Creating a culture of enterprising women

Monday, 25 April 2011 00:00 Anjana Vivek Columns - Business Insights User Rating: /2 Poor Best Defying all hurdles, an increasing number of Indian women are joining the league today. Many talented persons take up roles at work where they may not be in a position to be enterprising or creative. Being enterprising involves thinking out of the box, pushing the limits set, looking at issues and problems in a slightly different way, and much more. Children are often appreciated if they score high marks. As adults, those in high profile jobs, drawing a high salary are admired. Only a few entrepreneurs have been able to capture the imagination and respect of society. In fact, in earlier years, being an entrepreneur was associated with many negatives. Today, we do see a significant number of professionals moving away from employment to start their own venture. Entrepreneurship is a good alternate option for women who are looking to get fulfillment in their careers as well as in managing their lives. This is despite the fact that being an entrepreneur is not any less difficult or challenging than being an employee; in fact, it is often more challenging.

Anjana Vivek

As increasing number of enterprising women succeed, and society will take note of these role models. Such women will be more visible and asked to share their experiences in juggling multiple roles and managing different responsibilities. Articles in magazines and discussions around these topics will also spread the message of enterprise. Programs in educational institutes can create an awareness of the benefits of enterprise to women and to the society. The Harvard Business Review issue of January-February 2011 touches upon this very effectively in an article on Lois Quam, who now runs her own company. At the age of 28, she was a working mother with two big jobs, as she chaired a new health care reform commission in the state of Minnesota, USA. Within a short span of 23 months, she had three babies (including a pair of twins) and took on two high profile jobs. Reading about this enterprising woman is inspiring. Her desire to lead and make a difference, on her terms and conditions, lead her to discover herself and, as she has said, made her a better manager. How did Lois Quam achieve so much, both on the professional front and in her personal life? How do several other women manage to be enterprising in the face of challenges? The impetus for igniting enterprising women can come from the environment and from the woman herself. By looking at role models of successful, enterprising women, one can aspire to grow and evolve into a human being who contributes in multiple ways.

Women can take cognizance of the fact that the world today is very different from even a couple of decades ago. We need not be limited by what happened in the past, when the world was dominated by the industrial workforce and most jobs were from 9 to 5. Technology is enabling and liberating, particularly for those who want to be enterprising. Meetings can take place through video conferencing, and jobs can be finished late into the night without fear of travel to and from the workplace at odd hours. Being enterprising carries an element of risk and failure; it does not guarantee success. An individual needs to be prepared for this. She needs to be aware that she may not achieve as much as someone else who might not have taken the risks nor put in the efforts that she has. The enterprising woman also needs to develop a thick skin. If not, there are many comments, some intentional and some unintentional, which can really demotivate and even hurt feelings. Such comments can be a big drain on ones mental energy! It is not easy to be enterprising in the face of such negativity. In such situations, having a good support system helps. It can give you the confidence to believe in yourself and that can, in turn, be the trigger to help you experiment, and be even more enterprising. So, if you think you are an enterprising woman or want to be more enterprising, take time to reflect and introspect, and to listen to your inner voice. What do you want to do with your life over the next 5 or 10 years? Take life a step at a time, break it up into months, and chalk out an action plan. Create a support system of those who believe in you and care for you. It could be family, friends, or others in your network, such as classmates or other successful women who encourage you to take your own path. Be prepared for failure. As you trip and fall, pick yourself up, shake off the dust collected when you fell down, and move ahead. Focus on the journey and enjoy the fact that you are in charge. You are making an impact on yourself, the next generation, the country, and so the world. ____________________________ Anjana Vivek is the founder of VentureBean Consulting and a guest faculty at IIM Bangalore. To write to the author, please send an email to dare@cybermedia.co.in with the subject line 'Anjana Vivek'. The views expressed here are that of the author and do not represent the magazine's.