I’m Satyavathi Divadari, CyberRes Cloud CTO at Micro Focus, and this is how I lead from within.
Deciding to join the field of information security nearly two decades ago, when the role didn’t have a career profile let alone a career path, is proof of Satyavathi Divadari’s mettle. She possesses the spirit, tenacity and resilience of a trailblazer. Currently the CyberRes Cloud CTO at Micro Focus, Satya loves to learn and be challenged. Most aptly in the profession of cybersecurity, Satya shares with us her journey of becoming the multi award-winning tech leader that she is today, values that have held her in good stead over the years, and advice for young women in the corporate world.
Defining moments
My father was a tailor and my mother, a homemaker. My father would often say, “we should work (hard) like farmers and eat like kings”, and so, they raised me like a princess. I got to eat all kinds of food and wear a variety of beautiful clothes. At the age of 12 I lost my father to a heart attack. A few days later I realised that we might’ve been eating like kings but we had saved practically nothing for the future. As long as the proverbial wheel (of the sewing machine) ran, we had money to feed us but when that stopped, we had nothing. Suddenly, life was upside down; I became the girl who lacked money to get food three times a day.
At that point, my mother decided to take charge. A strong-minded woman and one of the best women leaders in my view, she transformed herself from being a full-time homemaker to working in a factory. Before then, she had never stepped out of the kitchen.
My mother’s grit and decision were a blessing. I also had wonderful teachers who encouraged me to run tuitions at home so I may contribute, however little, to the finances of the house. I started teaching tuitions at the age of 12, which technically was my very first job.
What everything boils down to
Starting to work at a younger age was, in hindsight, a defining moment for me. After beginning to offer tuition I took up several part-time jobs like managing school accounts and fixing electronics until I finished my diploma in electronics, and got my first proper job in a public sector company. Once I got that role, our situation improved and slowly, all was well.
For a long time now, every time I’m in a bad situation, I ask myself three questions to put things into perspective – do I have enough money to buy three meals a day, do I have a roof over my head, and do I have family and friends who will love and support me if something goes wrong? If the answer to all three is yes, I relax. I know I can handle the new day and all that it will bring with it.
What drives me
Honestly, it’s difficult for most people to figure out what motivates them. For me, it happened quite intentionally.
After my initial four years in VSNL (now Tata Communications Ltd), the job got monotonous and I felt like I was not utilising my best skills and abilities. Back then, VSNL had a self-assessment tool which helped them identify the potential of their employees, the skill gap, what an employee’s strongest qualities are, and where they could be best utilised. After taking the assessment I realised that:
- I am a critical thinker
- I love to learn new things every day
- I love to be challenged
- I like to build things and bring transformation and improvements
Why cybersecurity
Once I discovered my key motivators , I knew I was not in the place I was supposed to be. I researched extensively on which line of work would best suit me and in 2004, decided to pick a career in information security. Today, everyone knows what cybersecurity is, there is a career profile and there is a career track. At the time I took it up, there was nothing of this sort. Almost two decades ago, information security was merely part of the quality management process and was not considered as a core career choice.
In my mind, information security professionals will be continuously challenged with intelligent hackers everywhere and threats that never stop. Both will exist forever and evolve with time and technology . I was sure that such a field would keep my curious mind engaged. It might also help me transform the IT world into a safe and secure environment. As it crossed all the motivators, I chose this career path. I prepared myself with relevant certification (CISSP) and took an extended job role to gain experience. Since then I have handled several roles in cyber security and I am pretty sure there is a lot of ground still to cover.
My core values
Family – My core lies in my family, their support, their love and their happiness. As parents, especially as working mothers we will never feel like we’ve done enough for our family and children. But truth be told, all they really need is our time and attention. Sit with them and listen to them – not while simultaneously being on the phone or doing your own thing. Spend quality time with them.
As a mother of two, I also want to share about the guilt women often face. At one point in my life, I’ve had to travel a lot for work. Initially I’d be unable to focus on the work and only be thinking about how I could finish work in time to get on the next flight home. After going through this several times, struggling and draining myself, I realised this had to stop. I had to find a way to not feel the constant guilt.
So, the next time I travelled, which was to Australia for two weeks (and my first international travel from IBM), I did things a little differently. I imagined what my family would do and enjoy if they were there. I went to Ocean Park instead of a museum. I took pictures and videos of penguins, dolphins and other sea animals, and also bought my sons a good amount of gifts. These activities were a great way to connect with my sons. I have stories to tell when I call them in the evening and something to show them once I return home. I gave them a new dream to visit the place themselves one day instead of suffering from my own guilt.
Continuous Learning –I continue to study and add at least one credential to my profile every year. I recently completed my MTech and joined my Ph.D. Some might say there is no end to this madness, and who knows, maybe I’ll continue to study along with my granddaughters and grandsons in the future!
Sharing Knowledge – My father used to say no matter what you earn in life, the only thing no one can take away from you is your knowledge. I did not get a lot of guidance during my childhood and youth on how to survive, which career path to choose, how to tread it – I had to figure it all out myself. I’ve now reached a point in my life and career where I can guide and mentor others, and I happily do so whenever someone reaches out to me.
On managing expectations
Clear communication is the only way to manage stress and expectations. I’ll take the same example as above of travelling for work. If you’re going away for work, you will absolutely have to concentrate on work when you’re there. Make a list of expectations from family. They want to know how you are doing so set a time to call them once every day, check in on them, update them on your wellbeing. Set and follow a regular regime for this. Convey to your family what time of the day you will be available, which is when they can call you. Communicate to them that they cannot call you during other times, as the time zones might be different and you may be sleeping or in an important meeting.
Similarly, convey to your leadership that you have family and kids back home who need to hear from you once a day so you will block a certain time to speak to them daily. It can get complicated when we travel for work because time is so tight – you’ll either be in a meeting or a lunch/dinner with a client – and you might not have any time left for yourself. Communicating your boundary early on will help your manager help you.
The example I gave above was about my travels, but the same applies to working from home nowadays. Creating a clear schedule of personal and official work will certainly help.
Most of the time, I’ve noticed, women don’t convey their plan of managing expectations and simply worry. They burden and drain themselves worrying. Clear communication will support you immensely as you go up the ladder – adopt it as early as you can.
Mindsets that hold women back
Thinking that the new role/promotion will add additional hours to their work day – Irrespective of the role, everyone has to manage time as everyone gets the same 24 hours in a day. If you have caliber and capability, consider the new role for its additional responsibilities. If you like the role and responsibilities, time can be very well planned and managed. Be aware that by not applying for the job, you are not going to get additional hours.
Underestimating their skills – You must know the Hewlett Packard internal report that states that men apply for a job when they meet 60% of the qualifications, but women apply only if they meet 100% of them. I’m not saying that you should be overconfident or you should be selling yourself too high but don’t undersell either. Speak about your strengths first, what value adds you’re going to bring, how and what are you going to improve, times when you delivered as a leader – talk about these instead of areas that you lack. If you have the capabilities, apply for the role! Attempt it! We must get out of self-questioning and self-doubting patterns so we can truly achieve gender parity.
Being compliant – This is in our blood as most women have been trained to be compliant of many things that include: how to sit, what to talk, what to wear, and so on. Instead of complaining about it, I suggest using it as an advantage. Given women are excellent in complying, we are naturally good at finance management, security and compliance.
Advice for young women
Convey your point – No one knows what is going on in your mind. It can be the best idea, a different perspective, and effective strategy but until you convey it, it doesn’t amount to much. Express yourself clearly.
Work on visibility – Women often get frustrated with the absence of recognition of their hard work. They wonder why they are not being appreciated and appraised when in reality, they keep their head down and work diligently in their corner. If you do not talk about your work, how will others, especially your seniors know what you’re doing, what you’ve achieved and how your work has impacted the organisation? Whether you’re a man or woman, visibility is extremely important. Make sure you are sharing your achievements and ideas with your manager and other appropriate stakeholders.
Persevere and keep patience – If you’re in the minority in meetings and board rooms, there is a chance that your voice may not be heard or your opinion not considered. At such times, persevere. You need to continuously poke, continuously come up with ideas and hang in there for a long time.
Conclusion
Choose a career that energises you, not drains you – A start point for this is to make the career choices yourself. Pick the line of study and field of work that interests you; everything else will work out. If you pick something that others want you to, you might burn out from both ends – managing a job that you don’t like, as well as family. Choosing a profession that energises you is key. The decision will not only help you but also the people around you. Be yourself!
