Manisha JV

Who is a female inspiration/role model to you and why?

My first role models are the women in my family - my mother, aunt and grandmother. While each of them has their unique perspectives and faced different life challenges, their central theme remained the same - ‘family is everything, and all other aspects should revolve around it’ – ‘finding your purpose and staying true to that every day’. Through them, I have seen femininity in action. Some of those that I remember the most are: you don’t have to be pushy to be perseverant; you don’t have to be aggressive to be assertive; calm and quiet is not being meek as it’s just controlled and channelised energy; always be gentle and gracious - you can never go wrong with these; and above all, have grit and gumption to go after what you want. As long as you keep aspiring for it, you will discover the path leading to it. Priceless wisdom!

Professionally, there are many women from whom I draw inspiration every day - my clients, colleagues and industry veterans.

Why does inclusion matter to you?

Terminology aside, inclusion is the basic human courtesy and respect we offer to each other as humans. It is the acceptance of differences and not mere tolerance towards them. Without this, we can never see the beauty of the whole picture from all angles.

How are you inspiring women to achieve their ambitions at JLL?

Firstly, you should want to succeed. It doesn’t necessarily mean achieving big things. Even a small job, done well and right, is a success. These small wins lead to big victories, and most importantly, a sense of achievement. Self-acknowledgement of small wins is very important since it is a positive self-reinforcement. And because ‘big’ is celebrated and ‘small’ tends to get lost in the dark, in that sense, not every day may be big, but every day can be successful.

Secondly, seeing others succeed and doing well is both motivating and inspirational. We too can do it if we try - that’s the mantra.

Last and most critical is the platform that JLL offers for you to perform well. It may not be perfect, but broadly it accommodates everyone and is continuously maturing and evolving with its people's needs.

So, when you want to succeed, look up to the people who have achieved, have access to the platform, which is actively encouraging, and acknowledge your daily wins, there will be no stopping. I consciously coach, mentor and reiterate this in my conversations. Because actively encouraging some and not extending the platform to all will not lead us far.