I do not want to go into what AVTAR I-WIN / Segue means. I feel their site does a very good job of it with more details. I do want to put in my thoughts on the session itself.
A presentation is present at the following link - in case you prefer to view a ppt instead of a blog !
http://www.slideshare.net/vidya_b/i-win-25101575
What I liked -
1. Profile of the speakers - The very first inkling of how serious AVTAR is regarding second innings for women comes from the profile of the speakers at the event. Apart from
- Ms. Saundarya Rajesh Founder - President, AVTAR I-WIN & FLEXI Careers India
we had the following speakers - who you would agree form an impressive list.
- Ms. Sandhya Vasudevan, Managing Director DBOI Global Services Pvt. Ltd., Deutsche Bank Group
- Ms. Nisha Verma, Head - Talent Management, Vodafone India Limited
- Ms. Oindrila Majumdar, Head of Asset and Wealth Management Operations, DBOI Global Services, Deutsche Bank Group
- Ms. Priya Tandon, Director Development, Allscripts
- Mr. CK Kumaravel, Co-Founder & Director, Naturals
- Ms. Aditi Sharma, Vice President - Quality & Six Sigma, Cummins India
- Ms. Mitu Seth, Mumbai Site Head of Human Resources, DBOI Global Services India, Deutsche Bank Group
- Ms. Sukanya Patwardhan, Senior Practice Consultant, Tata Management Training Centre, Pune
- Ms. Anita Borulkar,Associate Vice President Human Resource, Sandvik Asia Private Limited, Deutsche Bank Group
- Ms. Ritu Waila,Consultant,Tata Management Training Centre, Pune
- Mr. Ishmeet Singh, Business Head for Maharashtra, Goa Circle, Vodafone
- Mr. Sharad Verma, Senior Director, Talent Engagement and Development, SunGard Global Technology
2. The agenda - The workshops included a panel discussion on India Inc.'s need for women managers, On the need for Networking to restart a career, Negotiation skills to arrive at a win-win, an Entrepreneurial success story, a different view of oneself [Me Inc. ] and the idea of internal stakeholders.
3. The participants - This forum allows us to meet many women who are looking at either change in their current work or second innings and is a wonderful way to network and form new connections. I was amazed at the representation - women from different fields, backgrounds, different work histories, different sabbatical gaps ( the longest I heard was 13 years ) , entrepreneurs ( some failed , some planning to start ).
4. Learnings - I learnt many things from the session but am going to write down the ideas that resonated the most with me.
Specific Learnings -
- Ms. Oindrila Majumdar, Head of Asset and Wealth Management Operations, DBOI Global Services, Deutsche Bank Group
- "You are needed" !
Simple, direct, powerful and honestly a morale booster. It is not just me looking for a job for whatever reasons I have - Corporate India too needs women like me who have experience and want to join the workforce. Personally I found her inputs the most inspiring of all the speakers. Perhaps because of this statement ! :)
- Ms. Saundarya Rajesh Founder - President, AVTAR I-WIN & FLEXI Careers India
- Work-life Integration instead of work-life balance.
I like the idea that work and life are not two separate things that need to be balanced but instead should be integrated for a fulfilling life.
- Ms. Sandhya Vasudevan, Managing Director DBOI Global Services Pvt. Ltd., Deutsche Bank Group
- Emphasis on clarity of goals - Why go to work ? To be very clear with yourself on this.
- Ms. Nisha Verma, Head - Talent Management, Vodafone India Limited
- Women are good in social networking but poor in mental and physical networking - Too true !
- Grow "YOU" as a brand - What other people think of you, what people attribute to you and 'your' brand should invoke strong emotions.
- In response to a question - Visibility alone is not good enough - visibility to the right people is also important.
- Ms. Priya Tandon, Director Development, Allscripts
- Be sure of what you want in life and be happy with it. Also understand the price you are prepared to pay for what you want in life.
- Mr. CK Kumaravel, Co-Founder & Director, Naturals
- His talk had the most humorous moments ! Candid on a previous business failure as well as difficulties in the current journey.
- Money is the by-product of serving others.
- Irritation is the biggest source of energy ! :)
- Initial seed money from 3F's - Family, Friends and Fools !
- Be an eternal optimist - they always learn more and try more
- Value people and use money - not the other way round
- Answer to a person who had a failed business behind her - Failure is an opportunity to begin again.
- Ms. Aditi Sharma, Vice President - Quality & Six Sigma, Cummins India
- Don't over commit your employers and lose your flexibility
- Ms. Mitu Seth, Mumbai Site Head of Human Resources, DBOI Global Services India, Deutsche Bank Group
- Prioritize
- Accept you cannot do everything
- Asking help is okay
- Exercise the power to make choices
- There will be good days and bad days
- Definition of success keeps changing - define it for yourself and don't inherit from others
- Ms. Anita Borulkar,Associate Vice President Human Resource, Sandvik Asia Private Limited, Deutsche Bank Group
- Inspiring talk - challenges in the field where not many women employees are present as well as handling unions and government.
- Ms. Sukanya Patwardhan, Senior Practice Consultant, Tata Management Training Centre, Pune
- You are the CEO of Me Inc..
- How well can you take the nonsense thrown at you / being taken for granted / feeling low / comparison ?
- Ms. Ritu Waila,Consultant,Tata Management Training Centre, Pune
- An inspiring story of managing a break forced due to health issues.
- Mr. Ishmeet Singh, Business Head for Maharashtra & Goa Circle, Vodafone
- Inputs from view of employer when a person with career break comes for an interview - Yes there can be a bias.
- Mr. Sharad Verma, Senior Director, Talent Engagement and Development, SunGard Global Technology
- Define your goals , priorities / ambitions / commitment to success
- Decide what you are willing to settle for / not settle for / your strengths / perceived weakness
- Aim to be likable and competent - and showcase this with your attitude
- Try to close a negotiation positively
- Anticipate
Areas of improvement -
I sincerely believe the Segue session was a superb program - so these critiques should be be considered with an open mind. They should be evaluated against obvious practical considerations as well as alignment to the goals of the program. However the best of people / groups like to see how they can do better - so I will give my inputs honestly.
1. Practical networking - It is good to say "Network" but an ice breaker kind of game would have been good. [ So many conferences have this- short 10 - 15 min game that gives say about 5 connections right away !!! ]. Yes we did connect with the ladies at our table and during tea but more would have been nice.
2. Segue success stories - Women who have benefited from the Segue sessions. Perhaps it is early to talk about this - I am not sure. The women need not come in person nor should women who do not wish to be spot lighted be mentioned by name. However I still think couple of stories would have been good.
3. Profile of the women participants - Not on an individual basis but in a very broad sense - the kind of industries they come from, the sabbatical gaps, education profile, business start ups .. etc
4. Entrepreneurial how to - The Naturals success story is inspiring but a general how-to for entrepreneurship would have been wonderful. I am not completely sure of this topic though since I have a feeling it could be so vast that it would not fit in the schedule !
Takeaways -
1. Networking - The forum helped to meet women in the same boat as I am - trying to make a comeback to work after a sabbatical.
2. Perspective from the company end - It was good to hear from the other side of the table. The inputs were invaluable.
3. The workshops / talks / discussions - These were encouraging and motivating.
All in all - an informative and inspiring workshop which I am happy I got a chance to participate in.
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