Success is not a defined goal, but a journey of milestones: OTV MD Jagi Mangat Panda at Int'nl Women’s Conference

Globalisation has ushered in a paradigm shift in leadership styles, with a growing emphasis on compassion and collaboration. These traits are now prevalent among women leaders in various sectors, said Co-Founder & MD of Odisha Television Network Jagi Mangat Panda during a panel discussion at the 10th International Women’s Conference 2025 in Bengaluru on Saturday.

The event is being organised by the Art of Living Foundation under the guidance of Guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar. Over 500 delegates from 50 countries are participating in the conference. The conference featured a distinguished panel, including Olympic medalist boxer Lovlina Borgohain. The President of India, Droupadi Murmu, inaugurated the conference on Friday in presence of Guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar.

Redefining Success and Leadership

Speaking at the event, Panda said, “To me success is never been tangible, or not even a defined goal. I always stuck to milestones because just like any other business you must have some milestones so that your team stays focused. My job was to constantly celebrate those small milestones so that we keep the team motivated. I started my media company in 1999 and I was the first woman in Indian media to have started her own organisation in 1999. And I had to learn the ropes from the men which is not such a bad idea because it actually taught me to go against the grain, go against my basic instincts.”

“You know the basic instincts that women have is compassion and collaboration. But that was not the definition of leadership in general in those days. The definition of leadership was power wielding, aggressiveness etc. So when I learnt from the men, I learnt to be aggressive and power wielding. And off course as in any other place when you are the only woman, there is a lot of talk. So I started getting to be known as a very aggressive woman in media which was okay. I didn’t care because I had to do what I wanted to do. But what I learnt through this process that life should be treated like a game. Unless you treat it like a game, you will not enjoy the process,” she added.

The Lessons from Challenges

Panda compared life to a game that must be enjoyed despite its challenges. She highlighted that the biggest learnings came from the toughest periods in her business, particularly in dealing with politicians from both ruling and opposition parties.

Must Read: OTV MD Jagi Mangat Panda to address International Women’s Conference hosted by the Art of Living

“Being in the media, we have to deal with very thin skinned politicians from both ruling and opposition sides. In my company we have a very clear charter which says that you must cover all angles of news, and at least two opposing viewpoints. So, our job was to give facts to the people who would make their own decisions. We would not edit or give our opinions. This is where the problem was. It affected most people from both sides and we were attacked by all. And we have to deal and fight with them. The biggest learning from all this was-don’t shy away from going against your grain. You must do what you have to do at that point whatever is required. But as a person when I look back-they say in hindsight things are very clear. I am not the same person today. I have changed over the years. And for me personal growth is most important. I always talk to people I love and the people I know and ask them-am I a different and better person today that I was? And if the answer is yes, that’s great success for me,” she stated.

Building a Team

“As an entrepreneur, one of the main objectives would be to find good team leaders. I used to look for good team leaders for my teams in my formative years. When I look for people, I don’t look for good degrees from large institutes, but mostly attitudes. I think skills can be taught, but attitude is something inherent. I always look for the people with right attitude. In connecting with my team, I held constant meetings with them and reiterate the objectives with which we started the organisation. Obviously, it was not just making only money, but something more to it,” she concluded.