Tell us about your sources of inspiration, your role models?
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Zahabiya Khorakiwala
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Andre Agassi – one of the greatest tennis players of all time. He changed the rules of the game and played on his own terms.
Women can thrive in a man’s world without having to change who they are. Agree?
Yes. It has been shown through various studies and research that women on an average have a higher EQ than men. In today’s world which is far more connected, interacting across countries, cultures and different diversities is quite common. I believe women have an advantage in overcoming those diversities and therefore being more effective in their work. Also, as one moves higher up in an organisation in terms of role and responsibility, the softer skills become a much greater requirement for performance.
How has been your journey to the top?
The journey till date has been challenging as well as fun. It’s been four years now that I have been shouldering this responsibility. I’ve learnt more in these four years than I have in my entire life. It’s been incredibly exciting given a large platform to really contribute and make a meaningful impact on.
I spent the first two years or so on the ground a lot, spending time at our seven hospitals – interacting with doctors, nurses, administrators etc. always keeping my eyes and ears open. And because my approach is also quite participative it enabled me to build trust and credibility whilst I started contributing. Besides, at home, my brothers and I have been brought up equally with no exceptions made what so ever, so in my own mind I don’t believe that I can’t aspire for or achieve anything that my brothers can.
| Straight from the heart |
| Perseverance – nothing comes easy or automatically. You have to be persistently impatient to get things done in the manner that it needs to be done.
Professionally humility – regardless of one’s role or experience there is always an opportunity to learn. And only if you are truly humble about what you don’t know, can you create that space to learn, absorb and be creative. Success comes with hard work. Nothing happens in a day. This is something I learnt from my father long time ago. For me, doing hard work and taking up your responsibility with full commitment is equal to achieving success. Also, having a goal and a positive outlook towards achieving it helps. |
At a personal level, do you maintain a good work-life balance?
It is a challenge to maintain work-life balance for any professional, but being passionate about your work helps. When I started, I must admit that for the first couple of years I probably didn’t maintain a good balance. There was a lot to be done and I was entering a business I didn’t know very much about so it was work, work, work and work. Now however, I think I do have a pretty decent work life balance.
Is the business landscape changing in India for women?
Yes, definitely. I find that for women today it is more of a norm to be working and having a career. Which in itself is quite different from even women one generation older. Also, I believe today women’s careers and professional choices factor into larger decisions of their lives.
It is no longer an irrelevant aspect of who they are and what they want to be. Today, I see women making strides in the corporate world at an unprecedented level.