As part of our relentless efforts to identify and share some of the meaningful stories from India and around the world, this week we invited yet another passionate entrepreneur Bhavna Dalal for an interview with BrilliantRead Media. Bhavna is a best selling Author, Speaker, Leadership Coach and Founder & CEO of Talent Power Partners. Let’s read more about her astonishing journey so far and her advice for our growing community!
Excerpts from our exclusive interview with Bhavna:
Talk us through your background and your journey as a women entrepreneur/coach, please;
My entrepreneurial journey as a founder of Talent Power Partners, author, speaker, and coach is my career 2.0. After my engineering degree in Electronics from Bombay University, I worked in South Africa and then in the US for many years in software development.
Moving back to India more than a decade ago brought me a different perspective, and I started my quest to ask existential questions like, Why am I here? What am I good at? What gives me joy? To be honest, I stumbled into the field of Executive Coaching without even knowing about the existence of this field. It has indeed been a calling for me. I was fortunate to have been raised to be fearless by my parents. Whether it was about going alone to work in a country like South Africa just when apartheid was lifted or starting a career from scratch much later in life, it seemed more of an adventure than anything else.”
What helped is having clarity of vision but being open to how the path shaped itself through experiences and opportunities. This does not mean that there have been no challenges and obstacles; in fact, there have been many. It is about how you view them and then use them for your growth and benefit.
I talk about the same concept in my new book, Checkmate Office Politics, where you can use negative, unpleasant situations to learn more about yourself and move towards your personal vision of success.
We are aware of all the good work you are doing in your space, what keeps you going?
Life is an incredible journey, and I was fortunate to chance upon finding a path that is truly fulfilling, fun, and allows me to be in service to others as well. There is no way you can stop doing what I do once this happens. The fire is ignited from within.
Why did you choose entrepreneurship over a corporate career?
You must be familiar with the theory of Cause and Effect. One can choose to be the cause or the effect of events, situations, and things in life. Entrepreneurs are people that tilt heavily on wanting to be responsible for causation more than just being affected.”
I have something to share in my own unique way shaped by my learnings and experiences and entrepreneurship that, too, with a genuinely self-defined pace was the only option for me. As I work with corporate leaders across industries, levels, and regions to help them achieve their goals and work through their leadership challenges, I can share my learnings through my books, articles, courses, and talks.
Please share with us some of the challenges you faced in your journey;
The challenges and obstacles have been numerous and continue to come as you rise higher.
The biggest was getting started from scratch after 40. Roles that you play in society are more set in stone by then. I had to reinvent my identity in all areas. This can be quite difficult to do. As a single woman trying to get business, you are often not taken very seriously or taken for granted. Although I was brought up in India, I had spent most of my work life in the USA, coming back and then trying to do business in India brought a whole different set of challenges.
There is a tendency to undercut women in many ways, such as remuneration, travel expenses, timely payments, etc. These things teach you how to smarten up and protect your own and your company’s interests.
The rejection was something I got to understand very well. Although it was difficult to deal with initially, I am incredibly grateful for it because of all it taught me and helped me become.
This was unchartered waters for me; I had to learn to actively seek support from those who wished me well and create a support network.
During this COVID-19 crisis, what are the measures we have undertaken to continue your business without disruption?
Interestingly, the COVID situation has exposed the need for coaching and leadership development tremendously. For a few years, most of my work was steering mostly online anyway since my clients exist across continents. The nature of issues my clients face has changed, but as a Master Coach, I am well equipped to handle those. My responsibility now becomes to enhance my reach further so that people I can help find me easily.
How do you handle the pressure and manage stress?
I am a recovering overachiever. I have been the person in the past that takes on a lot because I can do it. After starting the coaching journey, it becomes crucial for me to pause and slow down to achieve more.
The clear pool of calm my clients needs to see themselves or being an impactful writer and speaker all require me to stay present and be on the other side of the spectrum of stress and pressure. Meditation, exercise, and healthy eating are all essential to tackle stress. I have written an article on it called ‘To get ahead quickly slow down’.
Given the rapid pace at which the world is changing, what are the leadership traits that are necessary for success?
Excellent leadership requires one to develop several traits. They can be classified as masculine and feminine in nature – mind you not male or female. For example, problem-solving and logical reasoning are masculine, while empathy, innovation, collaboration tend to fall more on the feminine energetic scale. People who will be able to balance these two are the ones who will be successful leaders. Further to this, having a clear vision and then being strategic and aligning tactics is critical. Working with people and influencing them to align with your vision is also vital.
Please share with our audience – what has worked well for you so far?
The belief that everything works out, if not in the short term, then in the long term. I took a break from pursuing my career aggressively to raise my children when they were younger. That was the best decision I made from where I am sitting in my career at the moment. Often, a mother’s traits of being a nurturer, a champion, does come in handy as a coach. Embracing everything about what you are experiencing in your present while keeping an eye on your future vision is what has worked well for me.
What are the business mantras you have embraced as you sought to establish your success story?
1 – Listen, learn, observe, understand but finally do what works best for you. You have to understand listening to the difference between your head, heart, and gut.
2 – It requires courage to say no to things that are not serving you; build that courage.
3 – Articulate your own definition of success and follow that.
4 – Always look for win-win alternatives to any problem.
5 – The most crucial is to know when to Let go, when to Allow and when to Accept.
We would love to know your advice for all those starting out as an aspiring women entrepreneur?
As I quote in my book Checkmate Office Politics,
Fear kills more dreams than failure ever will.”
Don’t let apprehensions of the past or of others around you stop you. Know that your dreams are unique to you, and others may not understand them. Stay loyal to them, and don’t give up on them. There is always a way, no matter what you want to achieve.
BrilliantRead is committed to bringing stories from the startup ecosystem, stories that reshape our perspective, add value to our community and be a constant source of motivation not just for our community but also for the whole ecosystem of entrepreneurs and aspiring individuals.
Note: If you have a similar story to share with our audience and would like to be featured on our online magazine, then please write to us at [email protected], we will review your story and extend an invitation to feature if it is worth publishing.
