Smita Shetty is a strategic global business leader, a change driver and a customer-centric marketer. She is an alumnus of ISB and IIM-B, and works in the specialty ingredients business. She has won many awards and accolades for her collaborative work and for being a change driver and influencer. She is an eloquent speaker who has been a mentor to many young men and women early on in their careers. She has recently come out with the book #Bosslady: Leap, Rise & Shine, and this book aims to empower women to dream big.

I chat with Smita about her book #Bosslady, what inspired her to write this book, book recommendations, and much more.

Hello, Smita! Tell us a bit about yourself!

I am sharp, mindful, imaginative, thoughtful, and an ambivert. That’s an apt window to my personality.

If you could only describe your book #Bosslady: Leap, Rise & Shine in five words, what would they be?

It is a book which is – ‘Loved, Relatable, Inspirational, Candid & Earnest’.

Now tell us a little more about the book! What can readers expect?

#Bosslady is full of my experiences and how I have led my career and growth through my learnings. It’s a straight from the heart book, and shares my experiences which I think would help empower other women to dream big. The sole motto of this book is to inspire women to aspire for more, to take that next big leap. The book is also for men who go an extra mile to keep supporting women in their aspirations. Every woman has a special spark in her which needs to be ignited and the author keeps this cause very close to her heart. This book is your friend, guide, and referral when you need one in life’s crossroads. This short read will keep you motivated when the world tells you to give up. I just want every woman to achieve more than I have and that’s why I share my learnings so that others could succeed faster, quicker and higher.

What inspired you to write this book?

In the past few years, I have come across many women who are scared to picture themselves as successful. Either someone has told them that they cannot fly high or they have been conditioned to not have big dreams. I want all women to dream big, have desire for success and be determined to achieve it. So, I was inspired to write this book.

The book brims with your experiences and learnings from both your professional and personal life, and it aims to empower women to dream big. Can you share one or two such learnings with our readers?

I learnt it the hard way that it’s okay to have people around you who will laugh at you when you fall but it is more important to cherish people who don’t. Not everyone will appreciate your presence in their life but stay where you are appreciated. Find your Calm in Chaos and Clutter.

What is the message that you want readers to take away from this book?

Do not let anyone tell you that you can’t do something. Let your flight be decided by you, and only you. Dare to dream big and be determined to work hard for it.

How have you been coping with the current pandemic and what will be the new normal for you post it?

I think we are already in the ‘New Normal’. As I have already said that I am an ambivert, and this pandemic has made me realize the people I should move away from and the ones whom I should spend more time with. So that is my new normal which is going to stay.

Lastly, are you currently reading anything and do you have any book recommendations for our readers?

I am currently reading 30 Women in Power: Their Voices, Their Stories by Naina Lal Kidwai. It is a good coverage on powerful women of India.

I would love to recommend The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni. It’s an interesting read of Mahabharata from Draupadi’s eyes.

The book ‘#Bosslady: Leap, Rise & Shine’ is available online and at your nearest bookstore.