An Interview with Vidya Shah

Written by Vidya Shah (Executive Chairperson Edelgive Foundation

1. Why is “an approach to leadership that resonates with women” needed?

A gender-equal world necessarily means many more women leaders in all spheres of leadership, not least, in politics,government, business and industry, society and community. Most of us in the Expedition have grown into leadership with male role models; many of us have also developed our own style and definition. Most of the literature on leadership, whether written by men or women is either from a man’s perspective or distinctly advocates imitating masculine leadership for women. But today, there are many more traits we look for - not necessarily feminine, mind you! - authenticity, resilience, showing vulnerability, assertion, collaboration among many others. We need to unpeel these layers, for future generations of women leaders. We are NOT advocating for a feminine approach; just one that will resonate for women, given some universal lived experiences of other women who have grappled with what leadership has meant to them.

2. Halfway through the Expedition what are you uncovering?

Just how complex and exciting our discussions have been! How we first need a definition of leadership that we agree with and internalise so that we can devote our time to the approach! As a group, we have learnt to stay away from the temptation to arrive at a consensus - rather to go wide and even meander a bit, before beginning to narrow down and coalesce. We have also discovered so many strands that we have never thought of before - what do we mean by women? How do we address the issues of cultural diversity or young Gen thinking? So many, many questions and grapples at the halfway mark!

To read more about Vidya, click here