Women have more of a fighter attitude while dealing with situations: Saloni Anand

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 M&E, Advertising & Marketing, PR & Communication 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.

Saloni Anand is the Co-founder of Traya Health, a new-age health tech start-up that provides online diagnosis and doctor prescribed hair loss treatments based on individual concerns. In conversation with Adgully, Saloni Anand speaks about the opportunities opening up for women in the new normal, how women have been managing various crises in these challenging times, maintaining work-life balance, the lessons that she learned as a women leader and more.

How do you think the role and scope of women leaders has widened in the post-pandemic world?

The pandemic has pushed a lot of roles partially or fully remote. With “work from home” becoming the new normal, a number of women who were earlier stuck at home are now given the opportunity to take up the smallest of jobs on a part-time basis. I’m hoping that the comfort of remote working has encouraged more women to start working. While the challenges for women who were already in the workforce remain the same.

The rapid transition to digital, an uncertain economic landscape, charting unknown waters, working from home – how have you been navigating during the COVID-19 times? How are you maintaining work-life balance in the new normal?

Covid was like a blessing in disguise for me. I started Traya and months later, planned a baby. The entire pandemic situation was a complete boon for me as even though I was working from home, I was simultaneously raising a new-born as well. I think having a defined time for work and non-work duties is a must in this work from home situation. My team was also entirely supportive during this time. Never once did I feel left out or “not seen”, since the whole team was also dealing with working from home and we were constantly in touch with each other over digital platforms.

Multiple studies have shown how women leaders performed better during the COVID-19 crisis. According to you, what makes women the best in crisis management?

I believe that women tend to deal with a crisis in a very different way in comparison to a man. In other words, a women has more of a “fighter attitude” while dealing with situations, and this can come handy in a crisis situation.

What are the five most effective lessons that you have learned as a woman leader?

  • Women suck at guilt management and this is the core issue – I am still struggling here.
  • A lot of us underestimate ourselves – Be confident and never undersell yourself.
  • Constantly learn and improve – be competitive.
  • Be fearless and aggressive – the executioner is the winner.
  • Wrong decisions are not the problem, slow decisions are.

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

To begin with, organisations should hire more women employees and build a culture where women not just feel safe in a place of work, but rather also feel equal in terms of pay, opportunity of promotions and appreciation. I am proud to say that the workforce at Traya is currently run by a “women army”, where we have 70% women and 30% men.

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