On the occasion of International Women’s Day, Reena Sharma, Managing Director – India, Techwave, shares her insights on the significance of this day, the journey towards gender equality, and the pivotal role technology and leadership play in breaking barriers. With an inclusive and democratic leadership style rooted in trust and respect, Reena’s reflections highlight the importance of mentorship, addressing unconscious biases, and fostering an environment where women can thrive and lead with confidence.
TAM: What does Women’s Day mean to you personally, and how do you believe it contributes to advancing the conversation on gender equality in the workplace?
Reena Sharma: Personally, I believe that every day is women’s day where the small changes they make add up to a larger mindset change. In the workplace, an official date gives time to acknowledge and celebrate the many achievements women continue to make and pause and reflect on the substantial work required to achieve gender equality and empowerment of women.
TAM: Honing women in leadership roles requires a mindset Change. What specific actions or initiatives do you think organizations can take to better support women in leadership roles?
Reena Sharma: There is often unconscious bias to be addressed across men and women both for the women to flourish in leadership roles. Organizations can provide support through mentorship opportunities, bias-related training, flexible and equitable work policies and specific leadership training to create a more inclusive work culture. Often women hold themselves back and there should be clear discussions around personal aspirations, available career paths, criteria for promotions and also encouragement for self-advocacy.
TAM: What role do you think technology can play in addressing conscious and subconscious biases, and how can leaders like you influence this change?
Reena Sharma: Technology can be a powerful tool to help address biases throughout an employee life cycle. Some examples are as below:
- Use of tools while shortlisting candidates to consider only skills and relevant experience and not display gender, name or demographics at the start
- Identify high potential employees with actual data models for career advancement discussions
- Constantly review actual data for trends in salary, promotion and feedback to highlight visible bias
- Use tech platforms for training
- Use tech platforms as a safe space where employees can share feedback with assured visibility at senior management levels.
Also read: Embrace Being Comfortable with Discomfort – Jaya Vaidyanathan, CEO, BCT Digital
Leaders can influence and contribute to this change by walking the talk, so to speak. Leaders can mentor or sponsor high potential candidates, take on diversity related targets in their functions and encourage the use of data and AI in decision making and hiring. They should be open to challenging their own inherent bias, If any, and demonstrating their intention by way of actions, behaviour and verbiage always to set an example. Where required, they should take the help of industry experts to audit and suggest best practices for constant improvement. Wherever possible, they should measure and celebrate progress as well.
As a woman leader, what challenges have you faced in your journey, and how have they shaped your leadership style?
Reena Sharma: I have been extremely privileged in having access to everything I wanted in terms of education, opportunities, support systems and mentors along my career and so my challenges would be similar to what any leader would face (men included) in terms of defining personal aspirations, improvements and evolving of an individual leadership style suited to me. There are always some difficult teammates or leaders or naysayers, but they just helped define my will to do better. Possibly this was easier for me as a lot of women work in technology as compared to other sectors.
My leadership style is a blend of what is required depending on who I deal with and is mostly inclusive and democratic and centred around honesty, trust and respect both ways. Over the years I have consciously worked on feedback received from mentors and my teams to constantly learn and improve where I can.
5. If you could share one message with women around the world on this Women’s Day, what would it be?
Reena Sharma: I stand by the saying “Here’s to strong women, may we known them, may we be them, may we raise them.” ― Amy Rees Anderson
