#UnlearnToRise - Harshita Rani

This World Inclusion Day, we bring you #UnlearnToRise, a series continuing our conversations around unconscious bias. Through real stories from across Mahindra, we explore the assumptions we make about people and the beliefs we need to unlearn.

Today, I am proud to be the first woman Sales Planner in Mahindra Auto, and the only woman in my team.

Sales Planning is demanding, with late nights, intense month-end pressures, constant coordination and quick decisions. There is often a perception that such an environment is better suited to men, or that succeeding in it requires a naturally loud and assertive personality.

I had my own learning curve. I learnt to speak up with confidence, ask questions without hesitation, stay composed under pressure and keep learning from the people around me. Along the way, I realised that confidence doesn’t always have to be loud, and capability has nothing to do with gender.

Being the only woman in the room doesn’t mean I’m in the wrong room. Being the first gives me the opportunity to help ensure I’m not the last.

From a small town to building an independent life in Mumbai, my journey has taught me that you don’t have to fit a stereotype to rise. You can challenge it, learn along the way and own what makes you different.

This is how I #UnlearnToRise.