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- A recent study
alludes to the fact
that gender diversity
has significantly
improved in recent
years with the
representation
of women in top
leadership positions
rising to 20% in 2018.
culture which goes beyond the conven-
tional contours of setting corporate targets
and conforming to policy changes. The chal-
lenge here is to create an inclusive leader-
ship model for men and women. As rightly
said by Claudia Marshall, Ikea Distribution
Area Manager, Northern Europe, “Diversity
and inclusion should not only be a phrase
on a piece of paper, it’s a mind-set and
should be lived actively every day.”
Creating a leadership legacy
Indian women are slowly but surely shat-
tering the glass ceiling and creating niche
leadership positions for themselves, on
par with their male counterparts. Women
are increasingly defying traditionally
male-dominated bastions and asserting a
formidable presence across diverse walks of
life. The world over and especially in India
as women embark on a journey to the top,
they will need to realise that the path will
be arduous and laden with obstacles.
Getting rid of pessimistic thoughts, devel-
oping a positive mind-set and having tre-
mendous confidence in one’s talents and
qualities will remain the key to surmount-
ing those obstacles and showcasing one’s
leadership potential. It needs to be noted
here that women have to juggle between
multifarious roles in their personal and
corporate lives and often have to walk a
tightrope in discharging their responsibili-
ties efficaciously. As they ascend the ladder
to top positions in their chosen career
spheres, maintaining a harmonious life-
work balance can become an overwhelm-
ing challenge.
The onus for women here will be to sort
their priorities and chart out a clear career-
personal life course to attain their desired
potential. In a predominantly male-domi-
nated social hierarchy like India, for a wom-
an to assert her leadership credentials are
no easy task. Women who attain leadership
positions solely on the basis of their grit to
excel and determination to succeed should
not be an island unto them but should
create discernible leadership legacies for
future generations of women leaders.
I would like to highlight the changing dy-
namics in the sector by sharing my personal
experiences. An evening of interaction with
a Swedish healthcare delegation sometime
back made me realise that the world order
may be in for a transformational phase with
India emphasising on increasing gender di-
versity in the healthcare sector and Sweden
trying to build it the other way round.
The healthcare industry in India is now
realising that diversity in leadership roles
is the key to making it more dynamic and
inclusive. Organisations are increasingly
changing their policies to make workplaces
more women-centric.It’s all about a good leader
Universally recognised leadership attri-
butes remain common to men and women
on a global level. Leadership is a person-
specific characteristic and not a gender-
specific quality. The day is not too far when
this pertinent quote from Sheryl Sandberg
holds true for all time to come- “In the fu-
ture, there will be no female leaders. There
will just be leaders.” And I am truly longing
for that day.2
Deepali Jetley is
Managing Partner
with Qwazent
Health Search.