Organisations are now more open to creating gender-diverse leadership teams:Nupoor Pradhan

We, at Adgully, have always saluted and honoured women managers and leaders across diverse fields. W-SUITE is a special initiative from Adgully that has been turning the spotlight on some of the most remarkable women achievers in the M&E, Advertising, Marketing, PR and Communications industry. In the refurbished series, we seek to find out how women leaders have been managing their teams and work as well as how they have been navigating through the toughest and most challenging times brought about by the global pandemic.

In conversation with Adgully, Nupoor Pradhan, Head - People Operations, SoCheers, speaks about the growing move to have gender-diverse leadership teams, her mantra for maintaining work-life balance, creating a supportive work environment that prioritises women’s comfort and well-being, and more.

How do you think the role and scope of women leaders have widened in the current market ecosystem?

Women leaders have a wider role and scope in the current market ecosystem due to growing recognition of their value and the barriers they faced in the past, such as discrimination and stereotyping, are seen fading away in many cases. Many organisations are now actively seeking to increase diversity in their leadership teams.

This shift can also be attributed to the widespread adoption of remote or hybrid working arrangements, which have enabled women to take on more leadership responsibilities while balancing their work and home lives. Throughout the pandemic, companies have also placed a greater emphasis on qualities such as empathy, open communication, and work-life balance, all of which are essential skills for effective leadership. As a result, there has been a growing demand for women leaders who possess these qualities. Furthermore, organisations are now more open to the idea of creating a gender-diverse leadership team, which can bring a wider range of perspectives and improve the overall structure of the organisation.

What has been your major learning from the pandemic period?

The pandemic has posed numerous challenges, particularly for organizational leaders, such as adapting to remote work, ensuring employee well-being, and sustaining business operations amidst a rapidly changing landscape. And, here are a few valuable lessons that I have gleaned and would abide by:

Empathy & open communication: The pandemic has been tough on everyone. As a leader, it’s been extremely important to build an empathetic environment and open communication channels that make the teams feel heard.

Maintaining a work-life-balance: With remote and hybrid working, it is essential to set boundaries, give yourself personal time for rejuvenation and self care and at the same time enable the teams to do the same.

Adaptability: As a leader, the pandemic has definitely taught me to be more flexible, agile and adaptable towards people, different ways of working, varied thoughts & ideas, and towards just being open to newer approaches and suggestions.

Diversity & inclusion: We have experienced diversity in quite a few things during and post the pandemic. Whether it’s hiring from different locations owing to remote working, focusing on gender diversity at leadership roles or diversity in terms of past experiences and learnings. The conscious focus has been to create an environment that makes each team member values and included.

Being more aware about mental well-being: The pandemic has possibly changed the way we all approached mental health related discussions. The pandemic did take a toll on people’s mental health and as leaders, it became a priority to cater to the mental wellbeing of our teams while also prioritising our own mental health. This involved promoting mental health awareness, encouraging open conversations about mental health and facilitating counselors/therapists wherever required.

Building and maintaining strong relationships: At the onset of the pandemic, the biggest challenge everyone faced was managing communications seamlessly through virtual means. Finding out creative ways to stay connected and also to build stronger connections with the newer team members was one of the most important learnings.

What is your mantra for maintaining a successful work-life balance in the new normal? According to you, what makes women the best in crisis management?

Maintaining work-life balance, according to me, is an ongoing process and not something that can be achieved overnight. According to me, here are a few aspects that can help in this process:

Set realistic expectations & goals: It’s okay to say NO when your plate is already full. Be realistic and true to yourself about how much you can achieve in a specific time and align tasks accordingly.

Open communication: Be open to your teams/seniors to not only discuss but also to seek help wherever required to maintain sanity and balance.

Organise your day: Whether it’s maintaining the to-do-s or mapping calendars, organise your day. Always remember that all days will be different. Understanding that some days might be busier than others will give you a better perspective to organise your tasks.

Disconnect and draw the line: Switch-off from work and modes of work communications when on a break or when you end your work day. Indulge in self care or hobbies that would help you rejuvenate for the next day, task or project.

Crisis management skills are very specific to an individual, irrespective of gender. And, there is no evidence to suggest that women are inherently better at crisis management than men. However, certain traits or skills that are typically associated with women may be beneficial in crisis management situations. Like:

Empathy: Women are often socialised to be more empathetic than men, which can be a valuable trait in crisis management. Empathy allows one to understand and connect with people’s emotions and needs, which can help in calming individuals and resolving conflicts.

Collaboration: Women tend to be more collaborative than men, which is another important trait in crisis management. Collaboration fosters teamwork, information sharing, and a sense of collective responsibility, which can be essential in handling complex crises.

Adaptability: Women are often forced to be adaptable in their personal and professional lives, which can help them manage crises. Adaptability allows one to be flexible, think creatively, and adjust to changing circumstances quickly, which is necessary in crisis situations.

Communication: Women are often skilled communicators, which can be particularly helpful in crisis management. Effective communication is essential in conveying important information, clarifying misunderstandings, and resolving conflicts.

Resilience: Women have historically faced many challenges and obstacles, which has led to the development of resilience. Resilience allows one to bounce back from setbacks, maintain a positive attitude, and stay focused in the face of adversity, all of which are important in crisis management.

What are the five most effective leadership lessons that you have learned?

As the saying goes, trying the waters is the best way to learn how to swim. Similarly, the past few years have been the most difficult times for everyone, and they have taught me (as well as many others) some invaluable life lessons that cannot be acquired through leadership training or any other means. Like:

Effective listening skills: A good leader definitely needs to be a good listener. Making your teams feel heard and included will help build a collaborative environment overall. Effective listening skills help a lot in building this.

Building trust and compassion: Building trust with teams and the different sets of people we communicated with is extremely important. Being transparent and honest about situations and work, and highlighting the steps that were taken to address these helped build the trust. Also, trusting teams working remotely to manage their own schedules and tasks led to increased productivity and job satisfaction.

Resilience: Accepting setbacks, failures and losses, and finding out ways to bounce back was one of the key skills that I learnt as a leader, especially during the pandemic. Maintaining a positive attitude during these difficult times and keeping the teams’ morale high was a great learning.

Innovation and adaptability: Every organisation felt the need for innovation during the challenging times. Whether it was to service the changing needs of the brands or build remote communication channels for the teams. As a leader, encouraging a culture where innovation, creative thinking and experimentation was of prime importance. It showed the willingness to take risks and sail through newer challenges.

Overall focus on well-being: As a leader, focussing on the well-being (both physical and mental) of our teams during the pandemic helped us build a more resilient, engaged and satisfied team. Our core focus was to provide necessary support for the overall well-being and prioritise the safety and health of our teams.

Gender sensitivity and inclusion in the new normal – how can organisations effectively encourage and groom women leaders in challenging times?

The key to success lies in recognising and nurturing talent, regardless of gender. By shifting their perspective, organisations can overcome many of the challenges they face. To begin, offering flexibility in policies beyond basic maternity benefits can help create a supportive environment that prioritises women’s comfort and well-being. This can include measures such as work-from-home options during menstrual cycles or providing period leave, as well as childcare facilities.

In addition, leadership training programs should focus not only on hard skills, but also on developing soft skills such as communication and confidence building, while emphasising leadership qualities.