My mother remained my most valued counsel: Rishi Seth

Women are the foundation of society who make immense contributions to the growth of others through their unwavering strength and sacrifices. Their power is not only in their nurturing spirit, but also in their remarkable talents and continuous support. Although their support may often go unnoticed, their impact is steadfast and remarkable.
In our 'In Her Footsteps' series, we aim to pay tribute to women and their invaluable contributions by featuring prominent male leaders and their perspectives on the women they admire, as well as the impact these women have had on their personal and professional journeys.

Today, we have Rishi Seth, an Independent Consultant who shared why his mother is his primary role model and first teacher. He shared about his mother, who he considers to be his primary role model and first teacher. Rishi shared the valuable lessons that his mother taught him, proving that a man's achievements are often intertwined with the invaluable influence of the women in his life.

Edited Excerpts:

Who do you consider your primary female role model and how has she played a significant role in your success?
The primary female role model for me has been my mother. She played a significant role in shaping my life as my first teacher in my life who gave a strong grounding on work ethics and value system. This, I believe, is the foundation for any educational qualification or skill that one might acquire. My mother remained my most valued counsel, whenever I needed advice on decisions which I had to make. Even today, even though she is not around, her value system and sound counsel are my biggest assets.

What specific lessons or qualities have you learned from the women you've worked with or encountered throughout your career?
Fortunately, the communications profession is represented very well with women. I have had the benefit of working with many women during my career. Some of the important lessons which I have absorbed from them include:

Ethics and Integrity: This has helped me when I have worked with them as a team member as well as a leader. Women are strong proponents of ethics and integrity and one learns to work with transparency and 'walk the talk' when one gets to work with them closely. 

Commitment and discipline: Women are very focused on tasks to be undertaken and diligent in completing them within agreed timelines. This trait helped me in imbibing these qualities as a colleague.

Empathy: Women definitely have a stronger emotional quotient and in many ways find better solutions to work-related issues as well as communication challenges given their strength. 

Team spirit: Women have a strong team spirit if they feel positively about a team that they work with. I have found them to be a lead force to build culture and a can do spirit in an organization. 

How do you ensure that women are given equal opportunities for career advancement, leadership roles, and recognition within your organization?
The communications industry has had and continues to have many female role model leaders and a healthy representation at all levels. The communications industry can easily be seen as a shining example for other sectors, where women have founded and run firms as well as professional leaders are leaders of agencies. On the corporate side, women are at very senior positions in top corporates in the communications function. 

I think this has been on the bedrock of the communications industry rewarding meritocracy, building a workplace which is both safe and inclusive and providing career progression irrespective of 'perceived continuity' advantage. Given the talent and skill of women, I don't think anything more is needed for them to shine.