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Manager training is not the problem. Am sure you have that covered. But have you measured Manager capability? And the impact on your organisation? Do you still observe these-

• Managers still avoid difficult conversations
• Feedback is diluted or delayed
• Performance issues are tolerated
• Teams feel disengaged, unseen, and unsafe
• Managers turn to HR whenever there is a tough conversation with a team member

We cannot fix the above gaps with e-modules and one time sessions.

Managerial capability is built through:

• Clarity of role and expectations- Shift to driving excellence through people
• Ownership, accountability and responsibility- and no, they are not different words for the same thing
• Ongoing and contextualised learning journey with transferable shills
• Empowerment and Courage to take decisions
• Business understanding with people empathy

Today, the manager role is the single biggest multiplier—or destroyer—of culture, performance, and retention.

And yet, we continue to treat it as a “training need,” not a business-critical capability.

If your managers are struggling, ask yourself:

Have we clearly defined what good management looks like? Are we measuring it?  Are we rewarding it—or tolerating mediocrity?

Because no amount of training can compensate for lack of intent, accountability, and ownership.

Link – https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/manager-capability-gap-nobody-measuring-sonica-aron-she-her-hers–zt0gc/?trackingId=nHoJeUmY9Mu6k2TARvhL7A%3D%3D

Every consultant knows the ritual.

You finish a leadership program, a DEI intervention, a strategy workshop, or a culture transformation assignment.

Soon after, a polite email goes out:

“Please share the participant feedback scores.”

Then comes the familiar evaluation grid:

• Was the facilitator engaging?  • Was the content relevant?  • Was the session interactive?  • Would you recommend this consultant to others?

Consultants across the world have accepted this feedback ritual with grace.

But every once in a while, a mischievous thought crosses the mind:

What if consultants also collected feedback on clients?

Imagine receiving a post-project survey that said:

“Dear Consultant, before we close the assignment, please rate your experience working with this client organization.”

The questions might look something like this.

1. Payment Timeliness

How efficiently did the client process payment?

• ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Payment arrived before the reminder email was even drafted. (Mythical creature.)

• ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Paid within the contracted 30 days.

• ⭐⭐⭐ Required two polite reminders and a gentle nudge to accounts.

• ⭐⭐ Payment released after three months and twelve follow-ups.

• ⭐ “Invoice approved but stuck in the system since last quarter.”

Most consultants will tell you this truth:

Delivering a three-day leadership transformation program is often easier than navigating a three-month payment cycle.

2. Procurement Negotiation Style

How did the procurement team approach commercial discussions?

• Strategic partner mindset – Focused on outcomes and value.

• Tough but fair – Healthy negotiation, mutual respect.

• Vegetable market mode – “If you can do it for 5 lakh, why not 3?”

• Forensic audit mode – Every cost line examined like a crime investigation.

Consultants understand budgets.

What they occasionally struggle with is explaining intellectual capital as if it were a bulk commodity.

“Can you reduce the price if we remove the thinking part?”

3. Proposal Ghosting Index

How responsive was the client after requesting a detailed proposal?

• Highly engaged – Thoughtful conversations, clear decisions.

• Polite delay – Occasional updates while internal alignment happens.

• Meditative silence – Weeks of calm, reflective non-communication.

• Complete disappearance – Last seen requesting a 15-page customized proposal with case studies.

And then one day, while scrolling LinkedIn, you see it:

The exact framework you proposed… now running internally at the client organization.

Pure coincidence, of course.

Consultants are generous people.

4. Respect for Expertise

How was the consultant positioned in the engagement?

• Trusted advisor – Invited into real conversations.

• Professional partner – Clear scope, mutual respect.

• Slide beautification expert – “Can you just make this look nicer?”

• Emergency firefighter – Called after six months of internal confusion.

Here’s the irony.

Organizations say they want strategic partners.

But sometimes treat them like first aid providers.

5. Post-Project Memory Retention

What happened after the work was done?

• Outcomes acknowledged.

• Impact celebrated.

• Testimonials shared.

Or…

The consultant mysteriously disappears from organizational memory until the next crisis arrives.

Now, of course, this feedback form will never actually exist.

Consulting runs on relationships.  Diplomacy is part of the profession.

But the thought experiment raises an important question.

If organizations want true partnerships, shouldn’t accountability go both ways?

Timely payment isn’t generosity.  It’s honoring a contract.

Respectful negotiation isn’t courtesy.  It’s good business.

And intellectual work deserves the same ethical treatment as any other professional service.

To be fair, many clients are fantastic partners who value expertise and build long-term relationships.

But perhaps the consulting ecosystem needs a small cultural shift, where partnership is not just a word used in kick off meetings…but something that shows up in behavior.

Until then, consultants will continue doing what they do best:

Delivering powerful programs…and gently checking whether Accounts Payable has returned from their extended spiritual retreat.

Link – https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/when-consultants-start-rating-clients-thought-aron-she-her-hers–ha1vc/?trackingId=f2BkwPDhjd7WGJR%2F%2B3%2FoBw%3D%3D

The last few days we have had multiple conversations on ‘Celebrating’ Pride month. Panel discussions and fireside chats are scheduled, Calendars blocked, rainbow filters are applied to branded assets, and guest speakers are invited to share their journey.

Inclusive emails are being drafted and CEOs and CHROs are launching them. There is an atmosphere of leaving a mark and creating visibility around the events. Once in a while, someone asks, we have done this all before without impact, tell us something unique, to create awareness as well as engagement.

Soon 30 days shall pass and it will be 1st July

And nothing would have changed.

Here is the uncomfortable truth most organisations are not willing to sit with: awareness is not inclusion. A talk about LGBTQIA+ experiences doesn’t make your team meetings safer, and a panel on Pride doesn’t change what happens when an employee makes a casual joke at someone’s expense and their manager laughs along. Policies exist in handbooks, but behaviour plays out in hallways, in team meetings, in the silence after a joke that nobody challenges.

The Gap Between the Policy and the Corridor

Most organisations I work with have the policies and infrastructure in place: equal opportunity statements, gender-neutral restrooms, inclusive medical insurance and DEI charters that explicitly include sexual orientation and gender identity. Some have gone further, with Employee or Business Resource groups, inclusive benefits, and mental health support.

And yet, when asked, how many people in the organisation feel safe to self-disclose and be their authentic selves, there is an awkward silence, followed by righteous justification- we don’t ask.

LGBTQIA+ employees in these same organisations tell a different story. They still self-censor. They decide, every single day, how much of themselves is safe to bring to work. They calculate, often unconsciously, whether to mention their partner at the team lunch, whether to correct a colleague who uses the wrong pronoun, whether to raise their hand in the town hall or stay quiet and stay safe. They experience the behaviour around them, and the policy that didn’t translate into safety.

Inclusion Is a Daily Referendum

What I want today’s leaders to genuinely grapple with is this: inclusion is not decided in the boardroom or the policy document or in that one event. It is decided in a hundred small moments every single day. The way a manager responds when someone comes out, the way a team reacts to an off-colour joke, the way a performance review is written when the reviewer is uncomfortable with who the person is, the way the term “culture fit” gets used to keep certain people out.

What makes these moments so hard to address is that they are often unintentional and unreported. They don’t surface in formal grievance processes, and precisely because they are small, they are normalised and allowed to accumulate until the LGBTQIA+ employee quietly decides that this organisation is not a place where they can thrive, and either leaves or dims their light to survive.

Awareness campaigns don’t address this. Behaviour change does.

What Do we Actually Need to Do

Shifting behaviour is harder than scheduling a panel, and it requires organisations to be honest about where those behaviors actually are.

Let’s start with managers. They are the single biggest contributor to whether inclusion is real or performative. An LGBTQIA+ inclusive policy means very little if the manager of that team creates an environment where people don’t feel safe, seen, heard or respected. And Manager capability-building is not a one-hour sensitivity training or an e-module, but a sustained journey with practical conversations about inclusive team culture and Psychological safety.

Next, Examine norms, not just policies. What language is tolerated in team chats? What happens when someone raises a concern? Is psychological safety strong enough that an employee can tell a senior colleague their comment landed badly and be heard rather than sidelined? These are not policy questions but culture questions, and culture is shaped most powerfully by leaders.

Third, Allyship is a verb. It requires intentional action. An ally is not someone who agrees that discrimination is wrong but someone who speaks up when discrimination is observed, experienced or perpetuated. Allyship needs to be nurtured and rewarded.

Lastly, lets listen. Not in a focus group that produces a report that sits in a folder, but in a way that leads to real change. Listen to the unexpressed hesitation, the quiet turning down of an invitation to an office party, the demotivated voice after an inappropriate joke is made. Hear what your organisation actually feels like from where your LGBTQIA+ employees sit, and then act on what we hear.

Pride Is a Beginning, Not a Destination

June is a good time to signal intent, but signals without follow-through create cynicism, and cynicism transforms into lack of belonging.

The organisations that get this right are not the ones with the most visible Pride campaigns. They are the ones where an LGBTQIA+ employee can mention their partner over lunch and nobody makes it awkward, where a manager notices a microaggression and addresses it in the moment, where inclusion is so embedded in everyday behaviour that it doesn’t need a month to announce itself.

That is the standard worth holding your organisation to.

Article by Sonica Aron, Founder & CEO, Marching Sheep.

Link – https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/pride-month-panel-discussion-sonica-aron-she-her-hers–25lec/?trackingId=24sRHbRCgrGuDlJb6GjGcw%3D%3D

Link –  https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/7422891783459717120/?displayConfirmation=true

Link –https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/mental-health-inclusion-one-size-does-fit-all-aron-she-her-hers–zlr7c/?trackingId=MIxnRe6bQruhpeer2OopBQ%3D%3D

They said, “We are doing them a favour by hiring them, why do we have to pay?”

Our PwD recruitment team repeated the words of a talent acquisition lead of a leading IT company. I was taken aback, slightly irritated, not very surprised.

The conversation around hiring Persons with Disabilities (PwD) has, for too long, been viewed as charity, CSR, good to do, something driven primarily by NGOs and foundations, and adopted by organisations as a well-intentioned reputation building activity. The notion that companies are “doing a favour” by considering PwD candidates is not just patronising; it is a significant barrier to building genuinely inclusive culture and diverse and high-performing teams.

Placing talented PwD candidates should not be an uphill task, but it often is because many organisations fail to recognise that this is a strategic business imperative, not a corporate social responsibility (CSR) checkbox. The difficulty arises from outdated stereotypes, assumptions about productivity, capability, education and ambition of Persons with disability. inefficient processes, and a lack of empowerment within the HR function itself.

1. The End of the “Favour” Narrative: A Mutually Beneficial Partnership

The first mindset that needs dismantling is the charity model. When a company hires a PwD candidate, it is not a one-sided act of benevolence. The employer gains access to a vast, often overlooked pool of talent that brings unique problem-solving skills, resilience, and diverse perspectives crucial for innovation. The candidate, in turn, gains an opportunity with an organisation that is, or is committed to becoming, truly inclusive. This is a symbiotic relationship. An organisation intentionally building ramps, both physical and procedural, signals a modern, adaptable, and empathetic culture attractive to ‘all’ top talent, not just PwD. The uphill battle begins when companies approach this as a concession rather than a competitive advantage in the war for talent.

2. Meritocracy and Compensation: Disability ≠ Lower Productivity

A pervasive and damaging myth is that disability inherently correlates with lower productivity or an inability to meet Key Result Areas (KRAs). This unconscious (and sometimes conscious) bias is a major reason for the reluctance in hiring and for offering lower Compensation and Total Cost (CTC) packages. This assumption is not only incorrect but ethically wrong. A candidate’s disability may require reasonable accommodations, a screen reader for a visually impaired employee, a flexible schedule for someone with a chronic condition but these are tools, not indicators of diminished capability and productivity. The core skills, qualifications, and experience are what determine the role and its corresponding salary. Offering a lower CTC to a PwD candidate for the same role is discriminatory and instantly devalues the talent the company claims to seek. True inclusion means evaluating candidates on their merit and compensating them fairly for the value they bring.

3. The Pace of Modern Hiring: Respecting the Candidate’s Time

In today’s fast-paced job market, top candidates, regardless of disability, are not going to be waiting around for weeks. A protracted hiring process, where candidates are left hanging for weeks or months between interview rounds, is a recipe for losing the best people. This is especially critical for PwD candidates who may have faced repeated rejection and are highly attuned to signals of a company’s genuine commitment. An inefficient process signals disorganisation, indecision, and a lack of respect for the candidate’s time and other opportunities. If an organisation is serious about inclusion, it must streamline its hiring timeline. Speedy, transparent communication is not a special accommodation; it is a hallmark of a professional and respectful talent acquisition strategy.

4. The Criticality of Constructive Feedback

The silence that often follows a rejection is deafening and damaging. For PwD candidates, who may be navigating a system fraught with unspoken biases, the absence of constructive feedback widens an already significant trust deficit. A generic “we decided to move forward with another candidate” offers no path for growth and reinforces feelings of exclusion. Providing specific, actionable feedback focused on skills or experience gaps, not the disability is essential. It demonstrates respect for the candidate’s effort and investment in the process. This practice builds a positive employer brand, even among those not selected, and fosters a reputation as a company that values growth and transparency.

5. Empowering HR as a Strategic Partner, Not a Processor

Finally, the uphill task persists because Talent Acquisition (TA) and HR teams are often not empowered as strategic decision-makers. They are frequently seen as administrators who simply execute the wishes of hiring managers. For inclusion to work, this must change. HR must have the mandate and the skills to sensitise hiring managers. This includes training on inclusive interviewing techniques, recognising and mitigating unconscious bias, and making swift, collaborative decisions. HR should be the custodian of the inclusive hiring strategy, equipped to challenge hiring managers when biases emerge and to advocate for candidates based on merit and potential, not just familiar profiles.

The challenge of placing PwD candidates is not inherent to the candidates themselves, but to the systems and mindsets of the employers. The path forward requires a fundamental shift: from charity to strategy, from assumption to evidence-based evaluation, from sluggish bureaucracy to agile respect, from opaque silence to constructive dialogue, and from a compliant HR function to an empowered, strategic partner. When organisations make this shift, they will find that what seemed like an uphill task was merely the path to building a stronger, more innovative, and truly inclusive workforce.

Link – https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/beyond-charity-why-true-disability-inclusion-requires-sonica-hu8qc

All of us have been through a crazy last few years, the pandemic, demonetization, multiple wars and other uncertainties… all impacting our lives and teaching us lessons. It was tough but it passed …

But, life’s most profound lessons often come from the most unexpected places. Recently, my family and I were hit with a loss that was immensely heartbreaking. Our 5-year-old Labrador, Daenerys, passed away. She wasn’t ill, weak, or old. A sudden, vicious illness took her from perfect health to gone in just 48 hours. The shock was paralyzing. It’s been three weeks, and our family is still grieving.

Three days after she passed, I was standing in front of an audience, about to start a session. On autopilot, I began my standard introduction: “I am Sonica Aron, I have 2 kids, 1 dog, 2 cats, and 1 husband.” But this time, after I said my name, my throat constricted. The next words stuck, a painful lump of reality. I could no longer say “I have 1 dog.” The grief was a physical force.

At that moment, I had a choice: to freeze, to break down, or to push on. I walked over to a bottle of water, took a deliberate sip, and made a silent promise to myself for a quiet moment of pampering later. I finished the introduction, and the session, drawing strength from a simple decision: I will not let the fall define my stance.

That evening, I crystallized what these experiences have been trying to teach me:

1. There is no running away or escaping from difficult emotions. It is best to acknowledge, feel and face them.
2. One day at a time. Sometimes, one hour at a time is all you can manage. And that’s enough.
3. Do your best each day, and then try a little more. Your best looks different on different days. Honour that.
4. Acknowledge every emotion. This is the most crucial step. It’s where you listen to yourself and offer yourself the kindness you would extend to a dear friend.
5. Speak to people who truly matter. In the three weeks after Daenerys passed, I called old friends from college, a confidante from my early career, a team member on sabbatical. These weren’t networking calls. They were calls for human connection, for the balm of a familiar voice that makes you smile through tears.
6. And Lastly Time is the best healer. It doesn’t erase, but it softens the edges of the pain. This too shall pass.

Life will continue to throw challenges our way. That is its nature. But we have absolute control over our response. We can choose to show up, even with a broken heart. We can choose to find one thing to be grateful for each day. We can choose to be kind to ourselves.

So, to all my friends and connections out there struggling with a layoff, a toxic work environment, financial trouble, or a personal loss: please hang in there. Be gentle with yourself. Acknowledge the fall. But then, take that one small step. Just show up. This too shall pass!

Link – https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/life-happens-how-we-show-up-everything-sonica-aron-she-her-hers–cfwnc/?trackingId=5ifmFn%2ByTICVoBW7Mbq1zw%3D%3D

We all spin a cocoon around ourselves. It’s woven from routine, comfort, and the familiar. It feels safe. But a cocoon isn’t meant to be a permanent residence; it’s a transitional space for transformation. The choice is simple: break out on your own terms, or wait for life to forcibly tear the walls down. The latter is always more painful. Here’s how to choose the former.

1. Evolve or Become Irrelevant

The world does not pause for anyone. Clinging to outdated methods, ideas, or pride is a fast track to irrelevance. Embrace change not as a threat, but as the very currency of growth. This requires a radical dose of humility. It’s admitting, “I was wrong.” It’s seeking to learn from someone younger, less experienced, but more knowledgeable in a new domain.

Being wrong is a data point. Being rigid is a death sentence. The ability to pivot, adapt, and shed old skin is the superpower of our time. Don’t let your identity get so fused with your current way of being that you can’t imagine a new one. Your relevance depends on your flexibility.

2. The Lifeline You’re Neglecting: Your Friends

I recently watched a heartbreaking episode of  “The Morning Show” where a character, Hannah, reached out to a friend in crisis, only to be met with fury. Why? She had missed the friend’s baby shower and farewell. She’d been “too busy.” The friend’s pain was palpable: “You don’t get to just show up when you need something.”

This hit home. Two weeks ago, I lost my 5-year-old dog. In the crushing loneliness of grief, I realized with stark clarity how I had let so many profound friendships fade. The people who truly knew and loved me were not present because I had been absent.

This is the wake-up call: As we get older, we don’t need more acquaintances; we need our friends. The ones who knew us before our job title defined us. Nurturing these bonds cannot be a passive act. It requires an active, intentional effort to reach out not because you need a favor, but because you value their presence in your life. Invest in your friendship bank, because one day, you will need to make a withdrawal on love and support.

3. The Dangerous Illusion of “I’m Too Busy”

We hide behind the shield of busyness. We leave messages on “read,” ignore emails, and decline invites, perpetuating the illusion that being unavailable signifies importance. This is a trap. The “I’m too senior to be available” mindset is a one-way ticket to isolation.

A single line of acknowledgement “Got this, swamped but will reply properly later!” takes less than a minute. It provides closure, shows respect, and maintains a bridge. People remember how you made them feel, and consistently making them feel ignored is a surefire way to find no one there when your cocoon finally cracks.

Break out before you’re broken out of. Choose evolution over rigidity. Choose connection over convenience. Choose humility over hubris. Tear down the walls yourself, and step into a world that is waiting for the evolved, connected, and present  #ButterflyYouAreMeantToBe. Your future self will thank you for it.

Link – https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/dont-get-comfortable-your-cocoon-art-intentional-aron-she-her-hers–j1ljc/?trackingId=5TIKPDZNTMyAwuvoHjltaA%3D%3D

My son was born in 2008. Maternity leave in India then was 12 weeks, 84 days, just short of 3 months. As my maternity leave was about to end, I called my manager.

“What do you want?” he asked. My request was simple: continue my pre-maternity role with a few accommodations– first half from office, second half from home. In an era where broadband was just starting, most people worked on desktops, there was no concept of remote work/ work from home; zoom/MS teams did not exist, this was a tall ask.

To my immense relief, My manager got the necessary approvals and made it happen. His ask- don’t let anything fall between the cracks and you are fully accountable for your deliverables. A fair ask.

For three months, it worked. I delivered results, navigated motherhood, and believed balance was possible. Then, leadership changed. The new leader saw not a productive employee adapting brilliantly, but “favouritism.” My consistent performance over 4 years seemed irrelevant.  All that was visible was my ‘motherhood status’ and the ‘accommodations’ which were taken away.

It made my continuing to work in the same role difficult. I asked for a role and location change, where I could leave my child in family care.  It was a compromise. I did not like the new role, I tried to adjust, but could not and I Quit the organisation I loved.

My story isn’t unique; it’s just an anecdote of how sometimes managers can haemorrhage female talent at the critical mid-career juncture, a phenomenon starkly quantified as the “Hourglass Effect.”

Recent data from the Marching Sheep Inclusion Index 2025 paints a painful picture: while women constitute approximately 22% of junior management in India, they vanish from the pipeline upwards. A staggering 63% of Indian organisations have zero women in Key Managerial Positions (KMPs). Representation resurfaces at the board level, often driven by legal mandates (like the Companies Act requirement for one woman director). But this top-heavy presence is a façade, masking the catastrophic mid-level exodus.

Going deeper into the reasons

The “Primary Caregiver” Presumption: I still recall one statement that my mother-in-law made within the first week of my son being born. I had just nursed him and was longing for a nap. So I told my MIL that I will nap for 30 min, and if she could handle him. She gently told me- He is not just your child. He is everyone’s child. There is only one thing that we cannot do, that is feed him, which you have done. Now he is good for the next 2-3 hours. You go and sleep. Rest everything else, from burping, to changing, to putting to bed, any and every one of us can do.

Those few but meaningful words changed the course of my life. I was a mother, but also a wife, daughter, sister, professional, friend and all these identities are important to me, and if I want to live my life to the fullest, each of these identities need to thrive. And for that, I need to partner with others in my life to shoulder the responsibilities.

Unfortunately, despite strides in education and early careers, deep-rooted gender norms still box women as the default caregivers across many families. This translates into an invisible tax. When familial responsibilities – childcare, eldercare – intensify, often coinciding with the mid-management push, women face an impossible choice. The Economic Survey highlights a devastating statistic: 60% of Indian women aged 15-59 are engaged solely in “domestic chores,” excluded from the paid workforce. Organisations, reflecting societal biases, frequently lack robust support systems (beyond minimal legal maternity leave), assuming women will naturally scale back or leave. Managers, like my second leader, often perceive flexible arrangements not as productivity tools but as undeserved concessions and productivity drain.

Leadership = Masculine Traits: The Perception Trap: Women aspiring to leadership confront a persistent bias associating effective leadership with traditionally “masculine” traits – assertiveness, decisiveness, relentless availability. Women demonstrating these same traits risk being labelled “bossy” or “aggressive,” while those exhibiting collaborative or nurturing styles are often perceived as soft or lacking ‘executive presence’. This creates a double-bind.

Furthermore, the perception that operational roles (often a leadership pathway), especially in manufacturing or heavy industry, are “male domains” (“requires heavy lifting,” “remote locations unsafe”) further restricts opportunities, regardless of actual capability or interest . The “boys’ club” network effect persists, often denying women access to crucial projects and sponsorships essential for advancement.

Growth Demands Gendered Hoops: Relocation, Travel, Endless Hours: Career advancement, particularly into leadership, is frequently gate-kept by requirements disproportionately challenging for women bearing the primary cargiving burden.

I remember, in 2010, I was at a juncture where growth within the same organisation could be achieved only if I took an international role. While it would have been a dream come true for many, I had several familial ties. My father was terminally ill, I had a two year old child and I needed family support, my Mother in law is a single parent, so I chose not to leave the country.

Even now choices around relocations, extensive travel, and an expectation of constant late-night/ weekend availability become insurmountable barriers. Growth becomes tied to these specific, inflexible behaviours rather than pure competence, performance, or results. This system inherently disadvantages everyone, men and women alike, but statistically impacts women more, who cannot simply offload domestic responsibilities. The data shows men at entry level are 2.4 times more likely to be promoted to manager than women, significantly due to these invisible barriers and biases.

This is where structured interventions like She Returns and She Marches becomes critical. They move beyond statistics and models to providing the systemic scaffolding women and organisations need:

She Returns: Systemically Navigating the Maternity Transition: This program tackles the “maternity cliff” head-on. It’s not just about policy documents but about operationalising support. From pre-maternity to post maternity, mapping every touch point, enabling every interaction and building procedural and behavioural capability that ensures wellbeing, retention, growth and productivity of the female employee.

She Marches: Unleashing Potential at Every Level: A journey designed with the help of occupational psychologists and enables participating women talent to take charge of their success goals with confidence and chase them with focus.

The Marching Sheep Inclusion Index data confirms companies with higher gender diversity deliver 50% higher Profit After Tax (PAT). The business case is irrefutable. My story in 2008, and the ongoing exodus of countless talented women, represents a colossal waste of potential – for the women and for Incorporates.

Enough said and written, let’s get to work.

Link – https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/lower-participation-women-workplace-broken-rung-cliff-sonica-1uejc/?trackingId=5TIKPDZNTMyAwuvoHjltaA%3D%3D

Mornings at my house: two teens, one grumbling about exams, the other sulking about a stolen burger. My instinct? A lecture. Instead, I channel Dr. John Gottman. His decades of research revealed a universal truth: thriving relationships need five positive interactions for every negative one. Fall below 5:1? Disaster looms. So, I offer a muffin, ask about the chemistry test, Promise to be there for the next football match, plan a movie night and a girls day out. Five positives deployed. Crisis averted.

At work, 5:1 can be the magic answer to the dreaded question: “We know inclusion matters, but what do we actually do?”

Every microaggression a dismissed idea, a biased assumption, an exclusionary comment is a Gottman -1. It erodes trust and belonging, like slamming a door at home. Damage control isn’t enough. We need an inclusion surplus: five deliberate +1s for every -1. This shifts us from reactive defence to proactive culture-building. Address the negative? Absolutely. But the real healing comes from flooding the zone with positives.

How 5:1 Works at Work

Scenario 1: The Hiring Head-Scratcher (-1) “We don’t get qualified female candidates!” (Translation: Biases are showing.) The +5 Reset:

1. Revise Job Descriptions: Ditch “ninja/rockstar.” Use neutral language, highlight flexibility.
2. Diverse Interview Panels: Mandate varied perspectives. Train on structured interviews.
3. Build Pipelines: Partner with organisations and institutions supporting underrepresented talent.
4. Showcase Role Models: Feature diverse employees (with consent!) in recruitment.
5. Track Data: Audit sourcing and drop-off points. Fix leaks systematically.

Scenario 2: The Meeting Muddle (-1) Tanya’s idea is ignored; Pratik repackages it and gets an applause. (Soul-crushing “Hepeat.”) The +5 Reset:

1. Set Inclusive Norms: Rotate speaking order. Ban interruptions. Mandate equal airtime.
2. Amplify Marginalized Voices: “Great point, Pratik, building on Tanya’s idea about X. Tanya, can you expand?”
3. Give Credit where its due: “Thanks, Alok. As Tanya originally said…”
4. Attribute Ideas in Notes: Circulate clear summaries fast. Follow up with quiet contributors.
5. Solicit Feedback: End with: “How inclusive was this? How can we improve?”

Scenario 3: The Promotion Puzzle (-1) A high performing high potential employee (e.g., a single mom) is passed over for vague “culture fit” or “executive presence” reasons; a less experienced man advances. The +5 Pathway:

1. Demystify Criteria: Publish clear, objective promotion requirements (skills, competencies, results).
2. Diverse Calibration Panels: Audit decisions for bias. Challenge “potential” excuses.
3. Assign High-Visibility Work: Proactively offer stretch projects to underrepresented talent.
4. Formal Sponsorship: Leaders must champion diverse talent for roles, not just mentor.
5. Actionable Feedback: Give specific, development-focused guidance long before promotion cycles.

Making the 5:1 Magic Happen

• See the -1s: Train teams to recognize microaggressions and exclusion. Awareness is step one.
• Fix the Leak: Address the negatives directly yet kindly. The +5 doesn’t replace accountability.
• Be Consistent: Intentional, daily +1s rebuild trust. One-off efforts are glitter on mud.
• Measure Belonging: Track survey scores, promotion rates, retention. Data reveals the truth.
• Everyone’s Job: Especially majority allies – contribute your +5s daily.
• Progress > Perfection: Awkward tries are okay. Learn, adapt, and keep counting.

The Inclusion Surplus

Gottman taught us relationships thrive on positive momentum. Workplaces are no different. The 5:1 ratio moves inclusion from aspiration to daily action. By relentlessly generating five positives for every negative, we build reservoirs of trust and belonging. We create spaces where diverse talent isn’t just hired, but nurtured, heard, and advanced.

Stop plugging leaks. Start building your surplus. Your next +1 starts now.

Link – https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/51-rule-inclusion-your-daily-ratio-driving-belonging-sonica-agcbc/?trackingId=5TIKPDZNTMyAwuvoHjltaA%3D%3D

It’s 2025. The workplace isn’t what it used to be and that’s a good thing. There’s a growing consciousness around diversity, inclusion, and purpose. With Gen Z and Gen Y now making up 70% of the workforce, we’re seeing a shift in expectations. These generations are choosing to work with organizations that walk the talk on values. And yet, the findings from our Marching Sheep Inclusion Index 2025; India’s largest study on DEIB are a wake-up call.

We looked at 840 listed companies across 30 sectors from steel and pharma to banking, FMCG, and IT. It’s one of the most comprehensive deep dives into gender diversity and inclusion in India.

And what we found wasn’t just numbers, it was a mirror.

• 63.45% of companies had zero women in key leadership roles.
• Women make up just 22% of the total workforce, compared to the 28% urban average.
• Yet, companies with stronger gender diversity delivered 50% higher profit after tax (13.5% vs 8.9%).

As someone who’s lived this journey; thrived in sales and manufacturing, worked in remote locations, reached CXO levels; I can tell you: I wasn’t a superwoman. I struggled. I was boxed in by stereotypes and weighed down by well-meaning but unrealistic expectations. And I know I’m not alone.

The data is clear. Inclusion isn’t just good ethics; it’s good business. But despite the evidence, too many women still don’t make it past junior levels. The pipeline leaks long before leadership.

This isn’t about blame. It’s about building better. It’s about asking: What can we do differently?Because inclusion isn’t an HR initiative. It’s a business imperative. It’s not a vertical; it’s woven into every decision, every policy, every interaction. It’s a way of working. A way of being.

So here’s our invitation. To every business, every board, every leader: Let’s move from intention to impact.

• If you’re in HR partner with business, build coaching and growth programs.
• If you’re a CXO look at your leadership team. Does it reflect your workforce and your customers?
• If you’re on the board, go beyond compliance. Inclusion strengthens governance.

And if you lead a team your everyday choices matter. Who you include, who you support, who you listen to these shape your culture.

At Marching Sheep, we’ve always believed inclusion begins with voice, choice, and agency. This year’s Index is a starting point. It’s a chance to sit together and ask: How do we move forward, together? Because inclusion isn’t just a policy. It’s a strategy. It’s about people. And people drive businesses. It’s about culture. And culture is what makes a workplace feel like home.

If you’d like to read the full report or know where your company stands, drop a comment or send me a message. I’d love to share the findings. Let’s build workplaces where everyone belongs.

Link-https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/marching-sheep-inclusion-index-2025-lets-build-where-sonica-ibnfc/?trackingId=Gg2XgCSOQked3Kv0Cx2qEA%3D%3D

Almost every day there is an update where an organisation has laid off people in thousands. It is not limited to any one industry, any one geography, any one function. I get these articles as news updates in mail box. Not a very good thing to start one’s day with. But this is the harsh reality of today’s business landscape. Rapid technology advancements and adoption, the tightening noose around profits in a highly ambiguous geo-political world is making business take some harsh calls and restructure for efficiencies. This is not the first time the world has seen this, nor the last time.

The most impacted right now are the workforce, the very workforce that helped create the technology, the people who market and sell the products and services, who serve the customer or client, who work in factories to produce product, who work in labs to research and innovate, who work in offices to maintain and protect information. This article is not just about those who have been laid off (That’s for another day), this is about those who stayed back.

In the wake of relentless waves of layoffs sweeping through corporate giants like Procter & Gamble, Google, Amazon, and countless others, a toxic residue often remains long after the departure emails are sent. It’s not just the anxiety of “who’s next?” that haunts the remaining workforce, but a complex and debilitating psychological phenomenon: Survivor’s Guilt.

Survivor’s guilt is psychological distress experienced by individuals who have survived a traumatic event that others did not. Traditionally associated with disasters, combat, or accidents, it increasingly permeates workplaces decimated by restructuring and layoffs. Employees who “survive” job cuts often grapple with:

· Overthinking & Questioning: Why was I kept? Was it fair? Did I contribute to my colleague’s departure?

· Guilt & Embarrassment: Feeling undeserving of their continued employment while witnessing talented colleagues leave.

· Helplessness: Thoughts about relieved colleagues, who might have been friends, about their situation & wellbeing.

· Anxiety & Depression at the state of the things: Persistent low mood, dread, loss of motivation.

· Feeling burnt-out, overworked and angry: with reduced workforce, new processes, new technology, there is still increased workload and this leads to longer working hours and stress.

Survivor’s guilt manifests in many ways-

· Physical Symptoms: Fatigue, insomnia, changes in appetite.

· Behavioural symptoms: Quick to Anger, increased competitiveness or loss of interest, social withdrawal

At the core, survivor’s guilt leaves the workforce vulnerable to demotivation and if left unchecked can have a ripple effect on business outcomes.

· Plummeting Morale & Engagement: Employees become emotionally exhausted, disengaged, and cynical. Passion for the work evaporates.

· Cratering Productivity: Preoccupation with negative emotions and anxiety drains cognitive resources. Focus wanes, errors increase, and initiative disappears (“Why bother?”).

· Quiet Quitting & Presenteeism: Employees physically show up but mentally check out, doing the bare minimum to avoid notice, embodying the “act your wage” mentality.

· Erosion of Trust & Psychological Safety: Layoffs inherently damage trust. Survivor’s guilt amplifies this, making employees believe leadership is uncaring and the environment unsafe. Collaboration suffers.

· Unwanted Attrition: The “survivors” aren’t necessarily loyal. Feeling guilty, overburdened, and cynical, carrying trust deficit, they become prime candidates to leave once the job market improves, taking critical institutional knowledge with them. Replacing them is far costlier than retention.

· Innovation Stagnation: Lack of psychological safety & Fear stifle risk-taking and creative thinking. Employees become risk-averse, focusing only on “safe” tasks.

· Increased Absenteeism & Health Costs: The chronic stress manifests in physical and mental health issues, driving up healthcare costs and absenteeism.

The Healing Imperative

This ripple effect can undo any benefit that the organisation hoped to achieved with the restructuring and reduction of manpower. Hence it becomes imperative for organisations, and the leadership to take cognizance of this phenomenon and deal with it proactively.

It requires building trsut, psychological safety and a culture of belonging.

· Authenticity and Transparency: Communicate the ‘why’ behind layoffs and restructuring clearly and honestly (without violating confidences). Explain the business rationale, the criteria used (as much as possible), and the future vision. Avoid platitudes and sugar coating; acknowledge the pain.

· Acknowledge the Emotional Fallout Explicitly: Leaders must name the elephant in the room. Statements like “We recognize this is incredibly difficult for those remaining, and feelings of guilt or confusion are understandable” validate experiences and open the door for support.

· Provide emotional health programs: Enable employees to recognise emotions, decode them and deal with them. Emotion resilience sessions help build resilient organisations. Enable managers to nurture Psychologically safe team environments.

· Re-Structure Workloads Realistically and steer clear of the efficiency trap: Layoffs mean remaining staff absorb more work. HR must work with managers to prioritize, deprioritize, or eliminate tasks. Unrealistic expectations fuel burnout and resentment.

· Re-Build Connection & Community: Facilitate team sessions (voluntary), safe spaces,  to process the event safely, guided by a facilitator. Encourage peer support networks. Make space for people to reconnect.

· Train Managers as Frontline Responders: Equip managers with the skills to have empathetic conversations, recognize signs of survivor’s guilt, provide psychological safety, manage workloads effectively, and navigate their ‘own’ complex emotions.

· Reinforce Value & Purpose: Clearly communicate the value each remaining employee brings to the new path forward. Reconnect their work to the company’s mission and renewed goals. Recognition for navigating this difficult period is vital.

· Mitigate the “Social Media Amplification” Effect: Layoffs are public spectacles. Remaining employees see departed colleagues’ posts and news articles, fueling anxiety and anger. HR must proactively address the narrative internally with even more transparency and support.

· Focus on the Middle Managers: Often squeezed the hardest – executing layoffs, absorbing workload, managing traumatized teams, while experiencing guilt themselves. They need intensive support, clear direction, and reduced bureaucratic burdens.

· Invest in “Human Infrastructure”: Post-layoff, redirect ‘some’ saved payroll costs into bolstering the “human infrastructure”: more robust mental health benefits, manager training, team building, and culture initiatives focused explicitly on healing and rebuilding trust. This is an investment in productivity and retention.

Survivor’s guilt is not a personal failing; it’s a human response to a significant and traumatic organizational event. The recent spate of mass layoffs has created a landscape littered with walking wounded. Companies that ignore this emotional fallout do so at their peril, facing disengagement, attrition, and a crippled ability to recover. HR leaders must step up boldly into the role of healers and architects of a culture built of psychological safety and belonging. By prioritizing transparency, compassionate support, realistic workloads, and the rebuilding of trust and community, organizations can transform surviving employees from burdened, mistrusting individuals into resilient, re-engaged contributors. In the harsh reality of modern business, tending to the human infrastructure isn’t just ethical or moral; it’s the bedrock of sustainable recovery and future success. The choice is clear: manage the trauma or manage the decline.

Link-https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/lingering-shadow-survivors-guilt-workplace-how-hr-sonica-tegxc/?trackingId=edvzzWymMMbdWI1sQR99rg%3D%3D