Tale Of A Mythbreaking Leader

Hello Friends,

How difficult it is to maintain a healthy work life balance in the current demanding corporate world? We all want to grab that most coveted chair in the organization or that much awaited promotion for which we worked hard enough for years. At the same time we don't want to miss the opportunity to be with our kids, parents or friends during their most difficult or pleasant moments. Sounds difficult to attend both? It is indeed. Most often than not we have to make a choice between the two. It's a continuous battle that we keep fighting throughout our career. At the same time there is no reason to be disheartened as there is always a wayout to most of life's challenges if we think through. There are many such examples where an individual has achieved the greatest of the success at the career front whereas hasn't missed much of the opportunities to be with the loved ones. Let me take you through one such inspiring example in our today's post in the She le@ds segment.

Image Design: Bala Kumar

Indomitable by Arundhati Bhattacharya is not just the success journey of yet another celebrated leader of the modern era, but an eye opener on how to strike a perfect balance between family life & an aspiring career. Hustle has been the mantra for her throughout her journey to be where she is today. She needs no introduction. A trendsetter who achieved greater success in her career by defying all the odds while being on the helm of a 210 year old institution State Bank Of India. Her success is a testament to the fact that sheer determination & zeal to take the challenges head-on can take you far. Hence the title of the book couldn't have been more apt. Her story should reach to each & every woman who hustles everyday to fulfill their career ambitions without compromising on their responsibility towards their families. Let's talk about more on this.

The journey started in the towns of Bhilai and Bokaro where a kid was aspiring to be a substantial achiever in life. Initial chapters talk more about her childhood days, experience of relocation, new people, new friends & above all the company of an ever caring family. You can see her giving in-depth details about her parents & their siblings, initial hustles they faced during their career. There have been minute details of several instances occurred during school & college days which still seem fresh in her memory. If noticed properly one can clearly see her inclination towards finding solutions to every problem that she faces in life from a very young age. Collaborative in nature she has always been in the forefront of taking or leading new initiatives even in her early days. Little did she know that all those instances of leadership in personal life were a stage rehearsal for the big battles ahead.

Subsequent chapters talk more about her extraordinary journey with the banking behemoth of the country. She has been extremely honest while explaining even the smallest of the instances which highlight the shortcomings of the system. She hasn't been shy in admitting her own mistakes too. Second half of the book explains her climbing up the corporate ladder, facing various challenges at the work as well as in family front and of course the challenge of being she in a male dominated corporate world. Various instances explained bring out the qualities of a multi-faceted leader she has been over the years. Empathy for fellow team members, courage while leading a tough assignment, understanding when there is a critical problem at hand & above all being a team player when it is needed the most are some of the traits that can easily be visible from her journey. Readers can get a clear view of how banking operations take place through various experiences shared from her working days. Detailed narration of demonetization phase & how banks dealt with the challenging situation at that time is one to watch out for.

Overall reading experience becomes quite delightful as she keeps on mixing up her professional journey along with the experience of a growing family. Entire narration has been in extremely simple language though some instances explained related to banking transactions may seem a bit difficult to understand in case you are not much aware of the financial jargons. She has been a leader at the family front too who listens to everybody else and takes the best possible decision which might not be pleasant but right for sure. Adding a few images from her journey so far could have been an icing on the cake. Her several initiatives have been appreciated by one & all and been a major factor in transforming the banking segment. One of the most important aspect of her leadership can be attributed to mentoring several other fellow female team members who went on to achieve big in their career too. She has always tried to create an environment which gives equal opportunity without a gender bias. At the same time she has been extremely vocal whenever she finds that a corporate culture is being set just keeping in mind the interest of its male employees. Whether it's not being comfortable to accept the designation of Chairman instead of chairperson or for the air conditioning in the boardroom adjusted to the comfort level of male colleagues, she has always expressed herself to set the culture right.

This book is not just about the journey of yet another successful leader. It creates a huge impact considering the way current corporate culture is being run. It tells you how to manage work life balance specially by a working woman who is a mother too. It also shows if you really have the passion & determination to impact a change nothing can stop you. We are living in a world where so much is spoken about gender bias, women leadership, lack of opportunities for women at the top level. This book is the answer to all such questions. Whether you are a budding leader, working mother or a top executive this book definitely holds a lesson or two for you on how to achieve excellence in whatever you do.

Read more in this series

A Journey worth exploring: Unfinished

Silent journey behind staggering numbers: Mithali Raj

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Personal Recommendation (Biography/autobiography)