What is the one career advice that you still abide by?
From the very initial years of my career I was advised and trained to empower my team members by instilling a sense of responsibility and ownership in them. This is one advice that I still stick to as it has helped me groom my teams and shape them into future leaders. As a leader it is important to have your teams’ back, while giving them the freedom to experiment and take decisions independently. Even if the team members fail, they learn from their mistakes which is a part of their learning process and their growth journey.
Do you believe in having a gender balance in your team? If yes, how do you encourage women in your team to take up leadership roles?
As a woman myself, I believe it is imperative to have a gender balance in teams across functions. When I started my career journey, certain fields in the industry were not as inclusive in comparison to others and the gender disparity was very evident. But today I am proud to see women being a significant part of teams across functions such as manufacturing, sales, training etc. Women in my team are encouraged to be an important part of all discussions and decision making, they are also given continuous feedback for their growth in the system. I have dedicated 10-20% key responsibility areas (KRA) for training (self and team). I take pride to be working for an organization where the gender balance is reflected across with women leading across functions. Additionally, Amway has 5,50,000 active direct sellers out of which 60% are women, which is core of our business model.
What’s the next big technology you are excited about?
Given the hyper connected world we operate in, voice technology will be the next big innovation for us at Amway. We have a strong network of direct sellers across the country therefore, we are working on developing capabilities to provide solutions in localized languages for better assistance and to strengthen our relationship with Amway direct sellers.
Which is the one-woman personality you admire the most and why?
The one woman leader that I personally look up to is former CEO of PepsiCo, Indra Nooyi. She is a dynamic and impressive personality who strongly believes in the importance of maintaining a work life balance. As a successful woman leader in the industry, the fact that she acknowledges her absence from her daughters Parent Teachers Meets or not being able to actively be involved in household chores due to her responsibilities at work, is commendable. Women often put a lot of pressure on themselves that it becomes difficult to keep juggling and give time to one’s loved ones. I believe it’s important to strike a balance between work and home responsibilities no matter which position one is, in their career.