Being a Lean In member and holding gender diversity very close to heart, this project came in as gift. We applied the principles and values of Lean In to design this project and of course the Lean In community helped to implement this project.
First thing first, we had to select the High-performing women from more than 400+ women to be a part of the first cohort. We started working with the leaders, HRs and also managers to find the first 15 women employees who will be a part of the cohort. We designed the evaluation criterias, chalked out the program modules, content and started to implement it over a period of 3 months. We didn't do any classroom sessions but took the approach of Lean In circles, life experience sharing and coaching which made the program more personalized and fruitful for the participants as well the company. In such programs there is no immediate quantifiable ROI but it impacted multiple working women who were at various stages of their life, career and facing different challenges.
Our Lean In program made them realize, they are not alone in the journey and there is always a way to manage their problems. And we learn it through experiences.
The program helped 30+ women in 2 cohorts to elevate their life both professionally and personally. Some took their next big role in the company, some became more productive as they were able to manage their personal life differently, some started making their presence feel on the team and some just decided not to quit work but continue to work towards their dreams.