| | 8 September 2019HIGHERReviewIN MY VIEWProf. Dr. Rima Ghose Chowdhury, HoD ­ HRM, NL Dalmia Institute of Management Studies & ResearchWOMEN IN LEADERSHIP ­ BRIDGING THE GENDER GAPL eadership as a term is univer-sal and making it a gender issue would not be fair. As a leader, one would have to exhibit basic qual-ities of courage, determination, prag-matism, perseverance, ability to take people along, coach and influence, ability to do the tight-rope balance at critical times and much more. Perhaps due to the societal upbringing, bal-ance and collaboration come automat-ically to most women, starting with a balance between parents and in-laws, family and self, professional and moth-er ­ what it takes is a willing mind and an honest soul to make a difference in the lives of people around. Beyond the usual association of charisma and vision, with leadership, there is an as-pect of adaptability; you cannot bring in change as a leader without adapt-ing or being sensitive to the culture around. As research studies point out, women find it easier to adapt to different cultures.Not everyone is a born leader; rath-er most are not, yet through life expe-riences, openness to feedback and will-ingness to improve, they are catapulted to leadership. You become a leader not when you are in a position of pow-er, you become a leader when with or without position, you have the power to influence the lives around you and they are all rooting for your success. In my journey, there have been situations when both the career growth cycle and family cycle needed urgent and imme-diate attention. In those moments of `what should I do?" the inner voice has guided me to think `what do I really want? Am I willing to give up one joy of life for the other?' The answer was NO. So, I moved on to take challeng-es head on, with a promise to not keep unrealistic expectations from life. Women in WorkplaceUsual top qualities associated with a woman in the workplace are multi-task-ing, balanced collaborative outlook, sensitive approach, emotional intelli-gence, organized and planned, empa-thy and deep listening skills. There is an aspect of Indian culture here. As per Hofstede's model which researched the cultural dimensions in various coun-
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