Cisco’s India Women’s Action Network (WAN) today launches its Connected Women Leadership Forum. The aim is to establish and build a network of professional women who can 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 at the event, Dr. Ganesh Natarajan, CEO of Zensar Technologies and chairman of Nasscom, said that he was committed to the task of 50 per cent women CEOs in IT by 2020. Currently, the number of women in leadership positions is less than five per cent. He said that cooperation and collaboration, not competition, are important factors for women to attain this goal.
Natarajan said that women are much better at crisis handling than men, and have the ability to multitask. They have the ability to carry out long-term planning and networking, but need to build a support system. However, he suggested that women tend 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 their reputation, and know their rights.
The launch included a panel discussion on improving women’s leadership in technology. The panelists included Alka Manchanda, director of Cisco, Dr. Ganesh Natarajan, Nagamani Murthy, vice president, of Wipro, Sharad Satrasala, director of Texas Instruments, and Vasantha Erraguntla, head of Intel's design lab.
Other panelists discussed various issues related to women’s leadership in IT and shared their experiences. They concluded that capabilities are more important than gender in IT, and that the challenges faced by men and women are the same. It is important for women to be communicative and participative, they said, adding that 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, which leads to credibility.
 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 do exactly that to conquer her fear. She said that in order to grow, it was important to be able to negotiate. An environment conducive to one's development is necessary for growth, she said, and the ability to negotiate can ensure such an environment. Nagamani said that mentoring is key in all organisations, as speaking up for oneself can be difficult for many women.
The panel further discussed various problems faced by women at work. The discussion ended with the key point that it is important for women to be up-front about their difficulties, and also suggest viable alternatives to their problems at work. Women should also utilise existing support systems to their benefit. The panel noted that such intervention strategies can help women get to the top. X
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