Cisco’s India women’s action network (WAN) launched the ‘connected women leadership forum’ today.

The key objectives of the event were to establish and build a network of professional women, share perspectives, expand professional relationships by networking, share common interests and collaborate with other women in business and technology.

WAN India has more than 350 employees as members and maintains a business plan, with specific goals in several focus areas that support the company’s business objectives. These include business partnerships, recruitment and development and professional networking.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Ganesh Natarajan, CEO, Zensar Technologies, and chairman, NASSCOM said that he was committed to the task of  there being 50% women CEOs in IT by 2020. Currently, the number of women in leadership positions is less than 5%.

He said that cooperation and collaboration, not competition, are important factors for women to attain this goal. He said that women are much better at crisis handling and have the ability to multitask. They have the ability to do long term planning and networking, but need to build a support system.

However, he noted that women unconsciously ask for emotional support. He added that women have higher standards of performance. They have a choice to either accept the glass ceiling or break it. He also gave tips for women to rise to the top—find a mentor, build reputation, and know ones rights.

The launch included a panel discussion on improving women’s leadership in technology. The panelists included Alka Manchanda, director, Cisco, Dr. Ganesh Natarajan,  Nagamani Murthy, vice president, Wipro, Sharad Satrasala, director, Texas Instruments, and Vasantha erraguntla, head of design lab, Intel.

Other panelists discussed various issues related to women’s leadership in IT and shared their experiences. Capabilities are more important in IT and challenges faced by men and women are not any different. It is important for women to be communicative and participative. Technical communities may help them network. Women need to stay in the game in order to be ahead. Individually, leadership is all about the ability to execute. Critical success factors are the same for men and women. To be a leader, it is important to build credibility, which comes from performance.

Sharada stressed the importance of being confident. She narrated an anecdote about trying to boost her confidence. Nearly 15 years back, when it was uncommon for women to go to restaurants alone, she made it a point to go to restaurants alone, to conquer her fear. She said that in order to grow, it was important to be able to negotiate. Environment conducive to ones development is necessary for growth. The ability to negotiate can ensure such an environment. Nagamani said that mentoring system is a key aspect in all organizations. Women can utilise this system effectively. Speaking up for oneself is a key challenge faced by many women.

The panel further discussed various issues faced by women at work. The discussion ended with a key note that it is important for women to come up front with their issues and also suggest viable alternatives to their problems at work. Women should also utilise the existing support systems to their benefit. The panel noted that such intervention strategies can help women make the leap. X