Sailaja Manacha is a trained psychologist, psychotherapist, and executive coach who is changing the lives of women with her unconventional outlook towards leadership.
As a lot of women are establishing their own start-ups and businesses, it becomes important for them to adopt effective leadership qualities in order to succeed in their ventures. By combining psychology with generative leadership principles, Sailaja helps individuals to enhance their identity and lead in their respective ventures.
She says, “Women shouldn’t be treated like a ‘cause’. I approach women’s leadership with a spirit of inspiration and ambition as I want to see them shine by making it big in the world. Since feminine principles are vital in almost every system, be it social, corporate or even political, it is necessary that women showcase their potency and gifts to the maximum level.”
With this notion, she started a course and penned down a book by the same name called ‘Step Up’. If you are someone who doesn’t know how to make financial plans or feels anxious at work or is clueless about her career, then Step Up is definitely for you. It uses tools that are practically applicable and are easy enough to be used by the average working woman.
Sailaja believes that every woman needs to create a space for herself and that comes from understanding and being aware of who she truly is. With this course, she fuses psychology with leadership, which is rare and allows women to understand their inner landscape better which in turn ignites and directs their professional journey in a smooth manner. Be it offering a full- fledged course online or sharing her knowledge through a book, she has tried her best to empower women with her uncommon and interesting approach.
In 2018, she set up India’s first online women leadership programme where hundreds of women came forward and actively participated in it. She recalls, “When I began leading women-oriented programs within organisations, I would only get to meet around 15-20 women in a year. However, I didn’t give up and took the decision of starting an online course wherein I could interact with them on an individual basis and not through any organisation. My book is also a result of this perception. The ease of access, encouraging women to make decisions and invest and igniting an ‘I can and I will’ spirit among them has been the most satisfying thing ever.” With her commitment towards women and developing their leadership skills at all levels so that they function with authority and become the core designers of their life and work, Sailaja as a psychologist knows the value of having peace of mind and this can only be achieved if we all start trusting our calibre- and this is what keeps her driving.