I’m Zia Mody, Founder and Managing Partner at AZB & partners, and this is how I Lead from Within
Zia Mody, founder and managing partner at AZB & Partners, is one of India’s most renowned and prominent corporate attorneys. An alumna of the University of Cambridge and Harvard Law School, and a member of the New York State Bar, Mody was ranked the Most Powerful Businesswoman in India by Fortune India 2018. Her clarity of thought, drawing from over 40 years of solid, stellar work shows through in her words below – she keeps them succinct, relevant and full of substance.
A Defining Moment
I was shipped off to England, overnight, to study law when I expressed my desire to get married at a young age. That was a defining moment for me because my life journey, thereon, was going to be radically different. I would be studying for at least 6-7 years – and I had to find a way to accept that. Gradually, it dawned on me that I had invested in a professional experience from which I couldn’t just walk away. It was then that I knew that if I had to be a lawyer, I had to be a successful one.
Navigating Work and Motherhood
I felt an abnormal level of guilt the first year after my first child was born. There was an unsettling tussle within me about going ahead or not, professionally. But since everybody – my family, extended family, and I – had invested in my career, giving up was not an option.
What really helped was the unending support from my family, especially my mother-in-law. She lived with me and looked after the kids – thoroughly enjoying her time with her grandchildren. I think women feel horribly and unequivocally guilty when they don’t have someone that they are comfortable with, to look after their kids. Thanks to my mother-in-law, I had peace of mind on that front. My only guilt was that I was not around as much as I needed to be even though my mother-in-law never blamed me for it. She understood when I needed to be in the court. I would say I navigated work and motherhood via a combination of hardening myself and not trying to be a trophy mother, accepting that I may not be able to give my best to my young girls, and being downright grateful for the person who could – my mother-in-law.
My Core Values
> Passion: It’s my passion for the work that I do that sustains me.
> Integrity: Not in a spineless, virtuous way but the kind of integrity that allows you to sleep at night. In my case, I exercise that by advising my clients with a clear conscience and without any agenda – with only their best interest at heart.
> Forthrightness: I don’t sugar coat beyond a point, I don’t let my advice get lost in translation, and I don’t indulge in doublespeak.
> Affection: I have a huge sense of affection and compassion for everyone who has been a part of my journey – including the 400+ lawyers that we have in the firm today, my husband, my children and my parents. I believe that ambition survives, and we want to keep going forward, when we know that the stakeholders of our ecosystem are proud of us.
Women for Women
As women leaders we have the opportunity and, therefore, the duty to ensure that we retain our women in the workplace, at all costs. We cannot let them leave without us having done our best to make them stay. If a woman in our firm is pregnant or planning to get pregnant, I have a meaningful conversation with her about what she can expect from the firm, what the firm will do for her, what the organisational expectations are, and what she absolutely doesn’t need to worry about. I have this conversation every single time; it helps erase doubts and worries on the woman’s part, at multiple levels.
When women see such examples actually play out – where women are coming back after their pregnancy, are being given the safety net that they need and are happy at work – you realise that nothing speaks louder than implementation of what you promised them.
Men for Women
Most women in the workplace have men as their mentors. That’s just the reality of the working world, since right now there are far more men in positions of power vs women. And, therefore, they have a greater responsibility towards mentoring young women leaders.
As a young working woman, you have to accept that your mentor might be a male. You need to start connecting with your male mentors and not be embarrassed about discussing your problems with them. Start the conversations, use intermediaries if necessary, but develop a rapport with your male mentors.
My Superpower
I understand exactly what my clients’ concerns are – what their end goal is – without pontificating or lecturing or giving pedantic advice. I have the capacity to get into details, and then to sit back and strategise. I also believe I can work harder than the rest of my peers.
Advice for Young Women Leaders
Be realistic in your expectation setting. You are not going to be a super woman every day, all the time. You must understand that there is no real work-life balance for a working woman – there will be trade-offs, you will have to compromise and you will have to learn to live with those compromises. There is constant juggling and multitasking.
The important thing is to be there for the important things and not sweat the small stuff. Use every member of your ecosystem, ruthlessly, to delegate what you don’t need to or have to do. When things get horribly bad, take a deep breath and know that this phase will pass. And, finally, find a healthy way to deal with the guilt because for us women, guilt never fully goes away.
