'Work-life balance comes by creating more leaders': What high-powered panel of women CEOs said at Davos

'Work-life balance comes by creating more leaders': What high-powered panel of women CEOs said at Davos

WEF 2024: Dipali Goenka, CEO & MD, Welspun India, Debjani Ghosh, President, nasscom and Priya Agarwal Hebbar, Chairperson, Hindustan Zinc said child care is absolutely necessary at workplaces

'Work-life balances comes by creating more leaders': What high-powered panel of women CEOs said at Davos
Business Today Desk
  • Jan 17, 2024,
  • Updated Jan 18, 2024, 5:03 PM IST

On the sidelines of World Economic Forum 2024 at Davos, a high-powered panel of women CEOs spoke to Business Today about their innovative strategies, leadership styles, and resilience that define their journeys to the top.

Dipali Goenka, CEO & MD, Welspun India, Debjani Ghosh, President, nasscom and Priya Agarwal Hebbar, Chairperson, Hindustan Zinc spoke to Kalli Purie, Executive Editor-in-Chief, India Today Group about navigating challenges and driving growth. 

They also spoke about work-life balance. "You get the balance by creating more leaders and it's not easy to say that. I think it's about sharing your vision and I think the other person being more motivated and running with that vision of yours, which is a very important part of what you do. I think saying empowering is less done but I think leading it in the way of by an example but everybody holds that vision and is excited to be part of that vision is a big deal from the blue collar to the white collar and to my global teams across. I think that's what it is and I think that's the purpose and if you done that, I think half your work is done," said Goenka. 

"I absolutely believe balance is impossible, it's more about integrating both lives with each other or into each and something a mentor of mine taught me and it's a beautiful thing. I use this every day literally, maybe multiple times every day. She said you have two balls, one is rubber one is crystal. When you drop the rubber ball it'll bounce back, when you drop the crystal ball it'll shatter every day based on priorities. You have to decide which is which and no regrets no apologies. When you decide family is the crystal ball, you will communicate that to everyone and you will ensure you do not drop that ball and when you decide work as crystal, you'll do the same and I have used  that mantra literally every day of my life because I think balance is impossible. It's about figuring out your priorities and it's about communication," said Ghosh.

 
All of them said the workplaces should have child care. When asked about menstrual leave, Ghosh said: "I think flexible leave for both genders when you need it and you decide because sometimes we overdo also. It's not that menstrual leave is not important but make it flexible."

"We have a no questions asked policy that we've just released. It means you can take a day off every month no questions asked. It's not about menstrual, it's about prioritisng flexibility," said Hebbar. 

Goenka said "flexibility should be gender agnostic".

 

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