Cómo un líder en ascenso combina los objetivos personales y profesionales para el éxito profesional

Mousumi Chatterjee is a great example of how curiosity can transform your career. Her deep interest in learning about the philosophy and culture of Salesforce, combined with a rare passion for work, prompted her to leave her comfort zone and family behind in Bengaluru to join the company in Hyderabad.

Since relocating to Hyderabad, Mousumi’s decision has opened doors to many career opportunities — she has not only experienced exceptional career growth but has also achieved high levels of personal satisfaction.

Creating continuous impact

Since Mousumi joined Salesforce, she has progressed from a senior manager to becoming a senior director for the company’s Content and Communications Experience (CCX) team.

Reflecting on her professional journey, Mousumi says, “My passion for Salesforce and my family’s support were instrumental in me moving to Hyderabad to join the CCX team for the Industries Cloud. Within the first 2 months, I made a pitch to the EVP to expand the team, considering this function has the potential to impact the bottom line of the business. A few months later, we onboarded our first team member in Bengaluru. The team grew exponentially across locations, including outside India. Soon, I was handling teams in Australia, the U.K and US as well.”

Her bold vision and unwavering commitment to the company have won her recognition with the President Award from the Technology and Product Team, an honour that recognises impact and is given to only 1% of Salesforce employees globally.

Mousumi also achieved another rare feat: two consecutive promotions, both of which were unanimously endorsed by the top leadership. Ask her about the secret to such success, and she attributes it to blending personal and professional goals. “I believe it’s not wrong to be obsessed with one’s professional growth. If you do your work hard and with sincerity, recognition and laurels are sure to follow. Salesforce ensures that.”

So, what does Mousumi credit for this meteoric career growth? “Courage,” she says. “When I say courage, I mean not just the courage to make your presence felt in a boardroom but also the courage to be open, honest, and to put yourself first. In many countries, especially India, social stigma and societal notions dictate that women be ‘peacemakers’ and not disrupt the status quo in any manner. This builds up mental barriers, and we forego the right to express our thoughts and opinions freely. I say I am an individual and should be able to speak my mind without worrying about consequences. As a woman and as a leader, this is vital,” she explains.

For Mousumi, courage also means being authentic and adapting it to her leadership style. “I am transparent about my vulnerabilities. Many internal and external issues impact our minds frequently, and it is natural to feel bogged down. I don’t go out of my way to hide my real self and emotions from my team, especially if I am feeling demotivated. But that’s the good thing about being part of a team — we can hold each other’s hands and pull ourselves out of such a situation.”

Doing away with the fear of failure

Mousumi credits her long and illustrious stint with table tennis for inculcating discipline into her very being. “If you don’t train your mind to be disciplined, you cannot achieve anything. It is the framework that can hold hard work, diligence, and sincerity together,” believes the state-level table tennis player.

The second important thing that sports have taught her is resilience. She shares, “It is not always about winning. No one can win every day. It is equally important to fail and move on from there. Once you fear failure, once you fear rejection, you move further away from a growth mindset.”

Shaping the next generation of leaders

When she is not attending meetings or sitting through calls, the empathetic leader takes the time to check in with her team members. She is also heavily involved in several mentorship and leader training programs, including Salesforce Women in Tech group and Rise to name a few.

“Most of us fall within two categories when it comes to approaching leadership roles — either we are not ready and confident yet, or we are clear about our goals and could reach them effectively with the right support and tools. Many next-generation professionals I see these days fall in the latter category. In either scenario, have an open discussion with your manager,” says Mousumi.

Apart from embracing Salesforce’s value of equality through her work, Mousumi also sees this mentorship environment, which is rooted in Salesforce’s culture, as inspiring. “Salesforce has wonderful groups where you have a mix of senior women leaders and young women employees guiding and supporting aspiring women professionals on the next steps in their careers. This genuine care for employees and understanding of our very human problems is one of the many things that makes Salesforce such a truly wonderful place to work,” says Mousumi.