International Women’s Day Feature - Laletha Nithiyandan

Laletha or fondly known as Lita, dared to make a difference when she first started her recruitment firm in Oct 1979. When I first read about her in newspaper articles, I was impacted by her. I desired to meet with her and I had the extreme pleasure of working under her (the best days of my life.)

When I met her for the first time, I was amazed at how soft-spoken she was. But that did not undermine her leadership abilities or the way she carried herself. What I enjoyed and learned from her, is that as leaders we need to have empathy and a human touch in our business dealings. I learned to be myself by seeing her and felt that even though I was nurturing and soft-spoken, I can be an effective leader. Through this interview feature, where I get to ask the burning questions in my heart, I will like to take the opportunity to thank her for her guidance, her love, and for being who she is.

 Q: As a female leader in your field, what has been the most significant barrier in your career?

I generally don’t look at barriers or even acknowledge them because I believe that what you look for is what you get. I also prefer not to be seen as a female leader but as a leader, we don’t look at men and call them male leaders, so why do label ourselves as females leaders, you are either a leader or not.

 Q: What are the three important qualities that a woman leader should possess?

Three qualities any leader should possess are; 1) to have the humility and wisdom to know he/she doesn't have all the answers 2) the willingness to include, partner, collaborate with others to find solutions especially in the complex environment we live in  3) to genuinely care for people and bring humanity into the business.

 Q: What type of challenges do you face when you work with dominant men in the industry?

Dominant people exist, it’s a part of life. If you make sense, most people will listen, sometimes combatting dominance with dominance doesn’t work, quiet strength from the inside is more powerful. It is possible to be firm and kind, and stay focused on the task at hand, and not get sucked into posturing and politics that people get into.

 Q: Does it matter how a woman leader is perceived by her peers or the people around her?

It doesn’t in my view. Most people have some bias or another and it’s their issue, not mine. What’s important for me is to make a positive impact and treat people I encounter with respect, even those who may have biases.

 Q: How do you build your inner strength to counter the negative views that you get from people you are leading/working with?

Self-regulation and management are a big part of building inner strength and resilience, making time for my daily practice of tuning inwards and having control over my time and who I work with supports me in building my inner strength.

 Q: What would you have done differently if you are starting a business now?

The world has changed a lot since my first business, today I see people packaging themselves more than their product or service and there is a tendency to exaggerate to look good, I am so keen on that.

 Q: What advice would you give the next generation of leaders?

Make time to learn, most people think they are learning but what most of us do is to see new information through our old lens, I have learned that it is important to stop trying to compartmentalize what we learn into what we know but to instead give new information a chance to percolate so that we can make new distinctions and gain new insights. I judge learning by the level of confusion a new body of knowledge creates because Confusion is a sign that we are learning something new.

 Q: What is your favourite quote you live by?

Practice generosity of spirit and give people the benefit of your doubt.