Cooking meals, attending PTA (Parent's Teacher Association) meetings, shopping for groceries, doing household chores along with mutual fund profession. How do these wonder women manage to do it all?
Cafemutual spoke to women MF officials and MFDs/RIAs to know what keeps them going.
Here are some simple yet amazing tips from the insightful conversations:
Lakshmi Iyer, Chief Investment Officer (Debt) & Head Products, Kotak Mahindra MF said, “Meticulous planning makes things doable.” The current work setup may require working beyond normal working hours. This is where planning, prioritising and implementation become helpful.
Dilshad Billimoria of Bangalore-based Dilzer Consultants also emphasised the importance of prioritisation. “There are priorities that we need to set for ourselves like work, family, spiritual growth and mental health. If we can plan and prioritize each of these around their daily schedules then we can achieve work-life balance efficiently.”
Seconding this, Mumbai MFD Sujata Kabraji said, “Clear communicable boundaries is the key. At the time of onboarding clients, we have to be very clear about our work timings and working style. This sets the boundaries right and makes business operations seamless. However, we should remain sensitive to their needs during unprecedented events and emergencies.”
"It is important to set goals and plan around them in a consistent and disciplined manner. Once you set the processes and follow it religiously, the transition between work and personal life becomes smoother," said Reshma Banda, Head-Equity & Executive Vice President, Investments, Bajaj Allianz Life.
The personal and professional tug-of-war
Satara MFD Alka Chitnis of The Investment Corner said, “Professional contentment largely depends on how satisfied are we in our personal life.” Alka has all her meals with family, which are mindfully planned accommodating the market hours. Further, a ‘no-phone’ policy allows the family to enjoy quality lunches/dinners together.
Also, when it comes to client meetings, Alka prefers telephonic conversations to save travel time and enjoy some additional time with family. Besides, ‘no-cooking Saturdays’ takes the family on exploratory and enjoyable food trips.
Meenakshi Dawar, Equity Fund Manager, Nippon India MF believes that today spouses play an equal role. “My husband and I work as a team where we discuss our work schedules and discharge our personal responsibilities collectively.”
Highlighting another perspective here, Amravati MFD Meenakshi Sikchi of Rainbow Financial Services said, “Hiring skilled people makes a lot of difference.” Meenakshi has hired a team not only for her business but also for her home activities. “While my home manager coordinates with my house staff for domestic chores, my team leaders look into the functionality of allotted business vertical. This allows me quality time for me and my family,” she added.
Nirali Bhansali, Equity Fund Manager, SAMCO MF added that the most important thing for any woman is to make her own pathway. Creating ‘me-time’ calms the mind to look at things holistically.
“We need to remember that as strong independent women, we have many avatars, be it Durga with 8 to 18 hands to multitask or a mellow Parvati,” said Nirali.
