Sowmya Shresth

In today’s world, we often find ourselves in bubbles — be it social media, family, friends, or community — where our views and experiences are reinforced by those who think similarly. One of the last places where we truly intersect with a diverse range of ideas, backgrounds, people and perspectives is in the workplace. As we emerge from a divisive and toxic U.S. election cycle, emotions are understandably high, and for many, the results bring a sense of loss or disappointment. Mental health is at a breaking point for too many, as campaigns sought to build themselves up simply by knocking others down. As leaders and colleagues, it’s vital that we recognize the importance of supporting one another, fostering a safe space where respect, empathy, and understanding are at the forefront, before any “red” or “blue”. The workplace offers a unique space to bridge divides, learn from each other, and grow stronger together. Let’s focus on being there for one another, building a supportive, inclusive atmosphere that inquires about, respects, and dignifies the range of emotions people are experiencing. After all, it’s in these diverse environments that we can help cultivate common ground, resilience and unity, rising above the bias-filled echo chambers that define so much of modern society. Be good, be kind, and please take care of one another. 💙 🇺🇸

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Here are some interesting facts about women in leadership across industries in India. The pharmaceutical sector leads in gender diversity among key management roles in India. While financial services mostly had professional female leaders, pharma had both professional and promoter roles for women. This reflects a broader trend in women's representation in upper management across sectors. Boards recognize the urgency for diversity, but it requires concerted efforts from all stakeholders to restore balance over the next two decades. As CEO's are you doing your bit to make this change? Here are some thought starters... - Promoting Workplace Flexibility: Implementing flexible work arrangements can positively impact women's careers, limiting vulnerabilities during critical phases. - Empowering Women to Lead: Real gender equality means empowering women to lead, actively seeking opportunities, aiming for challenging roles, and receiving guidance. - Rethinking Workplace Dynamics: Indian companies still struggle for gender balance in KMP roles. We must rethink how workplaces function, making them fairer by supporting skill-based hiring, providing mentorship, and helping women advance in their careers. - Advocating for Legislative and Mandatory Initiatives: Legislative and mandatory initiatives are essential; voluntary actions often lead to tokenism rather than real progress. Let's do our bit in welcoming and supporting this positive trend towards gender diversity in leadership! #GenderDiversity #Leadership #WorkplaceEquality

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Introducing a new phenomenon "Instant Gratitude" #Gratification is the feeling of satisfaction from achieving something, requires effort and deeper thinking , leading to long-term impact. #Instantgratification is the desire for immediate outcome without delay, expecting quick results without effort, focusing on short-term gains, and potentially leading to impulsive decisions. #Gratidude - Good leaders always demonstrate gratidude - In essence, gratitude can sit on gratification by adding a layer of appreciation, humility, and recognition, making the experience even more meaningful and fulfilling. While "instant gratification" is a common term, "instant gratitude" is not as widely used. However, I'd argue that it's a fascinating concept! If we consider #instantgratitude as a phenomenon, it could mean: - A spontaneous feeling of appreciation or thankfulness without delay - A immediate recognition of the good things or people in your life - A swift shift in focus from what's lacking to what you already have In a world where instant gratification is often sought, cultivating instant gratitude could be a powerful practice. It might involve: - Mindfulness and presence to appreciate the small joys - Reframing challenges as opportunities for growth - Expressing thanks and acknowledgment on the spot Linking it to Leadership : "Effective leaders prioritize long-term gratification, fostering an inclusive culture that values impact with thought through efforts, and diverse perspectives, over instant gratification, which can lead to impulsive decisions and exclusionary practices that undermine team cohesion and success." By embracing instant gratitude in your leadership, you can rewire your brain to focus on the positive, foster stronger relationships, and find joy in the present moment and inspire your team as a leader ! What's your leadership style - One over the other or both ? How often do you demonstrate gratidude or Instant gratidude ? #leadership #leaders #gratitude #Instantgratidude #instantgratification #gratification

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Great interaction. AI indeed will be an accelerator enabling 1.Velocity, 2.Accuracy and 3.Personalisation of performance information + it’s actionable insights..

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DeepInsights: The Coach Time to Think Urgency destroy, ease creates When it comes to helping me think for myself sometimes doing means not doing  #TimetoThink #Thinking #Coaching #DeepInsights Hariram Krishnan Anup Soans Salil Kallianpur Amlesh Ranjan PCC ODCP Anil Matai Jiten Karani Vivek Hattangadi Vivek Padgaonkar Kamini Sharma

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It’s time Corporates in India transition from tick in the box gender diversity initiatives to neurodiverse hiring. This will certainly be a far more genuine step towards promoting diversity at workplaces #D&I #neurodiversity

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Unshakable Faith – Everything Happens for a Reason Today is Guru Purnima and I would like to express my deep sense of gratitude and bow down to my Guru - Rev. Pandurang Shastri Athavale, Founder of Swadhyay Movement whom we fondly call “Dada”. He was conferred with Ramon Magsaysay Award for Community Leadership in 1996, Templeton Price for Progress in Religion in 1997 along with India's second highest civilian honour, the Padma Vibhushan Award, in 1999. He introduced us to Universal Way of Life, Way of Worship and Way of Thinking for each one to achieve Spiritual Height. Inspired from Dadaji’s teachings, I would like to share Key learning’s that has become part of my DNA and in case if it helps any one of you 1. Human Efforts + God Grace – Both are equally important. 2. God helps those who help themselves – Nothing comes easy in life. 3. I Can Do Attitude – Proves that youth in you is still alive irrespective of age. 4. Everything happens for a Reason – Have 100 % Unshakeable Faith in Divine Farsightedness whatever you are put through (Good, Bad, Ugly). 5. Change starts with “Me” - Leading to change in Family, Society, Country and World. 6. God resides in Me – My body is Temple of God. I need to be mindful of my thoughts, feelings and action. 7. Swadhyay is regular study of self – “Appointment with God” As Dadaji mentions – to cleanse heart and mind with positive thoughts inspired from our Vedas, Upanishads, Bhagwat Gita in presence of likeminded people. In today’s world filled with multiple distractions, emotional pollution and stress, I find my solace in Swadhyay and Unshakable Faith – “Everything Happens for a Reason” #Gratitude #cando #faith #selfstudy #guru #swadhyay #solace

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Bijal Shah offers insights and strategies for "navigating the new world of work." In a recent piece in Fortune, she focuses on the three essential shifts leaders can make to guide their organizations into the future: + Driving adaptability and agility through “Gumby Mode” - (go find it..) + Cultivating a “customer-obsessed” culture throughout your entire organization + Requiring and rewarding continuous learning Good read - check it out... https://lnkd.in/gYmAaY29

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Contrarian, true and inimical to wellbeing. The somnambular cognitive dumbing by those expecting #gaming routines to hook people at #work is a warning on all fronts. Sandeep Das Monisha Agrawal John Mathew Neha Pant Anish Aravind 'Overall, the available evidence strongly indicates that engaging in multi‐tasking via digital media does not improve our multi‐tasking performance in other settings – and in fact seems to decrease this cognitive capacity through reducing our ability to ignore incoming distractions. Much of the multi‐tasking investigations so far have been focusing on personal computers. However, smartphone technologies may even further encourage people to engage in media multi‐tasking through high rates of incoming prompts from emails, direct messages and social media notifications occurring while both using and not using the device.' https://lnkd.in/d4ZGpmWq

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Myth: Sales is not a woman's job. Myth Busted: Women are uniquely made for Sales: Myth Buster: My experience as a sales representative (fun fact not many know) One of my return-to-work jobs was in Sales and that too when my daughter was barely one year old and I used to take her along for door to door sales calls. Yes it was challenging, but it was also the most rewarding time in my career that I draw inspiration from even today. It was a time that restored my faith that I could overcome anything in life and live life on my own terms. But the most powerful skill sales taught me was to become immune to the word "NO" and learn that nothing was impossible if you have crystal clear view of the goal. Why I love sales? It gave me so much; - sales always had openings whenever I needed a job - the financial freedom is empowering and I could plan how much i wanted to earn each month and work accordingly. - the work flexibility is liberating, unlike the 9-6 job that can get mundane sometimes. - the daily excitement of meeting different people and building new relationships. - each new client keeps building my confidence which is addictive - customizing every deal with empathy and compassion is so satisfying. - the fast-paced career growth is exhilarating. - the daily motivation of your colleagues is infectious - shared purpose within the team as everyone is working towards the same goal Its with this belief to build an inspiringly diverse team that we are launching our Pan India Recruitment Drive with #delhi tomorrow. I request you to encourage the women around you towards this unique opportunity to join our dynamic team. Madan Sangle Shibu Singh Indu Khanna Aishwarya Mynampati Rahul Bajaj #womeninsales #salesjob #diversityinsales #inclusiveworkforce #DEImatters #salesjobsforwomen #Indiasalesjobs #goodhealthcantwait #wearedrreddys

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https://lnkd.in/gY-VWr7P My new blog,”What’s your khurak?” In punjabi khurak means food 🥗 , which gives you energy 🏃‍♀️and revitalises your soul🧘‍♀️.But can there be more meaning to khurak? Do check this blog to know what khurak symbolises in real life and it’s impact on your life. Leave a comment and like, if you enjoyed the blog❤️

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Really?...... People thinking and behaving together, the same way in the organisation is seen as culture. When I was thinking about cultural message and its impact on the practices in organisations as long term & sustainable practices are sometimes contradicting with each other. Many organisations are promoting certain behaviour which are long term and sustainable to shape a particular way of corporate life or culture. As an example, the behaviour of competition and collaboration both are contradictory in nature. Most often it is seen that many organisations promote competition within the organisation at different levels with equal weightage on collaboration. As a result, there is a cultural confusion, and organisational goals have direct impact on it. While the coexistence of competition and collaboration in an organization can theoretically bring about a balanced and dynamic environment, practical challenges and inherent conflicts can make this balance difficult to achieve. The key issues include misaligned goals, trust issues, resource allocation, employee well-being, and the potential for a toxic culture. There are many other things that can be like this which are contradictory, and leaders pay less attention to it and then it is being blamed on a culture of a particular institution. Speaking to many HR practitioners, leaders, and people at different levels, it is seen that such contradictory messages create cultural confusion. Desire of having best of the both behaviours can't be realistic for a healthy work culture. What’s you experience about it? #culturalconfusion, #competition, #collaboration, #leadership, #workculture, #Behaviour

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What is Freedom? Freedom is Observing Self Set Boundaries   Of Love – Which does not suffocate other Of Compassion – Which does not cause a burnout Of Anger – which does not take away rationality Of Greed – which does not create imbalance Of Thoughts – which does not instill positivity Of Action – which does not make a difference Of Humility – which does not accept disrespect Of Inclusivity – which does not make other person feel different Of Responsibility – which does not take away joy Of Respect – which does not come from heart Of Purpose – which does not have conviction   Ocean observes it’s Self Set boundaries, however when crossed destruction is inevitable.   It’s for each one of us to observe our Self Set boundaries diligently to experience the ultimate freedom.   *Inspired from discourses of Rev. Pandurang Shastri Athavale #freedom #respect #boundaries #self #purpose #conviction

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Hardik Pandya's performance in the T20 World Cup final provides several imperative lessons that we all can learn from. In the world of sports, criticism and scrutiny are inevitable, especially when performances don't meet expectations. Pandya's journey has taught us the importance of staying resilient in the face of criticism, using it as motivation to improve rather than letting it affect one's confidence or performance negatively. Pandya's story teaches us that circumstances can change, and it's up to us to make the most of the opportunities that come our way. Pandya's belief in himself and his abilities is what made him shine in the World Cup final, teaching us to believe in ourselves even when no one else does. Hardik Pandya's performance in the T20 World Cup final serves as a source of inspiration and learning for athletes. Individuals can strive towards achieving their goals and excelling in their chosen pursuits. #hardikpandya #resilience #teamspirit #temptation

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Are You Ready to Take Charge of Your Leadership Journey? As part of the Lead-Her-Ship journey, after our five live sessions, we kicked off the mentoring phase with Priyam Dhamankar guiding 11 aspiring women. These women are now taking charge of their lives, committed to growth, and empowered both personally and professionally Curious about what sets successful leaders apart? Look into some powerful insights that Priyam shared which could redefine your path to success: 🌟 𝗘𝗺𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝗾𝘂𝗲𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀 Your uniqueness is your superpower. Let your qualities—whether it’s your energy, people skills, or problem-solving approach—shine through. These are assets that make you stand out. 🌟 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 𝗨𝗽 𝘁𝗼 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘄 Growth happens outside your comfort zone. Whether it’s taking on a new role or a bigger responsibility, dare to step forward. 🌟 𝗦𝗼𝗹𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗢𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗯𝗹𝗲𝗺𝘀 Real leaders focus on solutions, not roadblocks. Challenges are opportunities for growth. 🌟 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘀 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 Politics exist in every workplace, but your results are what really count. Keep learning and let your work speak for itself. 🌟 𝗕𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗜𝘀 𝗞𝗲𝘆 Decide where to invest your energy. Flexibility, supported by a strong network, is crucial. 🌟 𝗘𝗺𝗽𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗢𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀 Leadership is about lifting others up. Empower your team, share knowledge, and create a positive environment. 🌟 𝗞𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗽 Neuroplasticity allows your brain to keep growing. Challenge yourself constantly to stay sharp and adaptable. We wrapped up with vibrant discussions, from balancing personal and work lives to influencing stakeholders effectively. It was a reminder that we all have the power to grow, lead, and make a difference. If you’re on a similar journey, I hope these insights resonate with you. Your leadership journey is yours to define. Let’s keep pushing boundaries and supporting each other every step of the way. 🔗 Download the Lead-Her-Ship booklet: https://lnkd.in/dn53Ynaw Our next cohort starts on September 14th, 2024. Don’t miss out—join us and take the first step. #Leadership #WomenEmpowerment #CareerGrowth #LeadHerShip #PersonalGrowth #DcodeInspiredLiving

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The #AntiDiscrimination_Committee gives important guidance in keeping our functioning disciplined and without discrimination. This committee helps Anubhuti Trust take courageous decisions, for organizational policies, and overall analysis of values system with harsh as well as transparent guidance. As the organization's director, when we feel like we are in a quandary regarding some decisions, changes or for any novel things,. there, these companions of the Committee fulfill very important roles. The members on this committee are our witnesses. Anti Discrimination committee member Saher as this meeting's facilitator was very effective.. This committee has been functioning since the last 7 years. Every year, new members are nominated. Their appointment means the journey of seeing the organization from transparent lens. This process is not easy because feedback and decisions are not always pleasant to everyone.. But from this, values systems keep getting stronger for sure

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I am surprised at this article. All organizations having 10 or more employees need to form an Internal Committee (IC) at the workplace. The IC handles complaints of sexual harassment received by it. It has the powers of a Civil Court in summoning attendance of parties including production of documents. The complaints are handled as per the provisions of Sexual Harassment of Women at the workplace( Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act 2013 also known as the POSH Act 2013. In the 5 complaints mentioned in the article, there is not even a whisper of the POSH Act being followed in handling the complaints of sexual harassment. HR is mentioned but there is no mention whether or not HR forwarded the complaint to the IC. It is well known that if the law prescribes that something has to be handled in a specific manner, it has to only be handled in that manner and no other manner. https://lnkd.in/dbRB4m6N #poshact #sexualharassment

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I have observed 'Social norms' are built on blending in as opposed to standing out. Nodding a 'yes' is often easier than sharing one's point of view. And there is usually a risk in being ourselves especially around people who judge based on preconceived notions. Hence, people at work or in a given culture/ society/ community/ family start to behave just like the other and continue living in eco chambers ( An echo chamber is 'an environment where a person only encounters information or opinions that reflect and reinforce their own') The biggest fallacy is behaviours & mindsets we observe is what we believe to be desirable. Even if non conducive, attitudes are copied and internalised. Therefore the only antidote is... -Authenticity - Being our true self - Embracing vulnerability and - Transparency This keeps us from following a herd. -How do you keep your authentic self in action as a leader? Is it easy or challenging? Do share:) #Leadership #Learning #EmotionalIntelligence

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Does #MindfulCulture seem a utopian concept? You should have listened to: - Katyayani Krishna’s initiatives on making #MindfulMeetings a reality and bringing Mindfulness to the leadership team. - Sanjeeb Lahiri sharing about the interesting practice to curb impulsive reactions during the #meetings. - Kamlesh Dangi’s idea of identifying 15-behaviours for #Mindful responses; and keeping purpose in sight when setting the direction. - Rajeev Bhadauria sharing multiple insights on Mindful behaviours and making communication and ecosystem as the core drivers of Mindful Culture. - Kalpan Desai sharing anecdotes on Mindful ways of leading and his vision to take Mindful Culture beyond workplaces. - Mitali Barot’s thoughts on policies as enablers and Neha Kadam’s perspectives on building situational guidelines. - Rajiv Das’s way of taking involvement from 5-minutes to 40 minutes. Building a Mindful Culture seems much more practical and a very exciting endeavour now. Inviting you to share your best practices and be part of the 'Mindful Culture Cohort'. See you in the next edition of ‘The Source Code of Mindful Culture’. MEx | Strat-Board Services | Frob - Friends of Books | Gaurav Bakshi | Mohit Gupta | Aarthi Lakshmi | Vrinda Makhija | Ridhima Kaul

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