At BrilliantRead Media, we always strive to bring to our community some of the finest stories from the entrepreneurship world. As part of this endeavour, we invited yet another passionate women entrepreneur – Sirisha Ramanand for an exclusive interview with us. She is an Executive Coach, Mentor, Leader, Change Maker and Entrepreneur. Let’s learn more about her inspiring journey, her background and her advice for our growing community!
Excerpts from our exclusive interview with Sirisha:
Talk us through your background and your journey, please;
I completed my Master’s Degree in Organisation Studies from The University of Warwick and started my career in HR consulting in Mumbai in 2007. Over the next fifteen years, I built a career in consulting and internal Human Resource functions.
I was an army kid and from an early age, I’ve had to develop the traits of adaptability and agility which have served me very well throughout my career. When the first wave of COVID lockdowns started, I got a chance to stand back and review the direction my career was taking.
It was during this time that I came up with what I call my Career 2.0. I realized that I wanted to make a more direct and tangible impact with the work I do. “
What made you passionate about ‘Coaching’?
We tend to pigeonhole ourselves and others into certain ‘types’ of people and assign overly simplistic labels. The reality is that people are far more complex than they give themselves credit for.
One of the most rewarding aspects of being a coach is the opportunity to hold up a mirror to my clients and introduce them to facets of themselves that they were probably unaware of.”
If there’s one thing I want my clients to take away from our time together, it’s the belief that they’ve ‘got this’.
Who do you believe has been the biggest source of motivation in your daily life?
I rely hugely on my family, who I like to call my personal board of advisors, comprising my parents, husband, brother and son. They all have such an unshakeable faith in my abilities, it makes me want to work towards living up to their wonderful image of me.
What are some of the strategies that you believe have helped you grow as a person?
Adopting a learning mindset is one of the key contributors to my growth. I accept that I may not know everything but if it’s important then I can learn. The habit of reflection is another practice that helps me assess and assimilate my experiences constructively. And finally, own whatever happens to you.
I am directly or indirectly responsible for what happens to me. To change it, therefore, is also entirely in my control.
Please share with us, how do you motivate your clients?
My personal philosophy is that motivation and its sister emotions of confidence and positivity are borne out of action. People believe they need to wait for motivation in order to do things.
In reality, it’s the opposite. We need to “do” to generate motivation. In a lot of cases, a lack of motivation happens because we tend to focus on the end product or the feeling of having completed the task.”
But that can backfire because if we focus on finishing before making any headway, or even before starting, the task looks too big for us and we start faltering over variables that are not in our control. And having a big task ahead of us can conversely be the biggest demotivator.
I encourage my clients to pull back a little and think about the aspects of their goals that are in their control. When we focus on what we can control and work on that, it motivates us and opens our minds to possibilities.
In your opinion, what are the keys to success?
To begin with, one should have a firm understanding of what success means for them. Success can mean different things to different people. Much as the world and social media would like us to believe, there is no standard template for success.
Once you understand your version of success, then setting tangible goals is another key element to success. If we don’t know where we’re going then there’s no telling where we’re going to end up.
Another key component to success is perseverance. It takes time for our efforts to show results. Conversely, know when to quit. Sometimes things just don’t work for us. Or maybe we realise we don’t want it anymore. Continuing on a path because we’ve already spent so much time, effort or money on it is a sunk cost fallacy and is not helpful at all.
At times there will be things we have no control over. Focus on what you can control. Focusing on external factors makes us feel helpless and is extremely demotivating. And finally, have patience. Overnight success stories make headlines precisely because they are so rare.
What advice would you give students and young professionals who want to have a successful career?
There is no dream job. Every role and organization has some things to offer that you will like and some that you don’t like. You’ll need to think about the tradeoffs that you’re making and whether they are acceptable to you.
You are in control of your career. If there is something that is not to your liking it’s ok to change it. We don’t have to endure things that we don’t want to just because it seems good on paper or somebody else thinks it’s good.
Our young people have come up through an educational system, school and college, where their daily lives and goals have been very clearly prescribed to them. Once they enter organisations it’s a whole different ecosystem. Just doing what you’re told to is no longer going to be enough.
You’re going to have to think, assimilate and contribute to your team and organization. Learn to assess feedback objectively. Feedback is given so you can function better within your team. Some may be valid, and some less so. Remember, it doesn’t become true just because your boss said so. Don’t make your job your identity.
You are so much more than the work you do to earn a salary. It can also prevent you from taking up opportunities outside your comfort zone. Remember you’re a work in progress. As we grow in our careers we evolve as people and professionals and our aspirations change accordingly.
The business world, too, is dynamic and we must always be ready to adapt in order to make the best use of opportunities presented to us.
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.
