It is important to embrace ourselves & celebrate our differences: Shivani Gupta

Celebrating the contributions of women in the PR sector, exchange4media PR & Corp Comm is running a 'Women Achievers Series'. It features the journey, success, and achievements of some of the top women leaders from the Public Relations and Corporate Communications fraternity. Today’s series features Shivani Gupta, Managing Director and Co-Founder, SPAG and DYE.

Gupta holds a dynamic and multidimensional work profile across different avenues of the communications industry and her role as co-founder and managing director at SPAG encapsulates that experience to form the founding pillars of strength behind the success of the firm. She has worked with some of the leading PR firms and corporates, and her journey across different roles in media relations, training, marketing, community relations, crisis management and internal communications has contributed immensely towards providing strategic and business direction to SPAG.

Excerpts from the interview:

Now that the industry is opening up workplaces and resuming operations from the office, what are the initiatives, measures and precautions that should be adapted/ taken to ensure a smooth transition?

This recent pandemic changed the work environment to a large extent. Organizations had to reimagine and evolve new ways of working. While we are getting back to physical offices and meeting people physically, this will need a more creative and bold style of working. Organizations need to create a more safe, progressive and empathetic environment for their people. Precautions or measures for a cordial and productive workplace is not merely about focussing on physical space but also to be cognizant of the emotional well-being of people. While we transition back to new normalcy, this needs a lot of collaboration, a lot of in-depth understanding of each individuals’ current situation and creating a framework that helps individuals’ and organisations’ growth.

We at SPAG believe in encouraging and empowering individuals. We believe everyone has a strength and potential that needs a defined path and guidance. For the same to be defined in a more structured way, we have introduced a practice called ‘unlocking potential’, which is about recognising and putting individuals on a fast track path of growth as the name suggests. Also, to keep in touch personally with my team members, we also have one-on-one sessions called ‘Cup of Bond’ where I regularly interact with each team member for general conversations. This helps me understand them better and stay connected and I totally enjoy interacting with them.

The last 20 months have been trying for every professional, especially with the hybrid working model. How did you strike a balance between office work and household duties?

The last 20 months have been a challenge for everyone in their own ways. It surely got tough to balance initially but as we learned and evolved with these times, it helped us view things in a more structured and collaborative way. There have been times when it was very important to be with each and every team member who was going through personal crisis and needed that emotional support during these times. I just believed in one thing, which was to take each day as it comes. What helped me balance things out was to plan my day, follow my routine and also stay connected with everyone.

Women have been carving a niche for themselves and paving the way in the communications industry for the next generation of women leaders to follow. Tell us about your achievements and your contribution to the fraternity.

Women have been carving a niche in almost all the sectors, not just communications. I believe in gender parity where it’s not just women supporting women but men, too, who are being an ally. As leaders, it is important to set examples of being fierce yet compassionate. Any equation that is mathematically following this rule will build great future leaders. I recently have been selected as Country Chair G-100 for the Public Relations wing. The vision for the wing is to create access and opportunity in the global ecosystem by raising awareness of this sector for women through strategic roadmaps that highlight role models and mentors, thereby expanding educational training and networks, and promoting career paths and empowerment in various supporting industries.

What are the roadblocks that you have had to overcome to reach where you are today? What, according to you, are the makings of a leader?

As women, we are either surrounded by societal expectations or self-imposed contests. Our culture and conditioning is such that we subconsciously strive too hard to prove our capabilities or worth to seem like a perfectionist.  Fortunately, I have had support from my leaders as well as my family. Yes, there are times when one gets too harsh with oneself and could get into those self-guilt trips but my motto has been ‘it’s ok to not be ok’. It is important to embrace ourselves and celebrate our differences.

As leaders, it is critical to view a situation from all angles, ask the right questions and be communicative. Be a champion of what you expect from your people and stay connected.

What would be your advice to the young generation?

I totally admire how this generation thinks and is so passionate about giving back to society. This I can say so proudly as we meet so many who want to work in healthcare communications and want to do some real work, which helps build a better world. They are clear with their thought process and value-open dialogue. As this generation is now stepping up into leadership roles I would say to keep believing in themselves and work collaboratively with a vision to build their subordinates as distinguished ethical global citizens.