WIN Spotlight: Nikki Barua
Welcome to the latest “WIN Spotlight,” our ongoing series that celebrates inspirational women in our community. Each interview features a member of WIN who is championing innovation at her organization or across the industry. We dig into the diverse perspectives, influences, mission, drivers, and dreams of these leaders, and of course, ask them for practical advice and pro tips from their years of experience.
This month we are excited to feature Nikki Barua, Co-founder and CEO of Beyond Barriers and former WIN Board member.
Tell us who you are and what you do?
Hello! I’m Nikki Barua. I’m a serial entrepreneur, international keynote speaker, and bestselling author.
In my early career, I focused on business model innovation to help organizations build global business platforms. Then I led an award-winning agency to help organizations build innovative digital products. I’ve had the privilege of collaborating with some of the world’s best organizations and helping them transform.
I’ve now transitioned from being an innovator focused on platforms and products, to an innovator focused on people and performance.
As CEO of Beyond Barriers, I lead our mission to help organizations build innovative and inclusive cultures through talent development programs designed to help women become future-ready leaders.
What are the top 3 defining moments in your career that have got you to where you are today?
The decisions we make define our destiny. My career has been defined by these 3 pivotal decisions:
Finding Your Place
About 20 years ago, I left my home country India and came to America with all my big dreams and not much else. I faced significant hurdles and it was quite scary. Survival meant letting go of what’s familiar and adapting to change quickly. My decision to step outside my comfort zone and take risks, helped me build my career and fulfill my dreams.
Finding Your Passion
It took me a while to discover my true passion … entrepreneurship. I love turning an idea into a thriving business. I love solving problems for customers. I love building teams and culture from the ground up. My decision to quit a successful corporate career and follow my passion, helped me achieve even greater success.
Finding Your Purpose
I’ve been obsessed with one question: How do you unlock human potential? After years of research and collaboration, I developed a framework for unlocking high performance. My decision to live my purpose helped me launch Beyond Barriers and embark on my mission to help women become future-ready leaders.
What is the best part of your job?
Innovation breeds in environments where diversity and dissent can co-exist in harmony. I love bringing together brilliant minds, fostering a culture of innovation, and letting the magic unfold! The best part of my job is being surrounded by passionate people who want to make a difference in the world and solving really complex problems together.
What does being a leader mean to you?
I believe that the highest calling of leadership is to unlock the potential in others. Developing future leaders is a privilege and a responsibility. That’s what being a leader means to me. That’s why I am passionate about what we do at Beyond Barriers – because we are unlocking potential in women and developing the next generation of powerful leaders.
What is your favorite quotation?
“Vulnerability is the birthplace of innovation, creativity and change”
– Brené Brown
You can’t innovate, create or change if you are unwilling to admit what you don’t know, unwilling to take a risk, or unwilling to fail. When you let go of fear, anything is possible!
How do you keep up to date with the world?
Being an agile learner is key to keeping up with a fast-changing world. You have to know what to focus on and why that matters. You have to consume information but also create space for creation. You have to be curious about new ideas and humble enough to let go of dogma and outdated views. Here’s what I do: I focus on my topic of interest. I go deep into that space – read a book a week, connect with others, ask lots of questions, listen and learn. I dedicate an hour every morning to think, so I can reflect on what I’ve learned and imagine what’s possible.
What is the toughest challenge you’ve had to overcome as a woman in the industry?
Most leaders face similar challenges but as a woman your successes are viewed as anomalies and your failures get a bigger spotlight. I’ve learned to just keep moving forward, and not get swayed by the attention to my successes or my failures. Conviction in your mission matters, so you can create your own path and pave the way for more women to rise up.
What advice do you have for women and future generations of leaders?
My mentor once said: “Your problems aren’t big enough.” It took me a while to understand the power and wisdom in his statement. You have to decide at what level you want to play. Think of it like a video game – you start the game at Level 1. When you develop the skills and strategies to overcome Level 1 challenges, that’s when you get to Level 2! If you are unwilling or unable to overcome those challenges, you’ll remain stuck at Level 1. If you want to play at a higher level, you have to master bigger problems. Keep leveling up. Your obstacles ARE the opportunity!
Check out Nikki’s bestselling book, Beyond Barriers here.
If you could give one piece of advice to organizations who need to reach gender parity what would it be?
If companies want to see more women at the top, they have to remove obstacles in the path – whether it’s systemic bias or access to resources. Organizations must make it a priority to create an inclusive workplace that accommodates the unique needs of women in the workplace.
According to the World Economic Forum, it will take more than 250 years to achieve gender parity. Well, I am not willing to wait that long! That’s why I am on a mission to help women develop the skill set, mindset and toolset to level up as leaders.
Women can’t get ahead waiting for employers to create the path. We can’t get ahead applying yesterday’s traditional strategies that don’t prepare us for the future of work. We have to be the change we want to see in the world.
I am on a mission to help women develop the skill set, mindset and toolset to level up as leaders.
What is the best innovation of the past 5 years?
We’re living in a time of tremendous innovation and it’s exciting to see the transformation of industries, products, services and cultures. The ones that I find most compelling are:
Online education because it has democratized learning by making it more accessible and affordable.
Digital workspaces because it allows people to work securely and productively from anywhere.
The need for time and travel are removed by online education and digital workspaces so we can learn and contribute without constraints. Access to education and employment has a massive impact on our lives and livelihood.
What was the biggest industry fail of the past year?
Not enough women at the top! The continuing gender gap in organizations that have advanced as market leaders is absolutely unacceptable. If you have the resources to capture market share, then you have the resources to invest in addressing this problem. While there’s been some progress, there’s still a long way to go.
What do you think will have the biggest impact on the industry in 2020?
For most organizations, digital transformation was accelerated by the pandemic and remote working became a necessity. As more and more organizations embrace remote working as the norm, culture and workplace expectations will shift. If you don’t need people in your office, then you can access talent from anywhere. It will change who gets hired, how teams collaborate, how ideas emerge, how concepts get validated, and how quickly products are launched. When creativity and collaboration are no longer limited by geography, the scale and speed of innovation will transform.
What product, service, or industry do you think is most ripe for innovation? Why?
The professional services industry (consulting firms, agencies). It’s an industry with the smartest minds but continues to operate with an utterly outdated business model. When an industry consumes more resources than necessary to produce the outcome, it opens doors for a disruptor to change the game. There is so much opportunity to completely reimagine the business model, processes and methods in this industry.
The continuing gender gap in organizations that have advanced as market leaders is absolutely unacceptable. If you have the resources to capture market share, then you have the resources to invest in addressing this problem.
Where do you see yourself/the industry:
1 month from now: Celebrating another cohort of women leaders graduating from the Beyond Barriers Accelerator!
1 year from now: Celebrating the launch of Beyond Barriers Accelerator across the globe and empowering women worldwide.
10 years from now: Celebrating thousands of Beyond Barriers alumni women leaders who are changing the world.
What are your top 3 values as a leader?
Hunger – To learn, grow, and create massive impact
Heart – To care deeply about what matters most
Humor – To be optimistic even in the face of adversity
What is the most important book that you have read?
“The Machine Stops" by E. M. Forster.
It’s a science fiction short story published in 1928. It describes a world where the human population lives in isolation inside underground cells. They rely on a giant machine to provide for their needs, and to facilitate communication and collaboration. The humans forget that they are the ones that created the giant machine. They cannot function without it and treat it as a mystical entity whose needs supersede their own. One day, the machine stops working and the humans don’t know how to survive without it, ultimately ending the human race.
I was struck by the parallels in modern society, considering that this book was published more than 100 years ago! It describes innovations that are commonplace today, from mobile devices to instant messaging, and video conferencing. It highlights the risk of losing our sense of being, and our diversity of thought, while becoming entirely dependent on machines. This book serves as a powerful reminder that regardless of innovation, our creativity and our connection to each other are what matter most.
If you were a brand, what would you be and why?
Tesla . . . because it is social-impact driven, smart, speedy, sleek … and innovative!Thank you Nikki for sharing your story with the WIN community!
Thank you Nikki, for sharing your inspiring story and powerful words with the WIN Community!
Edited by Marcela Madera
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