International Women's Day 2024: 8 professional women share wisdom on workplace success, tech advancements

Every year, the world celebrates International Women's Day, honouring women's social, economic, cultural, and political achievements. This is an excellent chance to raise awareness about gender equality concerns. Through various events and initiatives, International Women's Day inspires people and communities to learn about the difficulties that women confront and work towards solutions. Several events are held worldwide to honour and recognise women's achievements. 

International Women's Day 2024: Theme 
International Women's Day is observed each year with a different topic, and this year's theme is 'Invest in Women: Accelerate Progress.' This subject seeks to address economic disempowerment. The marketing theme, 'Inspire Inclusion', highlights the value of diversity and empowerment in all parts of society. 

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The 2024 campaign theme is crucial to attaining gender equality. International Women's Day has significance as it breaks down barriers, challenges stereotypes, and fosters an atmosphere where all women are recognised and respected. It also provides a chance to promote diverse viewpoints and women's contributions in all aspects of society, particularly neglected populations. Women have time and again proven that they are in no way inferior or secondary to men. From girls outshining boys in competitive exams to brave hearts flying fighter jets for the country, the fairer sex, as it is usually referred to, has left no boundaries untouched. 

This International Women’s Day, we decided to ask some successful women with remarkable achievements a very simple question: Which qualities must a woman possess to excel in her field of work? Here’s what they said:

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Sanamdeep Chadha, Promoter & Director, Genesis Global School
Being result-oriented, enthusiastic and decisive are critical attributes one needs to excel in any stream, whether it's a woman or a man. There are, of course, several other factors, depending on the field of work. As an educationist, one should bring fresh ideas and a sense of dynamism to the table with the evolving times. It would help to instil a learning model that imbibes the latest ideas, cutting-edge technology and the right pedagogy. Equally important is whether or not you engage with people with a positive mindset and how open or receptive you are to the scope of improvement. Both men and women can use these skills to thrive and excel in their respective fields.

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Karunya Sampath, Co-founder & CEO, of Payoda Technologies
As sexist as it sounds, we usually don’t ask the same question to men. But yes, most of the women have faced this question at different points of time. Women have already been leading at the home front, making it the paradise for families to thrive with their love and sensitivity. When they stepped out a few decades ago, they succeeded at businesses and also aced whatever jobs they landed in. Instead of asking what qualities a woman should possess, we must be asking ourselves, how can we further help these women flourish in their careers? They are beautifully balancing their work life and homes and, most of the time being a mom as well. On the work front, she is already bringing grit, determination, a creative outlook towards everything, innovative solutions, and a never-say-die spirit. Just being an equal partner in her domestic duties will let her have a breather and she can devote more time to things she loves the most.

Rachna Jaiswal founder of PIPABOX
An alpha woman is powerful; she is a blazing brand in herself; she leads, directs, guides and achieves while being uniquely herself, graceful and empathetic, kind and authentic. She has been tempered by all the challenges thrown at her by every sceptical society, battled her own demons and has come out more powerful than ever, making her the fittest example of a leader who has been through the rough to know what

Supriya Pattanayak, Vice Chancellor, Centurion University Odisha
Education is the biggest asset a woman can possess to excel not just in her professional field but in any realm of life. While this awareness is already there, and we have seen a marked increase in the number of women enrolling in universities, the ratio is still highly imbalanced. Moreover, I would like to emphasise on skill-based education. Understand your own unique capabilities and then choose your education stream where you can get hands-on experience of how the industry works even while studying. This will make women job-ready right after education, and they can become financially independent early on. It has been seen that some women leave education midway due to various reasons. Universities now offer lateral entry programs, too, where you get a credit score for each year attended, enabling students to complete their courses despite breaks. So, focus on education and upgrading your skill sets to fly higher than you ever imagined.

Chandresh Yadav, Senior Zonal Manager, Naukri.com 
To lead a team and organisation effectively and successfully, a woman must be confident, clear, willing, understanding, enthusiastic, determined, and self-aware. Additionally, women should continuously invest in upskilling themselves and embracing their natural leadership style without compromising their emotional quotient. We all have naysayers telling us how to live our personal and professional lives, but the best way to grow in your career is to follow the industry pioneers. Be confident!

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Anurita Chandola, HR professional in MNC
Being from the HR fraternity, I feel a woman must have people skills, empathy, and intuition. However, success metrics are different for every woman, and their role in the workplace is defined the same. As an individual contributor, the skills to meet deadlines is a must, and when she is in a leadership role, one needs to be able to develop leadership styles based on the organisational culture. However, the qualities to achieve success are very gender-neutral, but today's women need to be more assertive and stand by their opinions.

Akanksha Panchal is the chief coordinator at JIC Transportation India Pvt. Ltd. 
Self-confidence and self-belief—overcome the fear of gender ratios in a meeting or a boardroom. In a senior position, the qualified person with a mind and skillset sits, not the gender. So, be confident in presenting your ideas and focus on the intended objective in the job profile. Own the responsibility and show a willingness to lead the assignments. If one does not assert, one loses an opportunity to prove. 

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Recognize the multitasker within you. Consider your income as the primary income and not the secondary income. This needs to be ingrained in ourselves first to demand the actual compensation of a desired work profile. Do not try to be a man at the workplace. Carry your own uniqueness with you, be it dressing, communication, working style, etc. It is as important as being a team player and gelling effortlessly with a team for a coordinated, collated output.

Priya Sharma-Founder Learning Dino
To excel, a woman must possess expertise and stay updated. Additionally, she must unlearn societal conditioning, claim credit for her work, establish clear boundaries, and take pride in balancing work and home life without viewing it as a weakness. She should not feel guilty for prioritising responsibilities or skipping after-work events. Seeking help is crucial, as growth often comes from mutual support and collaboration.