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 Shruti Swaroop for an interview with us. Shruti is the Founder and Consultant at EMBRACE. She is also a Thought Leader, Keynote Speaker, Diversity and Inclusion Consultant and Executive Coach with over two decades of international HR experience. Let’s read more about her interesting journey so far and her advice for our growing community!
Excerpts from our exclusive Interview with Shruti:
We are aware of your success as a women leader/coach, talk us through your background and your journey so far, please;
I started my career about two decades back, with the IT industry, in India and started understanding human behaviours and motivations during my stint with the public sector in the UK. I come from a defence background and have been raised to look at people as people and not on the basis of their differences – whatever they may be. I have a very neutral view of people.
After I became a mother and moved back to India, I realised the struggle returning mothers go through in trying to balance work and home and also the lack of emotional support they have
My stint as an HR consultant also opened my eyes that CEO’s and business leaders wanted to create world-class organisations, but individual insecurities prevented many from implementing the key measures to create the organisation they wanted.
So, today I coach returning mothers, senior business leaders, CEO’s and help them overcome their doubts and achieve clarity. I also coach organisations and help them achieve an inclusive work environment.
Why did you choose entrepreneurship over a job?
I think entrepreneurship chose me. I was looking for an interesting combination of flexibility and sense of achievement – so entrepreneurship seemed like a great answer.
How do you find the industry/niche that you’re in?
I work in two similar but interesting areas:
1) Enabling organisations to achieve an inclusive environment.
2) Enabling people to become a better version of themselves. The two areas are related in that once we become a better version of ourselves, we start respecting ourselves and others. Respect for everyone and embracing people for who they are is paramount for achieving Equality for people.
My endeavour is to enable people to look inwards and through the process, start looking outwards at others too thus creating a world of acceptance.
What gets you out of bed in the morning i.e. what’s your source of motivation?
Over the years, I have created a schedule/routine for myself such that every minute of my day is accounted for and each day brings with it so much to do and accomplish that the rush to achieve things is a huge motivator. So, motivation has never been an issue.
The feedback from people who I have coached is also a huge external motivator for me to keep improving myself and aim for a better me each day. My biggest competitor is the person I was yesterday and I have to better myself daily. These are huge motivators and energisers.
What challenges/obstacles did you face in your journey so far?
Getting my first break was a huge challenge, it took me a while to get my first assignment. Post that, the feedback for my work has made it self-sustaining. But the initial phase was very tough, and I had to hang on to make the breakthrough. I realised; people look at us based on their last impression of our interaction with them. People, I had worked with, in the initial years of my career, took some time to accept me as an entrepreneur.
Being a mom, also meant I had to work around the schedule of my children and ensure they had my time as and when required.
All these have made me stronger and more independent.
What comes first for you – money or emotions?
As a professional, I don’t see this as a choice. Both emotions and money are critical to succeed, grow and create impact for our stakeholders. I love my work, am passionate about it, so emotions are always there. Having said that, I would like to be paid for the time I invest – that works as a huge motivator for me. As mentioned above, recognition from people I have coached works as an external motivator and makes me better myself daily. So, choosing between my passion, my emotions and money will be tough. I would want both in a good measure.
How do you handle the pressure and manage stress?
I remember a friend once told me when you love what you do, you don’t have to sell your work, it comes automatically.
I strongly believe when you love what you do, you make time for everything, you sell it automatically, it motivates you by itself and more than all this, there is never a moment of stress. As I mentioned above, I love my work, I love each minute of my life – so stress does not come.
Having said that, in some rare moments, when I do feel as if I am being stressed, I work to bring myself at the moment and focus on the present. Focussing on the moment is a huge stress-buster. I love questioning my emotions, my love, my anger, my frustrations and my stress. This questioning helps me get to the real reason for my emotions and gets me out of the stress mode.
What is one strategy that you believe has helped you grow as a person?
I introspect a lot – I question myself and my emotions. Sometimes, I am told that I think a lot but thinking and introspecting guides me to be a better me. Another aspect of introspection is, listening to and understanding people. Whether it’s my professional or personal sphere, having this attitude has always helped me know my stakeholders better, connect with them well and learn immensely.
In your opinion what are the keys to success?
1) Introspection: Knowing yourself well. Understand your motivators and be honest with yourself. Brutal honesty to yourself is the key to success. It helps you ascertain what you REALLY want.
2) Discipline: As I mentioned above, I stick to a routine in life. Every minute is accounted for and that gives me an adrenaline rush which drives me to success and happiness.
3) Focus on the present while preparing for the future
What advice would you give to someone starting out as an aspiring women entrepreneur?
1) BE more, WANT more.
2) Be unapologetic
3) Forgive yourself
4) Nothing limits you except YOU. Unlimit yourself.
5) Have patience. Entrepreneurship is a long road.
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.
