Meet our newest volunteer - Razia Ali

Razia joined the Women in Identity team early in 2021, helping to co-ordinate our sponsorship programme.

 

Tell us about your job and what gets you out of bed in the morning?

My journey originally started with a degree in Cognitive Science and I wanted to incorporate ‘diverse thinking’ in my daily working life. In 2019 I decided to take a step back from corporate life. After a year travelling across the USA and Asia and I took the decision to retrain decided as a life coach.

With my new-found skillset, I learned how to tap into my blind spots, focussing on understanding the difference between means goals and end goals.

I worked hard.

But I spent little time with family and friends.

My work-life balance wasn’t particularly healthy – even though I was accomplishing the goals I had set for myself.

I was not showing up in the best version of myself.

I realised I needed to be a part of something more meaningful. Something that meant I was contributing towards the bigger things in life.

I had given over years of my life in trying to attain fulfilment by having money in my bank account. I could buy what I wanted, had great job titles so I was generally seen as successful. I realised I was pursuing a need to be recognized – for my work on this project or that initiative. These are the values I grew up with; the values I thought I needed in order to be viewed as “successful”.

During my travels, I took time to understand what I really wanted – namely to show up with unique ideas that would really contribute to making a difference – not just having a smart job title. I wanted to travel more and spend genuine, quality, time getting to know my friends and family again.  I decided to start connecting with people who have really inspired me and in late 2019 launched my first podcast.

I now work with non-profit organizations that are passionate about making a real difference. I feel like I work within several communities, each one driving change around the diversity and inclusion agenda. It’s why I wanted to get involved with Women in Identity and I joined the volunteer team earlier this year.

 

How did you get to where you are today?

I always worked very hard, putting in the hours, but later in my career I realized that hard work has very little to do with success.

I recognized the importance of learning to slow down. I have worked with FTSE 100 companies to Silicon Valley start-up and – honestly – I now realise how important it is to never stop learning. I have volunteered with many different organizations, simply because it taught me so many things outside my experience.

 

What is the most important lesson you have learned along the way?

To tell myself every day that I have a unique combination of infinite potential and divine possibilities. There is no one else exactly like me so if I don’t show up for myself, I can’t expect others to do so.

The second biggest lesson for me was outgrowing the things I originally wanted and learning the art of “surrender”.  I believe we need to have goals but also to keep a sense of what it means to keep learning, keep growing.  an entrepreneurial vision. If your business or you fail in a particular role, the real question to ask yourself is: “did I grow?” The jobs I do are simply a means to me achieving my bigger goal: to keep on growing.

 

What would be your pitch to CEOs in the identity space? What do you suggest they START / STOP / CONTINUE doing and why?

People have been treated badly throughout history due to organizations having policies and practices that have disadvantaged people. I would like our leaders to make self-reflection a fundamental part of management and leadership training.

If organisations within the Identity space want to create environments that are truly free of racism and sexism, they need to look to hire people from different genders, faiths and races, different educational and economic backgrounds. This will help eliminate the stereotyping that we all fall foul of – and stop us building computer programs that perpetuate them.

Many organisations understand that having women in leadership groups increases productivity by 40%. We need to continue this momentum so we can finally stop having to find statistics to justify what should be a no-brainer!

 

Why does diversity matter to you?

Diversity means accepting an individual’s differences, creating a judgement-free environment where EVERYONE is comfortable talking about things, sharing opinions openly. For me, diversity is about having diverse thinking.

 

What book/film/piece of art would you recommend to your fellow members?

Rebel Ideas by Matthew SyedI would like to recommend Vishen Lakhiani’s work at Mindvalley. I love listening to his podcast and all the speakers he brings from different backgrounds.

Reading-wise, I would recommend Rebel Ideas by Matthew Syed. It’s a great read for anyone looking to understand more about diverse thinking.

 

What advice would you give to the teenage ‘you’?

Read more, take off the pressure and have fun!

Surround yourself with people who bring out the best in you or inspire you.

I read somewhere that “entrepreneurs don’t confront the world; they create and change the world. When you have real conviction, you have the power, literally, to change the world.’

I now take this with me into every aspect of my life.

 

Connect with Razia through the Women in Identity team, at LinkedIn or on Twitter.