The W-Suite | Pay equality needs to begin at home: Chandni Shah

With a rapidly evolving business and economic landscape there is a dire requirement of fresh thinking, new skill sets, greater flexibility & adaptability, more collaboration as well as the ability to think on one’s feet. 

Gone are the days when the thinking was more on the lines of ‘get a man to do this job’. Diversity in the workforce has become a necessity today, and more so in the leadership positions. It can’t be denied that women bring a high level of creativity and empathy while solving problems and handling crises. Women leaders bring to the table a different level of dexterity. 

AdGully’s ‘The W-Suite’ series features interactions with influential women leaders in India, who share some deep insights on what being a woman leader means in India’s business landscape, the mantras to succeed, achieving work-life balance, pay parity and much more. 

Chandni Shah, COO, Social Kinnect, started off in the advertising industry at a very early age, as early as 3 years old, as a child model for some really known brands such as Coca-Cola, Nerolac, Operation Flood, and later on building an interest and passion within this industry by gaining experience with companies of the likes of JWT, Percept and many more. But what really drove her towards her success today, is a striking spirit and passionate belief in her first ever successful entrepreneurial venture at Mumbai-based full service digital marketing agency, Social Kinnect, which she started at the age of 22 with co-founder Rohan Mehta and successfully grew the company from a team of 3 to 175 in just over five and half years. 

What defines a woman leader in today’s ecosystem?
Today, I believe there is no place for gender bias in leadership. We work in an environment where the qualities and capabilities of a leader are surely more important than the gender. 

In today’s ecosystem, a woman leader is defined on the same parameters as that of a male leader. Your vision, decision making, leadership skills and the ability to cope with failure and use it as a stepping stone to success defines you in this environment. 

Why do you think a smaller percentage of women than men reach the top of their professions?
A decent percentage of us believe in gender equality today, but a huge percentage of our population still lacks this belief. Predominantly, men are considered to be the bread winners and women are not expected to take on those responsibilities, which is a dogma in our society today. The lack of societal pressure, where women are not considered bread winners, is why a lot of promising women tend to lose focus or give up on their career. 

Do you think women leaders are still scrutinised as much for style as for substance?
Funnily, yes! But only till they start having a conversation. It’s more like the first impression matters until the first interaction, where style takes a back seat. 

Do you think the leadership effectiveness of women is higher than men? Why?
It’s comparable, the very understanding of what makes a good leader does not show any signs of which gender it favours. The leadership style of women occasionally needs to take a different approach to get the same output. 

Women leaders in the 80’s and 90’s and women leaders today - what are the key differences? And what are the things that haven't changed much?
The landscape for women back then was very different, lack of proper education, less freedom to go out and work, early marriage and social norms were major barriers for women to become leaders. Today, we see a vast shift in thinking, more and more women are stepping out to achieve their dreams. The accessibility to proper education, change in societal thinking and many other factors have encouraged women to become leaders. The gender bias gap is slowly fading where preferential treatment was given to men. In recent times, we have seen more women rise to the top. Organisations have evolved to look past gender and recognise talent and capabilities. 

How do you maintain a balance between career goals and family responsibilities? How frequently do you have to sacrifice one for the other?
Most women find it difficult to manage the balance. My family is very supportive and never made me choose between the two. I’m generally a very passionate person and take keen interest in whatever I do. I like to live in the moment and manage to focus my attention to the current needs, where I switch intuitively between work mode and family mode. 

Do you think pay parity exists in our corporates today across levels? What about pay parity at the leadership levels?
Well, there’s definitely an issue where pay parity is concerned, across corporates today, at a global level. Luckily at Social Kinnect, my co-founder and I have never seen gender as a factor, it’s the work that matters. The fact that 60 per cent of our top management consists of women and they are being paid equally is what makes me proud. The journey towards pay equality needs to begin at home. 

What would be your advice to women aiming for the C-suite?
My advice to both men and women would be the same. Build a deep alignment with the thoughts and direction of the top management. Find ways to solve some of their most pressing problems and provide support outside of your job role. 

Also, don’t read too much into what society is talking about gender inequality, these will uselessly create barriers in your head which, in turn, might hamper your progress up the ranks. 

What, according to you, are the 3 important lessons new women leaders need to learn?

  • Believe that you can be the bread winner for the family. 
  • Strive and not give up because of a few hiccups, be it personal or professional, everything can be figured out. Have the will to see yourself through it. 
  • Don’t succumb to societal norms.
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