I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the water to create many ripples.
— Mother Teresa

On the weekend of July 15th – 17th, Jaipuria Institute of Management organized a three-day Management Development Programme (MDP) on ‘Stree-Shakti: Empowering Women for Leadership’. Hosted at resort De Coracao, Goa, the MDP saw active participation from 22 senior women officials from various organizations, including Airports Authority of India, Power Finance Corporation, PNB, Central Coalfield, Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders, Mahanadi Coalfield, Goa Shipyard, Power Grid Corporation, Nalco, and IFFCO. The resource faculty for the programme included Ms. Meenakshi Davar (ED-Power Grid), Ms. Manjushree Roy (Administrator & Chief Operating Officer- Sports Authority of India), Ms. Albertina Almeida (a very reputed National Level Advocate) and Ms. Rashmi (a well-known Image Consultant). The programme was inaugurated by Ms. Manjushree Roy and the programme profile was introduced by Mr. YPS Kanwar (VP-MDP&C, Jaipuria). The Programme Coordinator was Mr. Kumar Sri Uttam (Manager- MDP&C, Jaipuria).

Day 1

The first session of the MDP was conducted by Ms. Manjushree Roy who focused on role of women in the changing corporate scenario. According to her, “a woman is the center of the family. She has within her the power to create, nurture and transform herself to lead in the world. It is time now for us to make a difference and affect a mindset change in the male-centric scheme of things and bring about a true socio-economic empowerment of women across regions, religions and classes. We not only can, but we must do this.” Her session included many illustrations from real-life along with practical applications that can be used in the corporate world.

The second session, also conducted by Ms. Manjushree, was on ‘Developing Emotional, Rational and Culturally Inclusive Competencies’. She said “if you love rational thought and are attached to ideas and perceptions, then you tend to despise emotions”. Her session addressed aspects like Ego vs Self-respect, Assertiveness, Interconnectedness and Gender Sensitivity. According to her, “ego is believing yourself to be much better than you actually are and self-respect is knowing exactly how good you are.”

The third session was conducted by Ms. Rashmi on ‘The Power of Personal Appearance’. In this session, she focused on the impact of image we create on others. She emphasised that “personal appearance is an often disregarded part of communication and presentation skills. When we are speaking in public or dealing with a client, we are representing our company and ourselves”. This session included tips on personal grooming, hygiene, and proper attire – all can help create a positive image of an individual.

Day 2

Ms. Meenakshi Davar’s first session was on ‘Maintaining a Work-life Balance and Creating a Culture of Excellence. In this session, she discussed how an individual can balance his or her personal and professional lives in order to achieve excellence. She discussed the various challenges faced by working women and the ways to be an assertive and valuable employee.

The second session was on ‘Moving Forward: The Modern Woman’. According to Ms. Davar, a modern woman is expected to multi-task all the time, given the many priorities in her life, and that support and equality are vital in such a scenario.

The third session was on ‘Building Leadership Competencies and Harnessing their Potential’. Ms. Davar explained that “globalization is rapidly redefining today’s business environment. Significant strategic shifts are transforming the playing field, vast opportunities for growth are emerging at the same time and successful business leaders must shape their organizations to be more nimble and flexible, less hierarchical, and more networked.”

Day 3

The first session was conducted by Ms. Albertina Almeida on ‘Sexual Harassment at the Workplace and Supreme Court Guidelines for the Same’. She explained various laws relating to workplace harassment. In addition, her session on the ‘Domestic Violence Act’ included a discussion on some famous cases.

The second session was on ‘Legislative and Judicial Initiatives towards Women Empowerment’ where she discussed various legal and judicial initiatives for the protection of women.

The workshop concluded with a closing ceremony wherein all participants were awarded their Certificates of Participation by Mr. YPS Kanwar, who also gave the vote of thanks.
Besides being extremely successful, the programme was extremely relevant considering the sensitivity and importance of the topic of women’s participation in the corporate world. 

Photo Gallery