Pooja Chhabra
Senior Director - Business Solutions, Work Dynamics, North and East India
Who is a female inspiration/role model to you, and why?
My inspiration is a dynamic woman leader with whom I worked in one of my previous organisations. I always admired her confidence, creativity, and ability to challenge the status quo. She had this remarkable ability to balance risk-taking with objective calmness because of her strong relationship and people management skills.
Her aptitude for spotting opportunities of growth all around her and dedication to develop her team, combined with quick decision making and clarity of thought, stand out for me. She embodies the leadership philosophy of Indra Nooyi, former Chairperson and CEO of PepsiCo, of leading with the head, heart and hands.
Why does inclusion matter to you?
Feeling connected, valued and respected has been proven to have a direct impact on organisational culture and growth. Nowadays, it’s crucial for workplaces to embrace inclusivity as it increases engagement, establishes company confidence, and attracts talent.
Professionally, I have grown the most when interacting with people who have different opinions from my own. Inclusion for me is to feel empowered, embrace challenges and leverage the unique competencies and perspectives of my colleagues. Ultimately, it’s all about being human, different but equal.
How are you inspiring women to achieve their ambitions at JLL?
Personally, my motto is to be a ‘lifelong learner’; hence my advice to women is to leverage the tools available within JLL for their professional and personal growth.
As leaders, we are responsible to inspire and sponsor other women to become the best version of themselves. I often see that women hold themselves back or aren’t good at advocating their work, and therefore, I constantly like to challenge these assumptions.
The other thing that I practice often is to share the ups and downs of my personal journey of being a working parent, which is demanding yet fulfilling. My endeavour is that women should feel confident that it is possible to do both! When women support each other, incredible things happen.
