This post is an excerpt from my panel talk in Berlin in November 2023 titled Leadership & Allyship. This was about allyship to build diverse teams and a call for leaders to promote inclusion.

What is your Leadership Style?

This is my favorite question and over the years the experience I have gained has helped me address this question with thoughtfulness. My leadership style is mostly leading from the front, and through the years I have learned also to balance when not to lead from the front, follow servant leadership and delegate things appropriately.

My 1-liner answer to this question is:

Holding the helm when the sea is not calm.

Especially during these times of layoffs, tough global economic situations and markets, my leadership style has been refined to lead with empathy and build psychological safety within teams. I lead with authenticity, and let people bring their authentic self to work.

Under my leadership, I advocate to be selfish in a good way, putting ones demands above all. Think of this like pulling the oxygen mask on oneself first to be able to help others and I always lead with actions.

How not to be an Ally?

Not speaking up, staying silent when you know there is a problem but you choose not to address it because it doesn’t affect you.

Giving unsolicited advice or in other words called the saviour mentality where you neither understand the problem nor your advice is helpful but you want to be seen as a saviour.

Getting defensive due to personal biases and promoting or advocating for only those things that you are aware of and not making an attempt to grow out of your biases.

What are the Traits of a Good Ally?

Sharing knowledge and not asking marginals to educate others, instead learning more and making every attempt to truly solve the problem.

Creating inclusive spaces.

Being fully inclusive means being able to celebrate all sort of differences and diversity without any biases!

Being an ally is an ongoing commitment to keep improving, learning and educating others.

Examples of Being an Ally

Example #1: In interviews, give the benefit of doubt if you think the person is deserving. As a Hiring Manager and Engineering Manager, I have built diverse teams by hiring folks who have demonstrated strong learning during interviews. I have had to give my benefit of doubt many times, trust my gut feeling to hire them who have turned into exceptional hires.

Example #2: Promote inclusion through team building.

To be a good ally: be a good human.

How to find one: find a friend in your professional journey.

Did you strategise where you are today?

Absolutely yes. I have always had a goal and have had to deliberately and selfishly prioritise things to get to where I am today.

Start with short term goals, for ex: be a team lead, gain sufficient experience.

When opportunity meets hard work, you turn successful.

Look up at role models, listen to stories. That’s when it gets interesting because as marginals you don’t have enough role models and although you look up to them, their journey and ours is not similar.

That’s when you need allies to make the path a bit easier.

My take on how to go about this is: have a goal in mind. The various paths you need to get there often change due to various circumstances, but keep the goal itself constant.

Not knowing where to go will make your life just as hard.lay

How do you navigate through challenges?

Having no biases, listening actively.

Advocating for things that are otherwise not normal. For example: Acknowledging that uncertainty is a biggest productivity killer and during layoff times to talk about anxiety and creating safe spaces.

Creating support groups to enable folks for promotions, interview trainings, etc.

Creating visibility. Leading by example by being vulnerable

Celebrating success + failures.