This Women’s day, MediaNews4U.Com is acknowledging women leaders of the Media, Marketing, Broadcast and Advertising fraternity who have given more than expected.
DDB Mudra Group is one of India’s largest marketing communications networks. The Group’s promise ‘Unexpected Works’ comes alive in our partnerships with some of the world’s fastest-growing companies and most admired brands.
In this segment, Pragati Chavan – Director Corporate Communications – DDB Mudra Group shares her experience and breaking the gender stereotypes and how she continues to inspire many other women who are true leaders in the making.
Journey
This is a tough one Kalpana. Because there is just so much. But if I were to distil it down to a few things, I believe it has been the balance between authenticity and adaptability at work for me. This has shaped my journey enormously. While authenticity is something that has been spoken about a great deal for many years now, in recent times there have been contrary views about how adaptability is what is needed in the corporate space. My view and my experience tells me that both have to come together to make magic.
All of us in our day-to-day work life juggle deliverables, expectations, emotions sometimes our own and sometimes of others. So if we aren’t adaptable to these new experiences, we stop growing. I have seen people fall in love with a particular idea or a version of themselves. And if it’s working for you, great keep doing it. But more often than not, it starts limiting you. It took me a lot of time to understand this. I learnt it the hard way.
So, the way I would think about it is to have a core set of values. Think of it like an internal compass that guides your actions and your reactions. Might sound lofty but that’s the one thing that keeps you rooted in a constantly changing environment.
You may work with a new client tomorrow, your team may suddenly change or you sign up for a project you have never done before. To navigate these changes successfully, you need to be grounded in something. For me it is integrity and a strong work ethic. You can’t fabricate these values; they are true to your personality and your human essence. I believe that is true authenticity. And the flexibility or adaptability part is surprisingly the easy part of the equation. It shows up when you get out of your comfort zone, or work hard to become a better listener, or apologize easily for mistakes you’ve made, or when you learn from colleagues especially those junior to you. When these things come together, the mindset shift is enormous.
Inspiration & Inspiring the team
All that I am today or hope to be in the future, I owe to my mother. Coming from humble beginnings with no formal education, she vowed to educate her daughters while fighting patriarchy at home, work, in society and still emerging stronger. She taught us to make our space in the world unapologetically but with kindness, respect and a deep sense of gratitude for our privileges. Thank you Aai (mother).
I would like to answer the second part of the question differently. My aim is to not inspire my team. My purpose is to provide a supportive environment for them to do the best work of their lives. They in fact, have really shaped some of my choices over the years. Learning from all of them has been an honour.
Empowerment of Women
As a millennial woman today, one of the books I look back on fondly is ‘The Sisterhood of Travelling Pants’. If you don’t know about it, it is exactly as it sounds. Four friends navigating the highs and lows of their early teenage years, held together by a pair of magical pants. One of its prevailing themes is the importance of friendship.
My experience of the Phyllis India Project has been beautifully similar. The Phyllis India Project, is a year-long mentorship program for building a community of women leaders at the company. And through this program I have experienced the power, possibilities and potential of women’s friendships, perhaps unexplored themes in the corporate world. It has been crucial in correcting the age-old, problematic narrative of pitting women against each other. This exploration that each of us in the program are on our journeys together, getting to where we want to be, and with a community of women that support each other, is invaluable.
This isn’t a zero-sum game and the more space we make for other talented women, the better this world will be.
