TANAYA MISHRA from Cuttack, Odisha, dreamt of making her career in the HR field, when human resource, 20 years back was a lesser-known management practice. But with her sheer grit and determination, today she has made her way to the top. In her 20-year career path she has headed the HR department of big companies like SBI Life Insurance, Group M, Shoppers Stop Ltd, ACC Concrete Ltd, JSW and is currently working as Managing Director, Human Resources at Accenture. Tanaya says that she wanted to do something meaningful in her life and just kept pushing herself to achieve it. The most important aspect she says is about building relationships and networks, understanding one's environment and about how genuine you are. She talks to Corporate Citizen about her work and life experiences, and her aspiration that has kept her going
My foundation was built in a convent school in Cuttack, Odisha, where we had disciplined Sisters and Mother Superiors. Life was a breeze till ICSE and then one realised the harsh reality of not being cocooned, and competition. I was a topper in the 12th board and stood third in the state, in graduation too I was one of the top rankers with an Honours and distinction. My education then took me to the prestigious Delhi School of Economics but with health issues I came back to complete my Post-Graduation in Personnel Management and a degree in Law. But then it was never enough if you belonged to a family of professors and so I completed my PhD in Manpower Planning in steel industry and did my research in SAIL (RSP). Coming from a typical Oriya Brahmin family, it was not appropriate for a girl like me to go out and pursue a career on my own, but I was determined. I initially started practising as a lawyer, as I had a licence. However, I didn't pursue it because building a career as a lawyer would mean taking a long time to establish oneself and I wanted something that was more definitive in career progression. Then I made up my mind to take the wholehearted plunge into the magnificent world of Human Resources.
For a small-town person like me to achieve success in the corporate world, I had to just keep pushing myself to achieve what I wanted to be
Taking the challenge: I started my HR career after marriage, with Oman Consultants, in Bengaluru, as an HR consultant. Within a year we moved to Mumbai and I took up my first corporate HR assignment in 1996, in a start-up company called Clubnet. My first assignment as the HR Head, was to build a team from scratch. Here I was faced with two choices... throw up my hands in despair as I really had no experience or take up the challenge and give it my 100%. I decided to go with the latter. Some of it was fun, innovative and some of it was learning on the job. At times it was humiliating but the trick was to grit your teeth and have a go at it, looking at innovative ways to come up with solutions and collaborating with colleagues. Sometimes it was also about weighing opportunities that come your way.
Similar roles as HR Head: Subsequent job offers also came with similar roles as HR Head. Every time I chose the ones, which helped me learn the basics. A year later I got a break as a deputy manager in Stock Holding Corporation of India Ltd. In the three years here, I met some of my best buddies and my professional life was all about learning. In the next assignment I moved to DHL Worldwide, where I learnt more of the fundamentals and best HR practices, all thanks to Hermie who was our HR Head those days. Opportunity to head SBI Life knocked on my door again and I plunged into the assignment as its third employee from the private sector employee and helped set up the human and policy framework and those were really early days of insurance.
Sometimes you don't just fit in: In professional life sometimes you make wrong choices not because the organisation is not good but sometimes you don't just fit in and don't understand the culture as well the need of the organisation and this is what happened to me as I took on a new role for a reputed media company that had merged three entities, as its HR Director. But I also learnt that when you know it's not for you, you must move and move quickly because the environment can bog you down.
FirstSource: I moved to FirstSource. This was a great place to work, with good people, some excellent practices and a fun workplace. I had wonderful bosses and some great colleagues and the good news is that the bonds were so strong that we still continue to be good buddies and are very much in touch. Being with a BPO outfit for quite a while I got a bit restless as nothing much was happening professionally, hence decided to move on.
Shoppers Stop Ltd: I joined as HR Head at Shoppers Stop Ltd. I saw transformation and team spirit here. My CEO, popularly called, Govind Boss was an epitome of what a guru should be, patient and humble, always guiding, his enthusiasm and emotion for the business was infectious. The team spirit that he instilled in the entire management committee meetings was phenomenal, like the thrill of sale and good numbers and depression when sales were not alright. This was about an Indian company that wanted genuinely to offer the best to all its stakeholders. This company spoke of CSR way before it was recognised in the way that one understands it today, this company got in people from the lower strata and transformed them to be great leaders through the Baby Kangaroo programme that went on to head flagship stores worth crores. A company that genuinely cared for its people and its customers.
Stint with ACC Concrete Ltd: Then came my stint with ACC Concrete Ltd, with Holcim as the Chief People Officer. This was year 2008, a year of downturns and downsizing. A tough assignment that tested my mettle as a HR Head but again this was about working for and with an exemplary leader like Hans Fuchs and another great HR leader, Hans Mileants and a fantastic team, some of whom continue to work there. The assignment was challenging and threw many tough situations but I think these tough ones bring the best in you and shape you to be a better professional. I enjoyed this stint completely which ranged from right-sizing, handling unions, ensuring that the talent pipeline was robust, succession planning, ensuring growth and productivity, building the business and life was on a roll.
JSW Group: But all good things come to an end, when I was offered a global assignment in Switzerland my father suddenly took ill and I made a personal choice of staying back to look after him and my mother. Careers sometimes have to take a backseat as life is a roller coaster and you just don't know where you are headed. So, I decided that now I would do my duty as a daughter and be close to my parents in India. I left ACC and joined the JSW Group as its Senior Vice President with a promise that I would head it in the years to come. With this switch came changes in leadership style, understanding the "how" and "why" of adapting to an Indian conglomerate. It was not easy at all. The working style was different, the culture, hierarchy. But for professionals, it's about understanding the nuances and making sense of it and working at it and using it to your advantage, it's about putting your best foot forward.
Accenture: After almost four years with JSW, a
friendly conversation with my colleague led me to
join Accenture, as Managing Director _ Human
resources. A privilege and a pleasure to be working
in one of the best global companies where you
give and get respect, where the company believes
in high potential delivered, about working with
brilliant and wonderful people.
For a small-town person like me to achieve
success in the corporate world, I had to just keep
pushing myself to achieve what I wanted to be.
I knew that if you have the aspiration, you will
grow and even impossible says I'm possible.
Today, the corporate world recognises gender diversity and inclusion. Every organisation is wanting its young mothers to come back, ensuring they build creches, work from home facilities, mentoring the young mothers, part-time work and so on
It was extremely challenging. One has to adopt and adapt, because every environment is challenging but I never thought that the task at hand was ever impossible for me. At times there were tough situations that I had to handle and unions was one of them. But the strategy is to be cool-headed and think through situations and plan proactively. You have to be open in your mind and if you think you can achieve the objective then you can. But never be proud, just feel good about the fact that God gave you that ability and capacity to do it.
I use to be the only lady in the entire management team especially in manufacturing set-ups. Sometimes there would be a room full of over thousand people and I would be the only lady. However, I never felt awkward. You have to un-derstand what you have to achieve, what your targets are and then it becomes quite simple.
There have been many challenging times as well as politics that you have to deal with and you can't wish it away. But at the same time you can't live in an ivory tower either. It is part of being aware and working around it but not being part of it. I have faced many difficult scenarios while working but never compromised on my values. I have decided to walk away from companies, rather than put up with something that I don't like.
There are many such instances. One such was getting a plant which was closed riddled with Union issues to open again. It was a challenge because of the plant location, which was surrounded by villages where the former workers lived. They just would not allow us to operate, unless we give them huge amounts of money and we were completely against this. When we initially started our operations after a lot of negotiations and several rounds of discussion, the women-folk lay down en masse in front of the transit mixers and in another instance gheraoed the IR Manager. I had to hire special security, get armoured vehicles for people to enter the plant, had to hire medical vans in case there were dire consequences.
Sometimes things didn't go right. But you have got to understand ways to resolve it and try your best. If despite efforts things don't work out right then you need to drop it and at other times you just have to sink your teeth and get it done. There will always be situations which are very demanding, but you just have to put your best foot forward and also ensure you invest in relationship building, learn the art of influencing and understanding your environment.
You must understand that in your circle of influence, first look at your family, find out who are those who inspire you, encourage you and stand by you. For me, it was my mother. Then you have to find your circle of influence among your friends_who are the ones helping you, who are the ones giving you essential tips. Then find your social circle in the corporate world or wherever you work. Today you have social media like Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn _use it to find your circles and build your networks.
I was also a small-town girl, but I wanted to do something in my life and set my dreams to achieve it then. You have to understand your own aspirations and be very clear with your goals and focus on achieving them. You can't stop and have to aim higher each time. If you stop or slow down, everything else stops. It's about what you aspire for and being realistic about it. It's about what your goals are and how you pursue them. And your own strategy for achieving them.
In the HR field today there are so many opportunities. With the right attitude and hard work, the world is yours. For me, the initial steps were difficult. There were times when I had gone for 15 interviews and didn't get through anywhere. The irony was that I went to the very same companies to head the HR function, some of them being Shoppers Stop, JSW. I wanted to work with Accenture one day and today I work with them. So, it's uncanny, and the power of the Universe and Law of attraction works.
Earlier, it was not so dynamic. People didn't know what exactly Human Resources management was. Now it is a proper science, there is a laid-out path. Today there are more challenges because the workforce is changing, dynamics are changing. What you did yesterday will probably not work today, so you have got to keep learning and doing innovative things. You have to constantly reinvent yourself. Change is the only constant.
Principles and ways of working in India are different from what applies to the working pattern in Europe, Australia, US or Mexico. Corporates have learned to adapt to the environment that they are present in. However, the core is usually the same as well as the way they run their operations. Every organisation has a culture that it wants to build. Most MNCs have a very professional workforce and a proactive culture. For them people are their brand ambassadors and they give utmost respect to their people.
As a citizen of this country, legal knowledge always helps as you are aware of your rights. If you are working with people, knowledge of law helps in taking decisions where you are able to protect your company and its employees. However, one has to be in constant touch to keep abreast of the changes in sections to the legal system.
We got married in 1995, and ours was an arranged marriage. I am from Cuttack and my husband, Siddharth, is from Berhampur. Despite my father getting worried that no one would ever marry a tomboy like me I did manage to get a partner. My adorable twin boys were born in 1998. They are 17 years' old now and studying in the 11 standard. My boys are very protective of their mother. They are black belt in tae kwon do and gold and silver medallists. They are true gamers and love gaming. I keep pushing them into studies so they tell me that if I had allowed them they had probably earned millions in gaming.
My husband has been supportive and he has been there with me all through. So, every time I am away, I know my husband or my mom will be there to look after the family and its emotional needs. I guess our Indian marriage works because you take each other unconditionally, in spite of all the faults. A mechanical engineer, Siddharth did his post-graduation in Product Design from National Institute of Design (NID). He started out working as a freelance designer, later on joined Hawkins Cookers Ltd and subsequently headed their Product Design function. Recently, he has started his own business after spending a few years in independent design consulting.
Since last five years my parents have been with me. My mother has been a big help and complete blessing. My father was director, technical education in Odisha and my mother was a professor at Ravenshaw College, where Subhash Chandra Bose studied. I draw a lot of inspiration from my parents.
If you have recently watched the interview of Indra Nooyi you will realise that we women use our extended families to garner support. When my twin boys were born, my husband had a Friday off and I had the weekends off. We had our entourage of maids, without whose help we would have not survived. We brought up our children on our own, with the help of these angel maids. The three days was very good for us to be with the children and bring them up. I tried to take assignments which were close to home, so I could leave late and come early. It's been challenging but fun. My boys have been very cooperative. Initially they were introverts but now I am proud to see them blossom into young boys with values. My husband was extremely supportive and that's how I was able to play an active role in many associations like NHRDN, BCCI, EFI, CII and so on.
A number of corporates today are ensuring that they give special privileges to the new mothers. Accenture gives 9 months maternity leave. During my time, that was not the case and most corporates went by the Maternity Benefit Act and what it prescribed, which was 3 months. Today, the corporate world recognises gender diversity and inclusion. Every organisation is wanting its young mothers to come back and ensuring that they take steps like building creches, work from home facilities, mentoring the young mothers, part time work and so on.
I got into dancing quite by accident. One day while I waited for my elder sibling, as she was senior and her classes got over later. I decided to use the time to pluck berries from the bushes and eat them and my mother happened to catch me in the act. She decided to put me in dancing classes instead, and that's how I got a Nrutyabhushan while still at school. Dancing taught me determination. My sisters learnt classical music and I accompanied them and in the bargain learnt it too.
Basketball was a passion and I loved the game. Sheer dedication and practice got me a place in the national team. I was also the best cadet for my state in National Cadet Corps (NCC).
BY RAJESH RAO
