At BrilliantRead Media, we always strive to bring some of the meaningful and powerful stories from India and around the world to empower and motivate our growing community of entrepreneurs, investors, management students and aspiring entrepreneurs. This week we invited Namrata Vishwanath for an interview with us. She is a Leadership Coach, Mentor, Speaker, Podcast Host, Business Leader and a Purpose-driven entrepreneur. Let’s learn more about her inspiring journey so far!
Excerpts from our exclusive interview with Namrata:
Talk us through your journey as an entrepreneur/coach to date; please
My journey over the last 17 years has been one that donned various avatars. As a working professional, as a team member, as a leader, as an entrepreneur, I experienced many challenges and saw the challenges of many Corporate/Business Leaders, Executives and their teams.
There were many times in my earlier Corporate Law career, where I felt stuck or challenged and having been in a more entrepreneurial journey since 2016, I have also seen the specific challenges entrepreneurs face. The desire to help Corporate/Business Leaders, Executives and their teams win in their career and business was a prime factor that made me move from Corporate Law to Leadership Coaching.”
2016 onwards, I focused on coaching individuals through one-on-one sessions. In 2019, I was invited by IMT Ghaziabad (a reputed business school) to curate and deliver a 3-month program on leadership for Corporate/Business Leaders/Executives. This solidified my intent to move from a purely one-on-one coaching model to creating a high impact group-coaching program online to be able to help more people and create a wider impact in India and Globally.
I am currently moving from a live group-coaching model to an online group-coaching model on Strategic Leadership that is aimed to help Corporate/Business Leaders/Executives and their teams/organizations excel in career and business through building leadership skills and applying specific strategies.”
I do wish I had someone like me of today to have helped me of yesterday and help the many Corporate/Business Leaders, Executives and their teams who wish to play a larger game and grow to their next level.
Please share with us your background prior to your entrepreneurial journey;
In my previous avatar, I was a Corporate Lawyer for around 13 years and worked primarily on Global/Cross Border & Domestic M&A transactions as a part of one of India’s top law firms (AZB & Partners). I was also seconded by AZB to the leadership role of Country Counsel for India at the Boeing’s India office where I worked closely with the India leadership team and with the global teams in Boeing.
Through this journey, I worked on some of India’s largest Global/Domestic corporate deals and had the opportunity to serve many organizations that were market leaders, including some Fortune 500 companies. This included interactions with many Corporate/Business Leaders and leadership teams of such organizations. This helped me closely observe the challenges of Corporate and Business leaders, teams and organizations including from a career or business perspective.
While Corporate Law was where I had subject matter expertise, looking back, I had immersive learning on leadership challenges and best practices through actual industry experience as a team member, as a leader, as an advisor, and through my interactions with Corporate/Business Leaders, teams and organizations who were market leaders.”
What is your message to those people who you serve?
I believe that Corporate/Business Leaders and Executives don’t need to hit a glass ceiling with respect to their career growth or with respect to attracting business opportunities. You can be a working professional in a corporate/business or be in an entrepreneurial role either as a Business Owner or in higher levels of leadership in an organization and can build influence, attract opportunities, ace your leadership game to grow to your next level without having a Godfather. You just need to know-how.
When you know how then even if you have a Godfather, you don’t need one. That can be quite an empowering space for you that can give you an immense sense of freedom and many opportunities.
You may feel like a needle in the haystack. But you must remember that the market is competitive, and will always be competitive. In a level playing field where everyone has the same level of knowledge, learning and expertise, what will determine your success in career progression and growth, what will determine your success in attracting clients in business, and will make you stand out is a strong foundation of leadership skills.
From an organizational perspective, what will determine how smoothly your team works together and delivers great customer service and keeps clients happy and helps you bring in more business and money is not just systems and structure but also a strong foundation of leadership based on sound value systems.
Tell us how’s your work will help people?
My mission is to build 100,000 leaders who are inspirational impactful and who power their team, career and business and produce stellar results. To fulfil my mission, I share content on leadership on social media to help touch the lives of those who really need to hear the message of how building leadership skills can be a game-changer for their career or business growth.
I am also building a community of leaders at the Leader by Design Hub. It is intended to help anyone (whether a titled Leader, Leader by action, Executive, Team Member, Entrepreneur/Business Owner, or Working Professional in Corporate/Business) who wishes to succeed in career and business through leadership skills and strategies. You could be facing challenges in your career or business growth and wish to succeed, or you have zero challenges and are already in a successful space and wish to move from success to greater levels of success – it doesn’t matter which stage you are at, the idea is through this community build your awareness, understand leadership better and if you choose to move ahead in your leadership journey take the next step.”
While I do give a lot of free value addition on leadership on social media, there is a lot more to leadership and how it can help you in your career or business growth, which can only be experienced through a structured leadership program and needs to be an action-oriented journey.
In the last few years, I have also invested a lot of time, money and effort to upgrade my knowledge on multiple areas including on business; coaching; influence building; networking, the science of energy and its impact on leaders, organizations, career and business; and online tools and systems.
The online group-coaching model on Strategic Leadership is intended to bring the essence of all my real-world experience and learning; experience of multiple leaders who I interview and with whom I have interacted in my previous avatar; my skill up-gradation through the various programs I have invested in to help solve the problems or challenges that any Corporate/Business Leader or Executive faces in his career or business and elevate their leadership game to have breakthroughs and go to their next level, while also building high performing teams that produce results.
How leadership qualities can help with your career or business growth?
More often than not, people focus on sharpening their domain knowledge and expertise and ignore core leadership skills, which is key to their career or business growth. One spectrum of questions you need to dig into are:
1 – How many people are extremely intelligent and yet lose out on career or business growth opportunities?
2 – How many people have done multiple academic programs, studied from the best Universities and have deep knowledge of their subject and yet aren’t able to position themselves?
3 – How many people see that people who aren’t as intelligent, knowledgeable or as smart as they move up the career ladder faster or get better business opportunities?
4 – How many people work hard, deliver quality work and yet don’t get the right career or business opportunities or breakthroughs?
5 – How many people have reached a certain level of success and have plateaued or hit the glass ceiling?
6 – How many people reach a certain level of success, are attracting great opportunities and yet aren’t able to capitalize on them or feel restless to go to their next level of growth and don’t know what actions to take?
7 – How many are excelling themselves but find that when it comes to their team or their clients or customers there is a mismatch, disconnect, internal conflicts, or lack of clear communication with divergent points of view and mindsets that are making work flow or attracting business opportunities a challenging process?
On the other end of the spectrum, how many times have you seen that even in an economic downturn some people are flourishing with getting multiple offers to collaborate, multiple clients when it comes to business; or some people are still getting amazing work opportunities within the organization and are getting to not only hold on to their jobs but also are valued by their organization?
If there is a gap in attracting opportunities or growing to your next level of managing your teams and clients, and your domain expertise, knowledge, intelligence or the economic downturn isn’t the barrier, then your solution lies in building leadership skills and understanding leadership strategies, and then going ahead and implementing them to attract your career or business opportunities.
What’s your experience in both entrepreneurship and a corporate career?
I believe both have their pros and cons.
The cons of a corporate career may for some individuals mean hitting the glass ceiling, and working within a restrictive environment that doesn’t give an individual the freedom to tap into his/her greatest potential, workplace politics in some organizations, and lack of work-life balance amongst others.
From a knowledge or subject matter perspective, you tend to be a master of one subject, and don’t have the time or requirement to build on your knowledge on other areas of business. From a network perspective as well, you may have a smaller network of professionals connected to you that are relevant to your expertise and work.
In a corporate career, a lot depends on the vision, values and energy of the primary corporate/business leader, the second line of leadership, the leadership hierarchy and the overall work culture that flows from the leadership team. This could be a pro or a con depending on the values and work culture of the organization, and the energy of the leaders.
The pros of a corporate career are a stable consistent income, knowing that the organization will have more than enough work to give you, and therefore, you aren’t required to actively look for work until you grow in the corporate ladder. Further, established corporates/organizations have well-defined systems to bring in the work.
The cons of an entrepreneurial journey include the lack of certainty in terms of a stable income in the initial years, not knowing how the business will shape up and how long it will take for it to become a success especially if you don’t know the basics of doing business when you are starting out.
The pros of an entrepreneurial journey include a space that gives you full freedom to follow your dreams, create a larger impact and manifest your vision. In the long run, it can be more revenue-generating than a corporate career if the entrepreneurial pursuit is successful, and the entrepreneur has the courage to follow through with his/her vision.
From a subject matter expertise perspective as well, an entrepreneur needs to not just be a subject matter expert of the service/product he/she provides but needs to understand amongst others marketing, sales, and operations. This helps you grow as an individual by giving you more holistic learning. Your network as an entrepreneur also expands to connections, who are operating in different businesses. This also expands your worldview and vision.
Where did the idea to start something like this come from?
Looking back, all the academic institutions I studied at had a thread of leadership building at the core. Lady Shri Ram College for Women, where I did my undergrad in economics churned out many women in leadership. The Faculty of Law, University of Delhi, where I did my undergrad in law, has churned out many notable alumni. The London School of Economics & Political Science (LSE) where I did my Masters in Law, has churned out many world leaders.
Most of the organizations I worked at or within my Corporate Law career (both my employers and Global/Domestic clients) were market leaders in their field. Some of the organizations I worked at as a Corporate Lawyer, and which were market leaders, include amongst others, the World Trade Organization, Geneva, Switzerland; AZB & Partners (one of India’s top law firms); and Boeing. These 3 organizations have played a large part in my career.
Through this journey and interacting with multiple organizations including with those who were clients, while I saw a few examples of great leadership, amazing work cultures, I equally saw many instances where I felt there were gaps in leadership that affected teams, career or business growth as a result.
Perhaps the desire for change that would benefit people at large in career or business through strong leadership skills and a robust leadership team was something that was simmering under the surface for many years, but it was somewhere towards the end of 2016 that gave fruition to my desire to do something about this and not just think about it.
Could you please share with us a little about those people who inspired you?
Asides what I have already mentioned in terms of the actual industry experience, which gave me several insights into leadership challenges and best practices, I also had some amazing mentors who were good leaders in their own right, and I have a lot of gratitude for the place they have in my life as my mentors.
Kuljit S. Ghata-Aura, Zia Mody and Percy Billimoria are 3 mentors who have inspired me during my corporate law career. Rajiv Talreja and Karan Hasija have been my mentors in business and coaching who have really helped me understand the world of business and coaching a lot better. I have had many more mentors who have helped shape my journey and I have deep gratitude to them as well.”
I have also learnt a lot about the science of energy since early 2016, and its impact on individuals, organizations and business through the teachings of Grandmaster Choa Kok Sui disseminated through the World Pranic Healing Foundation, which has also been an amazing journey. The writings of Dr Daisaku Ikeda, President of the Soka Gakkai International have inspired me over almost 20 years where I have learnt a lot about leadership, value systems. I have seen the SGI as a strong organization built on a solid foundation of core values with great displays of teamwork amongst SGI members, each of whom strives to keep the energy high individually as well as collectively.
What about your journey makes it satisfying/exciting?
Getting great feedback from those who have been inspired through my social media content, through my coaching sessions/programs amps up my energy to deliver more value to them. Seeing shifts in them and in their journey makes it satisfying because I see their success as my success and their breakthroughs as mine.
I have conferred recognition as a ‘True Inspiration’ in the Master Networking Program curated by Paritosh Pathak in early 2020. I received the Botanika GrandQueens Leadership Award in 2020 on International Women’s Day, which was conferred after the organizers had shortlisted awardees from all over India. More recently, I received the Dr Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan Award from MENTORx as recognition of my contribution towards the nation’s development through the work I do in the leadership coaching space. Getting conferred recognition for the work I do makes my work satisfying. It is less about the recognition and more because it serves as a reminder from the Universe that I am on the right path.
I am also on a journey to interview 200 to 300 Corporate/Business Leaders, and secure as many perspectives on leadership; and their leadership, career and business best practices to bring more value to those I nurture and serve. They are featured in The Leader by Design Talk Show and The Leader by Design Podcast that I host on various social media channels.
So far these have included amongst others Mr Deepak Kapoor (Former CEO & Chairman, PWC, India), Mr Anil Chaudhry (Managing Director & Country President, Schneider Electric, India), Lord Meghnad Desai (Member of the British House of Parliament, & Professor Emeritus, LSE), Surendran Jayasekar (Founder & CEO, Success Gyan), and you will see a full list of interviews with many more amazing leaders and experts sharing their views on leadership and leadership best practices in my YouTube Channel.
I am also writing a book titled “Leader by Design: How can Business Owners & CXOs’ strategically elevate their leadership game to produce stellar results!”
This book is going to share the secrets to success in career and business through building leadership skills, leadership best practices, and is also going to include excerpts from interviews with some of the leaders I have interviewed, and some of those that I would be interviewing going ahead. I am tremendously excited about the journey to interview Corporate/Business Leaders, write the book, and help many people walk the path of success.
Please share with us some of the challenges you faced in your journey;
An initial challenge was knowing that I was providing great value in terms of leadership coaching, getting great feedback from those I served, but not fully capitalizing on specific aspects that every business needs to be mindful of.
Despite having had exposure to academic learning from some premier institutes of higher learning, and having worked with some amazing organizations, my biggest learning has been that while traditional education has its merits, practical on the job experience coupled with mentoring and learning through programs that provide real-world insights that work based on an action/implementation journey are critical to anyone’s growth and are the key to breaking through your challenges.
Moreover, while traditional education has its merits, investing in educating yourself with practical real-life experience that is relevant to your career/business growth can’t be learnt from a University but can only be learnt from those who have had real industry experience. So find someone you can learn this from in a systematic and structured way.
I would like to add the world’s best athletes have coaches who help them be high performers, and getting coached is just like that. If you are someone who wants to grow, excel and have breakthroughs, then you are someone who would want to be coached.
What is your Business Mantra: Money or Emotions?
I am a Passionpreneur and I do what I do because I feel when leaders change, teams change, and when teams change then organizations change. I believe when organizations change, businesses grow, society prospers and this makes the world a better place.
For any Passionpreneur to continue and create massive impact one has to combine passion with a source of income through those you serve. There are very few people who are able to do that, and I consider myself lucky. A lot of people are stuck in jobs only for money. I made a decisive decision not to be stuck in that cycle. I believe that when one creates value for people and solves their problems, the money will be a consequence.
Having said that while any entrepreneur would see his/her mission as sacred, there should be a balance in terms of receiving money from those the entrepreneur serves for the time, effort, expertise, and value they bring to them, which will enhance the ability of the entrepreneur to create more impact, deliver more value to those he/she serves, and help him/her transform more lives.
From a client perspective, those who pay in advance for the services they receive, are those who benefit the most from the service because they come in with the intention of being fully invested in themselves and in their growth. So charging money is equally a necessary aspect from the perspective of the client’s growth.
How do you handle the pressure and manage stress?
Personally, for me, I find being an entrepreneur as a more joyful experience than working as a Corporate Lawyer because it allows me to be who I truly am at the core, and it gives me the freedom to create what is in alignment with my larger mission. I am more in control of what I do, and I feel satisfied because I am living my passion to help create transformation. That being said, in the event, I experience moments of stress, meditation helps me be centred and grounded, asides the fact that I have an amazing family and friends who are tremendous sources of strength. Also, knowing that everything is just a phase and that there is a solution contained in every problem keeps me going.
Our audience whats to know – what has worked well for you so far?
The first would be having full conviction in the work I do and bring to the table actual industry experience and interactions with leaders. The second would be investing my time, money and effort in building skills in areas I felt I wanted to upskill on. The third would be having the good fortune of having amazing mentors who have been there for me at every step.
Having the right mentors can cut short your learning curve and help you come out strong over your challenges. We often think that if we do something ourselves it will be less expensive or that we know it all and can figure it out ourselves. Having said that, in the long run, that ends up being more expensive or becomes a long journey because on our own we learn through trial and error, we learn without the benefit of a community that can propel you to move ahead and we drift because of lacking direction, which a mentor can provide.”
Every individual must absolutely invest time, money and effort to upgrade themselves and get the right mentors so that they can be more valuable and effective contributors in whatever it is they do. As a fall out when you become a value creator, you will naturally get career or business growth opportunities.
In your opinion what are the keys to success?
The first would be to find joy in the work that you do. For that to happen, the work you do should be something that is aligned with your higher purpose. Finding your higher purpose isn’t always an overnight journey, and it can take time for you to identify it.
The second would be to have good mentors on the path to guide you. In my personal experience, you should ideally have mentors in your organization and in your profession who can help you grow in your career, but you need to equally invest your time, money and effort in getting mentors who can train you and share practical wisdom in your leadership journey. External mentors are able to see and give you an outsider’s perspective and help you build your leadership muscle in a phased manner.
In my view, Mentors are different from Godfathers. A Godfather would be one who amongst others brings the opportunities to you on a platter. A Mentor on the other hand will give you the direction, and skills, and equip you with the capabilities to help you attract your opportunities. So the difference between a Mentor and a Godfather would be that one teaches you how to fish and the other gives you the fish. If you can build yourself as someone who creates and attracts opportunities rather than expecting it on a platter that can take you a long way.
The third would be to consistently work on yourself from a character-building perspective and not just an intellectual perspective, as also invest in building good professional relationships. Corporate/Business Leaders and Executives who work on character building and EQ along with IQ, and build good relationships tend to be valued more.
Given the rapid pace at which the world is changing, what are the leadership traits that are necessary for success?
Having the right leadership mindset is key and necessary to be successful, which has many components. Understanding people skills and interactions would be equally important. Being a master communicator and various elements of it including when to say, what to say, how to say and whom to say it to is equally relevant. All of these have to come with a sound understanding of specific external tools to build influence, and learning what would be the right ways to interact online including a sound understanding of various online tools would be important in this rapidly changing world. As I have already mentioned, consistently upgrading one’s knowledge and skills are also critical for one’s success.
If you are a corporate/business leader/executive who wants to grow in his/her career, you should strongly consider investing your time, money and effort in learning how to build your leadership skills in a structured manner. So whether you are a working professional or an entrepreneur, if you are looking to attract opportunities and grow to your next level, building leadership skills is a non-negotiable part of your growth path.
I also believe that it is not just the primary leader or leadership team or hierarchy that needs to strengthen leadership skills and strategies but equally every member of an organization to ensure the organization grows and profits with a collective leadership mindset and works towards helping each team member excel through their self career growth and helping the organization with the larger business growth. A collective leadership mindset and skills make professional and business interactions smoother leads to higher performing cultures, and helps you see deeper levels of benefits in terms of career or business opportunities.
What are the business mantras you have embraced as you sought to establish your success story?
The right vision and direction along with having clarity on my business model, backed up with consistent action to manifest the vision is my business mantra. I also believe that sometimes you need to take a step back, breath, look at the macro perspective and then revisit the drawing board to refine the plan.
We would love to know your advice for all those starting out as an aspiring women entrepreneur?
First, stop thinking of being a woman as a barrier to your success if you or those around you think that way. You are a human and entrepreneur first. Your intellect, character and leadership qualities are what will help you shine.
Second, don’t let anyone (whether it’s a man or a woman) make you feel any less than who you are because you are a woman. You may at times encounter people who may project their limiting beliefs of who you should or should not be because of your gender. Remember that this is their limiting belief. Let that not be your limiting belief about yourself.
Third, step into your power and shine! I know you are stronger than you think you are, more capable than you think you are and have the power to be an agent of change.
Whether you are a man or a woman at whatever level or capacity in an organization, make it an environment where women feel respected, and make it a space of equal opportunities based on merit.
I wish both aspiring men and women Corporate/Business Leaders and Executives super success in their entrepreneurial/leadership journey.
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