Life is roller coaster that keeps throwing unanticipated challenges at you
Published on : Tuesday 08-03-2022
Nilima Phawde, Vice President – Projects, Reliance Jio Infocomm Limited.
What was the inspiration behind choosing this career path and how were your initial years' experiences on this path?
Indira Gandhi and Lata Mangeshkar were my inspiration. Their journey gave me confidence that women can reach anywhere they want to in their career. I wanted to explore a path not taken by many women so far. I wanted to do something that would challenge my abilities. I had a spark in me which used to keep me restless.
For most working women, it is a matter of finding the right balance between professional and family responsibilities – please share your thoughts and actions on how to manage this?
Every working woman needs to accept the fact that you cannot be the perfect version of everything at the same time. Do not be so hard on yourself trying to be a Superwoman. It is completely okay if you cannot make rotis like your mother-in-law. It is important to ask for help when you need it. You need to create a strong support system. Women tend to miss out on networking as it encroaches on the time that we get to spend with, and are expected to spend with our family. So it is important to create these connections. Your parents, your friends and your in-laws are your team at home and your colleagues are your team at the office.
Finding the right balance between all your roles is very important. Life is a roller coaster that keeps throwing unanticipated challenges at you, so you need to organise your priorities and respect them. Maintaining a good relationship with your team members at work, delegating work to them according to their strengths and interests, acknowledging it when you need to devote extra time on the home front, or taking a sabbatical when you need, will protect you from burnouts and help you build a sustainable career.
What are the pros and cons that you have faced as a professional/entrepreneur, based on gender?
When I joined Polyolefins Industries Ltd in 1990, I was the first lady engineer to ever have joined the 25-year old organisation. All the engineering, procurement and construction at the company was being done in-house. I had to be in the plant for long hours during the commissioning process of the plant. There were no toilets in the plant for women. It took almost 6 months for them to build one for me. For those six months I used to ask my male colleagues to stand outside the common washroom. We still joke about that incident.
There were spaces in the plant such as stores and workshops where no women had been before and the men used to get uncomfortable when I used to visit them for inspection, or for repairs of instruments. The upkeep of these places used to be very poor and there were pictures of actresses and female models up on walls in the stores and workshops. They took down those pictures and started keeping the place tidy within a week after I started visiting them frequently.
In the beginning some of the men used to be so uncomfortable that they wouldn't make eye contact with me while we were speaking and I didn't know what to do about it. So I would just look at the person's face while talking and it used to take a few meetings, before we could have a comfortable one on one conversation. It was important to me to not seem intimidated by my surroundings and co-workers at work just because all of them were men. It took a while to break the ice, but once we got to know each other I don't think they saw me as different because of my gender. After that it was all professional.
I joined Reliance because there was no gender bias here and we were treated equally. My managers were flexible and considerate towards me during the time of my pregnancy and maternity leave. I owe my potential to some of my managers and mentors during that time.
Life and career events unfold simultaneously. They are not sequential. Even if you are not facing inequalities at work based on your gender, there are some responsibilities that become inherently expected of women such as child care and elderly care. So I had to have a plan in place for those things to ensure that I still had my career in place on the other side of them.
Are workplaces today more sensitive to gender issues than say, a decade ago?
Yes. Today we have a five day work week. Earlier we had to work on Saturdays too. Now we can work from home and have flexible timings. The duration of maternity leave has been increased to 6 months. Committees to prevent and deal with sexual harassment have been created. Corporations have realised the importance of creating diverse and inclusive work spaces. Still a lot more needs to change.
Which women's 'cause' needs to be challenged and changed, first?
Day-care centres need to be built at office campuses so young parents can work stress free. Women can be assigned projects with smaller duration in case they plan family or marriage or any other engagement. Corporation to be more adaptive towards women.
Are there areas at work that still restrict women when it comes to leadership roles?
Leadership roles are still dominated by men. This is true across the world. I would like to see more women in the boardroom, and more women entrepreneurs.
What women-related myths or taboos need to be broken?
The assumption that women colleagues always will, or need to take breaks for marriage and maternity, or will always have to relocate for their spouses needs to be done away with. These assumptions about them stand in the way of them being given good assignments and responsibilities.
And if they do need to take a break for any reason, why should that be held against their ability to do a good job when they return from the break? Women joining after maternity break or any other breaks are often looked down on for their lack of continuity. They feel like they have to prove themselves every single time they are assigned a task.
Do you have a mentor or a role model? If yes, you may state briefly how they inspired you.
There are so many of them. My parents and in-laws always supported my career. My husband and daughter encouraged me at every step.
Mr Sanjay Mashruwala, my mentor at Reliance, is one of the most patient and level-headed persons I have ever met. He taught me the importance of being a good listener and taking into account the diverse viewpoints of the entire team before making a decision.
I also owe a lot to my manager Shri Sharad Dhoke who always showed confidence in me, Dr B R Mehta who is an institution by himself, and Shri Tajendra Kumar and Mr Y P Buch for inspiring my work.
And last but not least, I am grateful to my team members for their time, energy and contribution on every project we have worked on together, and my friends for keeping me rooted throughout this journey.
What would be your message to the youth who are just starting their career?
Do not be afraid to take on challenges and risks. There are no shortcuts to success. Make sure you always keep learning and adapting new technologies, even after establishing yourself in your career.
Describe yourself or your aspirations, dreams in 3 words.
Original. Optimist. Progressive.
Nilima Phawde is an Instrumentation Engineer by qualification with Project Management and Engineering Expertise in a career spanning 31 years. She is a technically sophisticated, Engineering plus Project management professional with a pioneering career reflecting strong leadership qualities. A subject matter expert in automation and control systems, Nilima has designed controls systems for polyester, petrochemical, refining, telecom and oil and gas businesses of Reliance, to make every dumb thing ‘Smart’. Nilima has a superior record of delivering simultaneous large projects on time and under budget, with time based management style and excellent interpersonal communications skills.
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