Her Story
About Neha
I've been working with the same company for almost 7 years now, and it's been quite a journey. I started as a business development executive, but I slowly transitioned towards being in the founder's office because that's what I felt seemed fit for me. I understand the business side of building a company, and how I can help the management take better decisions and work exclusively with them. I have a background in marketing - I did my MA in Marketing from Middlesex University, London, and prior to that, I did my bachelor's degree in business. I've always been a person who gets into business mode, which is why the founder's office made sense for me. Since I was a kid, I've always seen the business side of running a company instead of just being a part of the company because my father used to have a business. The people that I work with are really great, and it's very intriguing working with them because they've taught me a lot of different things which a B-school might not have taught me. My main areas of expertise today are strategy building and team management. A typical day for me includes overviewing certain documents and summarizing them for the founders so they don't have to go through lengthy documents and can just get a brief of it for whatever decision they're trying to make. I get to input my own ideas, which makes my thinking a lot broader because I get to see a different part of it. I work with the team as well as with the founders, so I'm sort of a bridge between them. I'm responsible for what goes out of the company and how the company is being represented on any platform or anywhere. If it's an article which has been done by the company, it gets vetted through me because I know what exact details we need to put out at all points of time.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Neha
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to the lessons that I've learned from seeing my father and how he does things, and how to be professional while still having that personal touch while working. You shouldn't lose your human side of you, even though you're trying to be professional. That's one of the lessons that I've learned from him - that you should always be professional. You can be personal sometimes, but you should not mix both of it together. It's about maintaining that balance and keeping your humanity intact while conducting business.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I've received came from the founder that I work with. He taught me that no matter what happens, you should not stop working, irrespective if it's your health, or anything personal, or whatever is happening. If you work, your brain is gonna start working at some point of time with logical reasoning, and you'll be able to sort out your personal stuff as well as your work stuff. So, just keep going. That advice has really stuck with me and helped me push through difficult times.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
My advice to young women entering this industry is that I know it is difficult to get your feet on the ground, but keep trying. There'll be some person or another who'll come and help you, like your guardian angel. Just keep going - there's no other way around it. You have to do the groundwork, lay the ground, and then you'll have a ground to stand on. It takes persistence and patience, but eventually you'll find your footing.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
In terms of challenges, I find that people don't really want to talk. Whenever I try and connect to somebody, they'll be like, okay, we're busy, and stuff like that. But that's not really a challenge, it's just a personal thing. I don't feel there's any challenge that can't be overcome. You can always overcome challenges - everything has a solution. Just think through it, be patient, and be calm, and you can think through the challenges as well. As for opportunities, I do see a lot of opportunities in my field, especially as Chief of Staff or in the founder's office, because you can always help a fellow founder and make their life a lot more easier. The only thing that becomes difficult is to explain to them how I can help them be a more efficient team, because it's very difficult to convey till you don't work with that particular person, or you don't know about what that person does, or how that person does it.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The values most important to me in my work and personal life are loyalty and timeliness. These are the things that I value most - that if something is getting done or not getting done, people should let me know. I appreciate that transparency because then I need to have an answer. I'm the face, the person who's gonna see if something gets done or something doesn't happen, because I'm the one who's responsible for it. Communication and accountability are essential to me.
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