of Mount Everest or to the top of your career.” -Abdul
Kalam
Right from birth and throughout the journey there is a struggle for women, whether it is right for education,
higher education, career and employment makes it a metamorphosis for women. While the arena may vary across
individuals, every situation poses its problems. Women need to handle the challenges with ease as they have a natural
ability to survive using our strengths. Based on my experience I have proposed a model for individual growth and
development in the women’s journey everyday is the “3 I model”. A simple yet practical approach that is easy to follow.
Fig 4: The “3I Model” – For individual growth
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5.1.1 Imbibe –Learn from experiences
To experience and absorb the learning for re-application and decision making is critical to any leadership. With
limited opportunities, we need to make the best of every situation. The important part of the education is to learn to
enjoy as we go through life. Journey to leadership becomes an easy path to tread. Role models are a few; it is important
to identify aspects in everyone and get inspired by them. Women need to be self-motivated .This heightens our
awareness of self and surroundings and this provides a positive attitude that women maintain enthusiasm and have a
constant energy for the journey. In difficult situations women need to be ready to transition at a slower pace. Have an
attitude of “Let Go”. The goal of being a good women leader is achieved.
5.1.2 Innovate – Apply and Act
Leadership carries with it a vital part of encouraging both self and the team, towards exploration and learning,
buys confidence necessary to propel oneself and the team/family forward. Mind share for multiple processes demands
multi-tasking. Here, prioritization becomes the key. Innovation in every activity is therefore important in order to be able
to spend time in every important aspect.
5.1.3 Inspire – React and reform
Inspiration is key to growth. To be aware of the circumstances that we are in, to react and reform is an essential
attribute of leadership. Much progress of self and team occurs where there is clear understanding on what the team can
offer and what you can offer to the team. To empathize and energize is a major success catalyst. We need to ensure
the well-being of self and the team.
5.2 How ready is the woman
With so much power hidden in each woman, we still see very few climbing up the career ladder. The primary
reason being, women are still the primary caretaker of her family and kids. As per statistics, 70% of 100 most powerful
women in the world are married with an average of two kids. No matter how they manage, but still they are able to
succeed at work and at home. What is the secret?
Exterminate the perfection bug – Determine what is good enough. Let go of the expectation on you to perform at
100% always, sometimes lesser than 100% saves you time (Note: wherever it’s acceptable)
Work Life Balance – Stop owning all responsibilities, learn to delegate. Not all work needs to be done by you. Cleaning
your home can be outsourced. Child care can be handled by elders in the family, they would be happier to take care.
Take time for self – Stop the never ending list and take time for self. Women who take time for themselves are happier,
healthier and more satisfied with their lives.
Voice out - Ask for what you want. No one is going to do it for you until you ask. Use your voice to tell people about
your successes, and use your voice to defend yourself. Confront bad behavior, voice out.
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Persistence – Critical factor for every woman. With each obstacle, with each back biting, with each failure – Stand up.
Women from past had the determination to break free of the tangles she was in for a free 21st century.
Learn to say “NO” – Women by generations are used to say “YES”. Saying “No” is one of the difficult phrases to utter.
Practice. Learn to say “NO”.
Earn a Mentor - Mentors and sponsors are crucial to success. But the relationships should develop more naturally and
be more reciprocal than anything else.
Be yourself – Never try imitating men. These days men are expected to have the leadership traits of a woman. Learn
yourself. Continue to be yourself. Adapt styles comfortable to you. Being self is much easier than being anyone.
5.3 How ready is the world – EMI model
Recognizing new talent and celebrating leadership does not come easy to a society which has been traditional with
what it perceives as growth, development and innovation. Conscious efforts as well as slow and steady knocking will
open doors. The drive from within is the key to getting a head-start. However, an obstacle free environment is also an
equal and vital requirement. Support systems in India predominantly lie with family and its values. Influences from
society to support and strengthen the pace are also important. Last, but not least, the organization the woman is part of
plays a vital role in shaping a women leader.
The support units are the back bone that is responsible for maintaining the physical and mental well being of the
aspiring women leaders. These provide motivation for the leader to move forward. The interfaces that a woman has are
family, society and organization .The “EMI model” mentioned here discusses this factor.
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Fig 5: The EMI model –External Enablers
5.3.1 Family – Emotional Quotient Factor
Family as a strong support system imparts the knowledge not only by provisioning for institutional education but
also through imbibing and teaching the values the unit holds in esteem. Family values strengthen individual character
and determination. Mentoring is not a separate process; it is part of the growth and evolution where role models are
from one’s own comfort space – Family.
Emotional quotient ensures personal balance and stability irrespective of the environment and situation. A
healthy and stable family that is associated with the woman is a mutual stability factor, when it comes to her emotional
intelligence. This becomes a primary variable in the equation to success.
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5.3.2 Society – Motivation Quotient Factor
The society that the woman is a part of is important for women’s equality. The society plays an important role to
encourage and welcome women leaders either at a municipal councilor level to represent the community at large or as
a women leader heading an organization.
The Center for Social Research (CSR)
3
in its report on “Women managers in India – Challenges and
opportunities” puts forth a situation-specific methodology to improve and enhance participation and better
representation of women in leadership roles. With India in the list of the world’s fastest-growing economies, the same
does not translate yet to equality on the women leadership front. The reasons for this are many, ranging from individual
constraints, mindsets, stereotypes and organizational and structural impediments.
Motivation from within as well as from society creates optimism. Society, as an entity, is a major critic that has the
ability to make or break the growth pattern and needs to be carefully interpreted for the betterment of women.
5.3.3 Organization – Innovation Quotient Factor
Organization is a complex setup that forms the track for growth and development. This path to success involves
decision making, networking and communication across all levels. As a fast-changing entity this demands the
leadership for the influence, inspiration and involvement. Challenging situations are learning opportunities for creative
solution-making leading to innovation. The combination motivates every individual towards more innovation keeping the
quotient high, an opening to a new line of thought.
Fig 6: Grant Thornton International Business Report - 2012
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The growth and progress of the organization demands dedication and time from all its leaders be it man or
woman. Therefore multi tasking and creating mind share on multiple things simultaneously are the two key aspects that
would enable women to give her best and also be recognized for her contribution. Flexibility at work place becomes a
necessity to enable women to perform varied roles both at home and at work. All over the world, there is awareness that
flexibility at work promotes diversity to the organization and enhances productivity of the woman employees. Yet this is
not commonly seen in many organizations despite its merits.
The Grant Thornton International Business Report
4
mentions that it matters to have mixed gender boards for better
results of the organization. The positive influence of this diversity is thought to bring on better attention to audit, risk and
oversight control.
6 Conclusion
Women need to be recognized and appreciated for their true potential at home, organization and the society. It is
imperative that the change should be initiated from one self in terms of motivation, commitment and embracing of
change in order to emerge as a true women leader. The ultimate responsibility and ownership lies with women towards
making this journey to the top, embracing all the stakeholders to a successful one. A new flavor of leadership is in the
rising and when all equal minds work together, an equal India becomes a reality.
7 Reference
1. www.forbes.com (100 most powerful women, success secret of powerful women, why women are better
leaders)
2. 2012 Catalyst Census: Fortune 500 Women Board Directors and 2012 Catalyst Census: Fortune 500 Executive
Officers and Top Earners. http://www.catalyst.org/
3. http://womenleadership.in/Csr/Women-Managers-In-India
4. Grant Thornton International Business Report 2012 http://www.gti.org/files/ibr2012%20-
%20women%20in%20senior%20management%20master.pdf
5. Centered leadership: How talented women thrive
http://www.mckinseyquarterly.com/Centered_leadership_How_talented_women_thrive_2193)
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About Author
My name is A. Anga Magesh. I have completed Bachelor of Engineering in Electronics and Communication Engineering
from Government College of Engineering, Tirunelveli, Tamilnadu (1996-2000). I started my career from I.T.I Limited,
Bangalore as a fresher. It was golden days on my journey and being spinster, had lot of fun with my friends and new
learning. I moved to HCL Technologies Limited from Sept 2002. I joined as Member technical staff and promoted to
Lead Engineer and Technical Lead. I completed Master of Science from BITS through Distance Learning program
offered by HCL. I was with HCL Technologies Limited till Apr 2009. Later on, I joined Alcatel-Lucent India Limited (ALIL)
on May 2009. It is a breakthrough on my entire career. I had good challenges and learning opportunities at ALIL and
grown as Test manager. Alcatel-Lucent gave me good forum to express the author on me. I am growing with the
support of my employer. Personally, I am a proud mother of two sons. My first Son is studying U.K.G and younger one
just started his Pre-KG. My husband is business man, who gives strong support of and stay next to me on all my
success. I wish to take this opportunity to thank my family members, friends, my reporting manager and my colleagues
for the sustained support.
