Everyone has to reach somewhere. The ones, who actually work for it and have honesty in their approach reach their desired destination, and others just dream about it. I guess that’s the difference between the success and failure of an individual in all the stages of life.
However, the definition of career success is different for different people. For some, it is about their payscale; for some, it is about status or promotion. Women have a different idea of success, as they are less motivated by pay and status. Their definition of success lies in making a difference in the lives of others while encouraging other women to step up.
Women wear several hats in their lives. And they ensure to give their best in every role they play. They have also proved their mettle in leadership roles. With their grit, determination, and remarkable achievements, they have shown that business and entrepreneurship should no more be defined by gender.
There have been many influential women in history whose contribution cannot be ignored and had a huge impact on society through art, politics, and leadership. To name a few, Kamala Harris, Maya Angelou, Mary Wollstonecraft, Malala Yousafzai, Oprah Winfrey have made their mark in their respective sectors.
In terms of business, today there are women who look up to them, making these women’s strengths their own. The purpose remains the same to make the world a better place to live. That’s the quality that shines in every businesswoman to bring the best for the people.
In this edition of The 10 Most Successful Businesswomen to Watch, 2021, we have curated a list of women whose undulating yet successful business journeys exemplify what successful leadership looks like.
On the cover, we have Laura Drabik, the Chief Evangelist of Guidewire. Through her role, Laura keeps her finger on the pulse of insurance industry disruption to coach insurers on ways to innovate their business and achieve a competitive advantage. Over the last 15 years, Laura has been fortunate to play a central role in helping the company grow from an ambitious startup with just 10 customers to an industry-leading post-IPO success story with nearly 450. Today, Laura serves as Guidewire’s brand ambassador in the field, elevating the company’s profile while acting as a catalyst between insurers and Guidewire.
In this edition, you will read about many such inspiring stories of women who are at the top of their games. While flipping the pages, also make sure to read creative articles curated by our in-our-house editorial team.
People centric management allows you to build processes and programs that bring “interconnection” between the organization and its people.
I managed portfolio-wide HR and benefit programs by negotiating economies of scale to improve benefit program pricing while maintaining individual contracts and high levels of service for each portfolio company owned.
Private equity firms were starting to hold their portfolio companies longer, and working to increase their value before selling.
With encouragement from several business contacts and the support of my family, I started HR Metrics, which later became Alteritythrough a joint venture with another benefits consulting firm which was also having success in the private equity space Alterity became a gold standard for consulting in private equity HR and benefits.
I lead a variety of integrated initiatives to ensure NFP attracts, engages, and retains an innovative workforce dedicated to empowering and celebrating diverse perspectives for the betterment of the entire organization.
Prior to transitioning to this new role in January 2019, I spent six years as NFP’s Chief Human Resources Officer, creating a unified, peoplecentric culture throughout NFP.
Breaking the glass ceiling, venturing into traditionally an all-male bastion or male-dominated field, working shoulder to shoulder with men, et al is proverbs of the yore.
The business world has indeed evolved.However, women do have the advantage of their natural management and leadership skills.
More women are today setting up businesses at an astonishing rate and are being tremendously successful at that.Astonishing also is the fact that they are balancing their family and work life with envious ease.
Like every other successful entrepreneur, they are also expected to be competitive, and it goes without saying that they have been into the competition or else they would not have been where they are today.Women are known to bring varied attributes to the workplace and business and bring about positive changes.
Today, the world is talking and focusing on emotional intelligence as an integral part of leadership, educational institutions are including emotional intelligence for holistic development from a tender age, and resumes are full of these.
While the entire world expects leaders and team members to possess these qualities or at least develop them, women already had them.
A lot has happened as a direct or indirect result of COVID-19 affecting businesses.
People are experiencing an increase in unemployment.
Almost all these changes are stressful, but the best thing that can be done to look forward and to calm the nerves of the people is clear, concise, and accurate leadership.
The quality of a businesswomen’s strength of the support system and the network goes a long way in helping to reach the goals.
The employees of any company know how valuable it is to have a champion in their corner and it is one of the most valuable resources one can have in their professional career.
They believe in their own abilities and purpose.
