I believe each one of us has a special gift, a skill set, a calling. My calling is helping others become effective communicators. I started my career as a journalist covering the IT boom in India and eventually branched into corporate communications. In the last 15 years, I have had the pleasure of working closely with some of the smartest minds in the tech, manufacturing, healthcare and non-profit worlds. I have had the privilege of coaching new CEOs who need to establish themselves within the first 100 days both internally as well as among external stakeholders. I have trained senior executives on how to deliver a memorable presentation or speech and transformed CEOs and senior leaders who could use a little polishing on the edges to become master communicators! nothing gives me that sense of purpose and satisfaction than helping leaders understand, appreciate and practice the indomitable effect their communications can have on people, companies and society at large.
After running and managing the corporate communications function at global brands where I have worked with leaders of all kinds: the geniuses, the visionaries, the deal-makers, the transformers AND at times the toxic tornadoes, I seem to have earned the reputation of being a “CEO-whisperer.” If I had to look back at my life and count my accomplishments, being the trusted communications advisor to leaders would be high up there so why not dedicate 100 percent of my time and focus on helping senior executives become master communicators? I strongly believe that a company’s culture is shaped and influenced by its leaders at the top and how they communicate will determine the culture and the overall success of the company. Jeff Weiner, CEO of Linked is highly regarded as one of the most compassionate CEOs in an otherwise cutthroat hi-tech industry. Do you think his style has positively influenced LinkedIn’s reputation as one of the best places to work? YES! Jeff Bezos constantly mentions the “Day-1,” concept at Amazon. Every day is Day-1 at Amazon. This is the driving force behind Amazon becoming the world’s most customer-obsessed company while also staying nimble and laser-focused on building disruptive products. So what can be more important than helping leaders who have the power to positively influence people, products and societies at large, to do so by leveraging the science and art of powerful communications. I want to spend the next phase of my professional life working with leaders who run purposeful businesses and could use a little help in how they position themselves, how they engage with their audiences and positively influence the hearts and minds of their key stakeholders.
When I ask myself, “what is it that makes me earn the trust and respect of even the toughest executives?” It’s clear, the answer is, because I am able to understand and appreciate the motivations of why they are who they are. Why do they think and behave the way they do, talk the way they do. This deeper understanding, respect for their journey to becoming a senior executive and more importantly a keen observation of where they could use help in becoming a good communicator is what makes me succeed at what I do best! Nothing makes me happier than watching that CEO who was camera-shy, perfectly nail a tough interview; the senior executive who would avoid speaking at their most important industry conference, deliver a killer talk and transforming a CEO who nobody had heard about into a highly-respected industry figure!
I have always taken the road less travelled in my life and it seems to have turned out to be a beautiful one. With the support of my husband, my family, friends, clients and peers in the industry supporting me to start my own consulting, I am taking the plunge to focus more on working with leaders who could use my help. I hope you will take a few minutes to get to know CEO Communications LLC and contact me if I can be of any help in making you a stellar communicator.