1
Jan.

2021

women leadership in senior management team
Women Leadership in Senior Management Team

With the influx of inclusive development and corporate leadership horizon, the participation of women and men both in the workplace and management sector has been substantiated as the key ingredient for the positive business outcomes and higher profitability of any organization. Forsooth, women’s participation in greater leadership roles such as C-suite positions like CEO, CFO, and board-level has been significantly important for the organization to achieve its diversified organizational goals and objectives.

 

Gone are the days for the women to circumscribe their talent behind the four walls doing household chores only. Mary Teres Barra, the first-ever female CEO of a major automaker, General Motors Company, Lisa Su, President and CEO of Advanced Micro Devices are just a few names who portrayed the denotation of women participation in management roles. Their names and companies are ruling over the world. Cultural biases and stereotypes were the major obstacles for women to pinpoint their formidable talent pool. But with the profusion of positive inclusive awareness and progressive changes, it has been accepted that only gender equality can lead the world towards progress and effective development.

 

When women are given great authority, they fulfill the responsibility in an effective way. The various researches conducted have proven that women are more motivated towards taking more initiatives being resilient and receptive to feedback from others making them more effective leaders in the long run. This has been stated in the article of Harvard Business Review by Jack Zenger and Joseph Folkman. Women are more likely to practice self-improvement for productive results with higher integrity and honesty. According to the global data stated in the article ‘Women in Management: Quick Take’ of Catalyst, the proportion of women in senior management roles globally boosted to 29% in 2019 which is the highest number ever recorded.

 

Ms. Nisha KC , Director of Rolling Plans Pvt. Ltd (RPPL), an ISO 9001:2015 certified consulting firm with a specialization in HRM, CCM, and IT-enabled services, shares her experiences about board-level involvement in RPPL. Let’s hear more about women's involvement in the senior management team from her.

 

1. Please tell us about Rolling Plans Pvt. Ltd. What was the objective behind the establishment of such an organization?

Rolling Plans was established with the objective of creating a meaningful impact on the economy. It is the brainchild of our Chairman who had a dream of assisting in reducing the unemployment in the Nepalese economy.

 

2. What are your values as a company director? How do you ensure that the values are maintained by the employees?

I try to maintain a prolific role within the organization. The senior management establishes policies for corporate management and oversight and my role is to add value to the company and the management team. We have our guiding principles that are communicated to the employees at all possible times such as to be accountable for your responsibilities, delivering expectations, being reliable, being positive, being a great team member, and respecting all the micro-units of the company.

 

3. What features or characteristics make a good company leader? What are your views on women’s involvement in the senior management team?

A leader sets the tone for the company’s culture and ensures that everyone does the right things for the right reasons.

In 2019, the proportion of women in Senior Management roles grew globally to 29%, the highest number ever recorded. In 2020, this number has significantly grown. 87% of global companies have at least one member in the Senior Management role. I personally encourage women’s involvement in the Management team. By nature, women value alignment. So, they try to work and influence others to work towards common goals, common intentions, and common outcomes. Also, they demonstrate and encourage common behaviors to add value to work life. The outcomes of organizations with women involved in top management have shown positive relationships in performance.

 

4. Please tell us about some of your biggest professional failures and challenges and how did you overcome them?

I am self-aware enough to acknowledge failure and weakness. Had I not failed, I would have never succeeded on this significant level. If I have to summarize my failures, I have failed multiple times but the lessons learned have made me stronger, more risk-taker, and enhanced my perspective of the business environment. We never stop learning hence; we never stop making mistakes either.

 

5. Please state the importance of company culture to you and what measures do you take to maintain your desired culture?

A company’s culture is the shared characteristics and attributes. I have realized the importance of maintaining better chemistry among the team. When people feel like they belong to an organization, they are more likely to be part of that organization for the long term. I try to spend time considering why our company’s culture is the way it is. And also why it is important that it stays that way.

In order to maintain our desired culture, I try to keep lines of communication open. We try to keep up with our traditions when things are smaller and more intimate. We try to maintain a flexible collaborative culture. 
 

6. How do you see the roles of manager and leader intersecting with each other?

A visionary leader is also a good manager. Both influence, inspire and drive people to bring the best outcome for the organization. Both require a diverse set of skills to be successful. They see possible growth to engage people in turning that vision into reality.

 

7. As a woman, practically it is somehow difficult to maintain a balance between professional and personal life. What are your current and ideal work/life balance?

Yes, it is. That’s where the art of delegating and staying connected works wonder. It is also equally important to keep the communication lines open between the colleagues and family members at home. The correct equilibrium for me is prioritizing the demands of both roles. As a working mom, I have always been proud of myself for switching roles.

 

8. Can you please tell us about some of the risks taken by you and the steps you took to handle them and what were the results?

The biggest risks taken by me were during the earthquakes and economic blockades. During those unprecedented times, running a contact center 24/7 required Hercules’s effort.

 

9. If you are to convince your team about the viability of a new concept, how will you go about doing it? What strategies do you employ for building an efficient team?

Communication is the key. We need to get everyone to agree on what the change is and why it is happening. Your role as a manager and leader is depicted here. 
 

10. What are the upcoming programs of RPPL?

RPPL successfully launched Rolling Nexus, Nepal’s first Professional Networking site on September 10 2020 with a mission to support institutional and human capital development with innovative and technology-enabled services where one can find their desired jobs, freelance, and many many many more. Similarly, we have Rolling Bazaar, a one-stop market solution for all the Nepalese products which encourages Nepalese entrepreneurs. We are launching the app of Rolling Nexus soon. 

 

11. Your message to all the women.

My message to all the women is “keep celebrating yourself”. You become what you constantly think of. So, be mindful of where you are placing your energy and attention.

 

Ms. Nisha KC has set a prodigious hallmark in leading the company towards progressive development. An effective leader with a strong mindset like her has proven that women leadership in the senior management team is a must in any organization. The development and growth in the global economy are possible only with the equal participation of both men and women. 

 

Let’s hope to see more women management and leadership shortly.
 

“Leadership should be more participative than directive, more enabling than performing.”- Mary D. Poole

















 

2024 All Rights reserved with Rolling Nexus