2022 Insights from Tapaswee Chandele

The next PINK Power Alliance happens Thursday, January 13, 2022 at 12:00 p.m. Eastern time. Here, our team of experts and top executives tackle the most pressing women at work issues. Here, you’ll meet your allies, expand your network, work with great coaches and gain valuable takeaways… things you can do now to advance your career today.

Recently, PINK had a brief interview with one of the featured speakers, Tapaswee Chandele, The Coca-Cola Company Global VP, Head of Talent & Development, and here are her insights from that conversation:

1. What are three, very specific things women can do now to improve their chance of success?

a. Invest in your own development.
Look around you and see what skills and capabilities are required more than others and what will make you more competitive than the next candidate and invest in yourself. Go back to school, get a certification and get the experience from a project.

b. Invest in your health and wellbeing.
If you feel good about yourself, others will see it too, and you will send strong positive energy out to the world. Don’t postpone that health checkup, build exercise into your routine, stretch and breathe when you wake up, set aside time for a digital detox, and spend time with people that really matter.

c. Prioritize what matters, and get rid of the guilt.
Women can win Oscar awards for feeling inadequate and thinking that they are not doing enough. If we try to be something for everyone, we will be nothing for anyone… and most importantly, shortchange ourselves in the process. Accept that you are not going to be able to get everything done, be there for everyone, and do everything well. Progress is more important than perfection, and we have to learn to be kind to ourselves first if we expect others to be kind to us.

2. What were the biggest obstacles for you?

I was lucky that my parents prioritized my education and career and encouraged me to spread my wings. For women like me, parents can be a huge obstacle to growth and success; and that was not in my case, and I want to call that out. 

I had a really tough start in my career when I had to work in a sales organization where I was literally the only woman in the entire workplace. I had no female role models and no supporting infrastructure at work. So, I had to create the path for myself, and also accept many things for the way they were.

The second thing is what you must all be familiar with which is “prove it again.” Some people just have to prove themselves more than others, and usually it is women or other underrepresented groups. I remember when my manager wanted to promote me (very early in my career). He was not able to as another man in another team who had the same years of experience as me was not ready to be promoted yet. His manager said he would have a lot of trouble if I was promoted and he was not able to do the same for the person on his team. Believe it or not, this happens. I feel that I have had to take more risks and take on more challenging assignments and projects earlier in my career just to prove I was ready/ worthy.

3. What helped you break through?

I have always had an attitude of solving a problem myself if the solution did not exist. My main breakthrough came from that. I just did not accept no for an answer and built the solution if it did not exist. And that got me noticed in the organization. Interestingly, more men have been my sponsors and mentors than women for the first decade of my career. They are the ones that coached and guided me and helped me break through the traditional barriers that I would not have been able to tackle on my own.

Don’t miss out! Register now tolearn more from Tapaswee Chandele and our other speakers during the PINK POWER ALLIANCE ON 1/13/22 here.