{"id":22840,"date":"2022-03-08T09:00:36","date_gmt":"2022-03-08T09:00:36","guid":{"rendered":"\/gb\/en\/blog\/?p=22840"},"modified":"2022-03-10T14:38:00","modified_gmt":"2022-03-10T14:38:00","slug":"interview-with-ashima-bhatt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"\/gb\/en\/blog\/interview-with-ashima-bhatt\/","title":{"rendered":"Women’s History Month: Interview with Ashima Bhatt"},"content":{"rendered":"

Supporting Women’s History Month<\/a> is something a lot of us hold dear at RingCentral. We’re opening up conversations around diversity, equality and inclusion<\/a> to make change happen. To help #BreakTheBias this year, we’re raising awareness of some incredible causes like The Global Fund for Women and The Girls Network. We are also inviting inspiring women to talk about topics that need more attention.<\/p>\n

The first of our interview series features Ashima Bhatt, Senior Product Marketing<\/a> Lead at RingCentral.<\/p>\n

Can you describe what has been driving you in your career?<\/span><\/h2>\n

This may sound cheesy, but I am addicted to personal growth. It is the driving force in my life. It’s why I moved from the east coast to the west coast to Europe for the second time now and what inspires my love of mountain sports. It’s what drives me every day. I feel blessed to work in a role that I have a genuine interest in; you don’t have to motivate me to want to learn more about B2B SaaS<\/a> product marketing. I geek out about it all day and night and feel lucky to be aligned with my work this way.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The key to any success is getting comfortable with consistently putting yourself out there and accepting failure as part of the journey. <\/a><\/span>Click To Tweet<\/a><\/span><\/blockquote>\n

What advice would you pass on to other women to help them push past stereotypes and reach their full potential?<\/span><\/h2>\n

I think the key to any success is getting comfortable with consistently putting yourself out there and accepting failure as part of the journey. I’ve noticed this seems an accepted truth to men more than women – to pitch your abilities in the most confident light and negotiate with conviction, not hesitation. To say you deserve the next step versus asking permission to be considered for it. Many men don’t seem to focus on weaknesses or shrug them off. This is not a criticism but admiration of their ability to keep faith in themselves and focus on the long game.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

With women (myself included), I think we internalise failure a lot and dwell on our weaknesses, using them as a sign that we are not good enough or deserving. If we have nine amazing accomplishments and make one mistake, the mistake can paralyse us. I’ve experienced it first hand myself, feeling crippled for too long, punishing myself for mistakes made in the past. Feeling undeserving and that I have lost my seat at the table. Is any mistake <\/span>so unforgivable<\/span><\/em> that we don’t deserve another shot? Of course not. It certainly has never been for a man. But as women, we give weaknesses and mistakes an unequal weight in our minds. I\u2019d like us to be inspired by our male counterparts’ \u2018don\u2019t dwell\u2019 mentality in this scenario.<\/span><\/p>\n

I like to frame every failure of mine as ‘<\/span>that was an incredible learning opportunity for me, I wouldn’t be who I am today without it, I am better for it, and have learned a lot from it.’\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

How can men become better allies?<\/span><\/h2>\n

If you are a male leader, you could start by asking yourself the following:<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  • Who are the star employees you will mentor, sponsor and help grow their careers? Do they all look and feel and have the same pedigree as you? Consider adding someone different to that mix.<\/span><\/li>\n
  • When you give opportunities on projects, speaking slots at customer-facing events, CXO exposure, consider having\u00a0<\/span>equal representation of men and women<\/span><\/strong>. Measure yourself on this, track it. Even if you are convinced there are not enough senior women, challenge your bias and allow them to learn and possibly prove you wrong. You won’t get fired for saying,\u00a0<\/span>“I’m giving more opportunities for emerging women on my team, even the more junior ones.”<\/span><\/em>\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
  • Measure talent on actual output, ability to lead and influence junior employees, ability to strategise vs tenure at the company, titles, years of experience. Give opportunities for new people to experience leadership situations and grow vs always giving it to the legacy folks. You will probably end up with a stronger team as a result too.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n