Thuesday, August 29. 2024 | Virtual

Gauri Jauhar at SPGlobal led an impactful discussion on ” Navigating the Energy Transition: Opportunities for Women Leaders in a Complex and Evolving Industry”.

The session addressed the challenges faced by women, especially those without engineering backgrounds, in the evolving energy sector. Gauri touched on strategies for overcoming these obstacles including leveraging unique skillsets, building strong networks, and developing executive presence.

The session focused on the importance of staying informed about the latest industry trends and the evolving technology landscape. Mentees from across South Asia, representing aspiring women leaders from various sectors, public, private, think tanks, and academia attended the session. We extend our gratitude to our incredible mentor, Gauri Jauhar, and all the mentees. For further details or to get involved, contact Ripu Bhanjan at rsingh@usispf.org.

Thursday, August 22, 2024 | Virtual

A session on how American businesses and companies can deepen their commercial partnership in the agriculture and healthcare sector in the state of UP. Our special thanks to: Shri. Abhishek Prakash, CEO, Invest UP. Dr. GN Singh, Advisor to Hon. CM of UP, Shri. Yogi Adityanath, and former DCGI. Dr. Mohit Kumar Singh, Deputy Director, State Institute of Health and Family Welfare and State Nodal for the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission UP. Shri Ravinder, Principal Secretary, Agriculture. Dr. KV Raju, Advisor to Hon. CM of UP Shri. Yogi Adityanath. Thank you to our members for an engaging discussion.

Wednesday, August 14, 2024 | Virtual

We’re excited to wrap up the second session of this year’s SAWIE Mentorship Series.
Key Takeaways from the session:

Leading with Empathy in a Hierarchical and Toxic Environment: Communicate Effectively: Present your arguments clearly and back them with data and statistics. Authenticity and logical reasoning are crucial, especially for women facing unconscious bias. Balance Emotions and Logic: While empathy is important, a logical approach often prevails in hierarchical settings. Understand that you have limited control over outcomes and focus on presenting your case effectively.

Objectivity vs. Empathy: Build Relationships: Foster strong, honest relationships with peers. Transition from a transactional approach to one that adds value beyond immediate business interests. Add Value: Aim to make a meaningful impact rather than focusing solely on business transactions. This approach encourages long-term collaboration and trust. Empathy and Emotional Intelligence: Interrelation and Leadership: Understanding Empathy and Emotional Intelligence: Emotional intelligence involves making tough decisions and managing personal biases. Recognize when to distance yourself from familiar work dynamics to maintain objectivity. Handling Difficult Decisions: Understand that making difficult decisions is part of leadership. Sometimes, it’s necessary to cut ties gradually while being polite and maintaining boundaries. Navigating Emotional Abuse in the Workplace: Recognize Emotional Abuse: Acknowledge that emotional abuse affects you, but focus on what you can control – your reactions and effective strategies. Strategies for Management: Consider speaking directly to the person involved, consulting HR, or evaluating your own behavior and reactions. Maintain professionalism, minimize unnecessary interactions, and focus on objective work. Enhancing Emotional Intelligence (EI): Self-Awareness: Regularly assess your strengths and weaknesses to improve self-awareness. This practice is essential for building better relationships and managing workplace toxicity. Feedback Handling: Approach feedback constructively rather than defensively. Use it as a tool for personal and professional growth. This can happen only if you are self-aware. Behavioral Indicators of Emotionally Intelligent Leaders: Managing Conflict: Emotionally intelligent leaders recognize when to de-escalate a conversation to avoid conflict. They address issues when emotions have settled, allowing for more rational discussions. Self-Awareness and Control: They are aware of their own behavior, including knowing when to refrain from raising their voice and how to manage interactions effectively. Growth Mindset and Emotional Intelligence: Forward-Looking Perspective: A growth mindset focuses on learning from failures and moving forward constructively. This mindset aligns with emotional intelligence, which emphasizes learning and adaptability over dwelling on past setbacks. Developing Personal and Professional Skills: Time Management and Delegation: Enhance time management skills, especially in the digital age. Learn to delegate tasks effectively to focus on higher-priority responsibilities. Continuous Learning: Re-skill and upskill to stay relevant in your career. Observe role models and learn from their experiences to navigate the corporate environment more effectively. Building Your Personal Brand: Develop strong communication skills and manage your online presence to build a professional reputation. Dealing with Stress and New Challenges: Acceptance and Vulnerability: It’s okay to feel stressed and overwhelmed, especially when new to a system. Accepting vulnerability and seeking support is part of personal growth. Resilience: Understand that falling, failing, and faltering are part of the process. Persistence and resilience are key to overcoming challenges and achieving growth. We extend our gratitude to our incredible mentor, Shruti Swaroop, and all the mentees for their openness and participation. Meet the Mentees: Nitisha Agarwal at Smokeless Cookstove Foundation, Ina Bansal at Lockheed Martin, Nidhi Prabha, Ph.D from USAID at South Asia Regional Energy Partnership (SAREP) at RTI International, Nusrat Jahan Chowdhury at H&M, Poonam Doshi at Reliance Industries Limited, Musharrat Bidita and Baishakhi Barua from USAID Bangladesh Advancing Development and Growth through Energy (BADGE) Project at Tetra Tech, and Preety Sannyashi at USAID India Interested in learning more and engaging with@SouthAsiaWomen1? Reach out to @ripubhanjan at rsingh@usispf.org

Friday, August 09, 2024 | Virtual

Dr. Geoffrey Macdonald from U.S. Institute of Peace and Pramit Pal Chaudhuri from the Eurasia Group expounded on the political vacuum, great power competition in the region, and what the economic future holds for Bangladesh. Discussion moderated by Akshobh Giridharadas

Thursday, August 8, 2024 | Virtual

Key takeaways from the session: Balancing Career and Family

1. Partnership is essential: A supportive spouse is crucial for navigating career challenges while managing family commitments. Open communication about career goals and expectations is key.
2. Prioritize and be strategic: Ruthless prioritization is necessary to balance work and family life. Sometimes, stepping back can be a strategic move to propel your career forward.
3. Challenge societal norms: Break free from the “nice girl” stereotype and be assertive in your career aspirations.

Career Growth and Development

1. Long-term perspective: View your career as a marathon, not a sprint. Focus on steady progress rather than immediate gratification.
2. Continuous learning: Embrace a non-linear career path. Be open to new opportunities and be willing to upskill or reskill as needed.
3. Networking and mentorship: Increase your professional network and seek out mentors who can provide guidance and support.

Overcoming Challenges

1. Sabbaticals: Recognize that career breaks are a normal part of life for many women and advocate for supportive company policies.
2. Time management: Effective time management is crucial for juggling multiple responsibilities. Break down large tasks into smaller, manageable steps.
3. Self-advocacy: Be confident in your abilities and advocate for yourself in the workplace. Your work should speak for itself.

We extend our gratitude to our incredible mentor,

Aditi Jha, and all the mentees for their openness and participation. Meet the Mentees:

Pallavi Kunchage at Plug Power Inc., Anusha Baruah at Grid-India, Swasti Raizada at IISD Energy ; S.Amirthavalli at npti neyveli; Neha Mittal at Lanza Tech ; Roshani Thakare at Mahindra Susten; Sandhya Sundar at Caterpillar Inc.

Interested in learning more and engaging with SAWIE? Reach out to Ripu Bhanjan Singh at rsingh@usispf.org.