Women bring to the table a unique balance of humanity and aspirations
Published on : Tuesday 08-03-2022
Somya Shahi, Lead, Research & Advisory Services, Sales Centre of Excellence – Accenture.
What was the inspiration that prompted you to pursue this career path?
My family has always been my prime source of inspiration. They have excelled in their areas. My mother, Dr Sujata Shahi, is a psychologist and an educator, while my father, Mr Anil Shahi, has been at the core of technology. The environment at home encouraged us to build a very application based mind-set combining technological discussion with the humane aspects. My own aptitude has always been in complex problem solving. All this has shaped up the career path I followed.
Can you recall your early days – say the first few days at work – and anything you would like to mention about that?
Well, early days for me were an overlap of enthusiasm and nervousness. But one thing that I followed as a thumb rule, I guess even before entering the professional journey, was to never shy away from different points of view. I mastered it over the career years. In my early years, I used to create 2-3 versions of the work given to me looking at the same problem statement from alternate angles. This helped me resonate with a wider audience and come up with a comparatively inclusive output. Too much work sometimes, but early years that’s what we focus on, as much as hands on as possible.
For a woman, it is a matter of finding the right balance between the jobs and managing the home – how do you manage this?
For me firstly it was about getting my priorities aligned and accordingly plan out the support system that would enable me. Family undoubtedly is the top most priority for most of us more so when we have our children. So, building the support system as per my task priorities helped me. Beyond the time that would be invested to take care of professional commitments, at home, I knew that spending quality time with my son is more important than cooking, so I planned the system accordingly. My husband, Sameer Rai has been a constant support and motivation. We struck an equilibrium model, planned our time or business trips even the share of tasks that is manageable by whom. This worked well for me.
What challenges (or privileges) do women stereotypically face, based on their gender?
I like the question; the coin definitely has both sides of challenges and privileges. From the privilege perspective, as women we do experience a conducive and respectful environment mostly driven by the organisational policies/code of conduct. But the stereotype of the mental mapping of the roles or responsibilities is still limited to the areas like marketing, PR and HR. A paradigm shift to view women in technology head positions is required.
Have you ever missed a career opportunity or promotion due to gender?
I would not say that I have missed any promotion due to my gender, but more recently than earlier have experienced a stereotypical case where even after joining a senior role, the parity of judgement and decision making was not entrusted to me. Value alignment is essential to give your best to your workplace. We can navigate our work as per the size and scale of the organisation we work with but if it’s not a cultural fit, we should not push ourselves around that job.
Are workplaces today more sensitive to gender issues than say, a decade ago?
Definitely, we see the organisations recognising it as a topic of concern and making ways to bring about the much needed parity at workplace. The economic value of missing the potential of women workforce is very easily convertible to dollar value, the organisations are recognising it now. Driven by various external goals like SDGs and internal parameters, organisations with focus on gender parity are driving their initiatives in a more measurable way. Though, it is a journey undertaken and the thought going behind it, there is a roadmap that needs to be followed to be there. Perhaps, certain policies and measures need to be ideated to inculcate this in an institutionalised way and not limited to the organisations who are proactively doing it as per their will.
Which women's 'cause' needs to be challenged and changed, first?
The basis of all advancement is the foundational education and skill system. I would focus on the technology side, where the women have still not made a significant impact on the leadership and board levels. On tracing back the numbers, the root cause ties back to the numbers enrolling for technical education. This number further starts getting narrow from entry level in the workforce to moving upwards in the hierarchy. While the organisations are working on the parities within their workforce, a fundamental question on the education side still remains a major challenge. Covid has brought about a positive change in the education system with hybrid modes, this should be harnessed to upskill and encourage the women workforce to acquire technical capabilities. Grassroot level work for encouragement of science education is inevitable.
Are there areas at work that still restrict women when it comes to leadership roles?
I would not say restrict ‘officially’, but evaluate with a preconceived bias. Women are constantly being assessed on the time-commitments beyond their work hours as a mark of their capabilities. Leadership roles require ownership and acumen which should not be judged by time parameters irrespective of gender. There is a mind-set shift that essentially needs to be brought in here.
What women-related myths or taboos need to be broken?
It must be a two-way effort. Women need to break their barriers of self-doubt and confidently come out with their point of view. They need to break out from the guilt of managing a plethora of things in their lives as an excuse to move up the ladder rather than consider it an asset that they would bring to their workplace. And the world should recognise the need for ‘compassionate leadership’ by bringing a balance on the corporate boards. Women bring to the table a unique balance of humanity and aspirations. This would build a better societal construct for the future enterprises of tomorrow.
Do you have a mentor or a role model? If yes, you may state briefly how it inspired you.
I have been fortunate to learn from some of the great leaders through my career. This complemented the learnings from the family and friends in all spheres of life.
One person who has been a guiding light, is Mr Piyush Sinha. He has been a friend, philosopher, and guide in all my pursuits. Having him as a mentor from the early days of my career helped me identify my strengths. His leadership style and compassion for his team inspired me to emulate it in my professional journey.
What would be your message to the youth who are just starting their career?
Before we start our career journey, an introspection of our interests, strengths and weaknesses is a good foundation. For the youth I would say, start by looking inwards and defining a to-be state that you want to achieve. Have a rough sketch of your plan to achieve that goal – what skills you have and what you need to add. Work each day towards acquiring them through your experiences as well as academic certifications. Fuel your curiosity and never hesitate in seeking guidance from your network. And if possible define a higher purpose in life beyond your career path, this can be directed towards your contribution to the society and communities that you live in. Define “success” in your own words and not by the definitions prevalent around you, this would give you the maximum satisfaction and happiness in life.
Describe yourself or your aspirations, dreams in 3 words.
Integrity. Commitment. Kaizen (continuous improvement).
Somya Shahi is an experienced professional in Business Strategy, Partnership & Alliances, and International Business Development & Consulting. With a specialisation in Strategy from Harvard Business School and MBA (UIUC – Chicago), she has worked for her clients to establish new business lines, product strategies and digital transformation projects in Japan, USA, APAC and MEA regions. Her experience spans across Telecom, EdTech, Energy, Media, Biometrics, Safety & Surveillance and AI based Video Analytics domains.
Somya currently works for Accenture prior to which she was heading the Research & Consulting practice for NEC Corporation, Japan. She has worked with Quantiphi Analytics as a Leader for Strategy & Operations in Telecom and M&E sectors.
She loves reading books, running, swimming and cycling. She works extensively towards strategising women leadership and is the National President for IT Council for Women’s Indian Chamber of Commerce & Industries (WICCI).
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