Watch Ruchika in Action
About Ruchika T. Malhotra
Ruchika T. Malhotra believes inclusion is the most important leadership trait today, and that it can be learned. She has addressed audiences at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pixar, Google, Microsoft, Amazon, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and the U.S. Congress.
Her HBR article "Stop Telling Women They Have Imposter Syndrome," co-written with Jodi-Ann Burey, has drawn more than a million views, ranks among the 100 most read articles in HBR.org's history and argues that biased practices and outdated standards of professionalism, not women's self-doubt, are what stymie careers. Her book Inclusion on Purpose makes the case that a culture of belonging does not just happen; organizations have to work at it. The book centers the workplace experience of women of color as the lens through which inclusion and belonging should be approached.
Ruchika's Keynote Topics
Conventional workplace wisdom tells women that competition is the only way to succeed at work. But what if a highly competitive atmosphere is doing the opposite and holding us back? Research shows that collaborating – not competition – can help us achieve incredible career success and innovation. When leaders reject competition and choose to uncompete, it’s a win-win for all. Through this talk from award-winning inclusion and workplace culture expert Ruchika T. Malhotra, women leaders will be able to reflect on their perceptions of scarcity and competition to understand how our winner-takes-all environment of constantly pitting people against one another stalls innovation and quickly leads to burnout. It creates divisions and rivalry that blocks a culture of psychological safety and inclusion. Instead, we must choose actively, intentionally and constantly to uncompete – a brand new way to win at work and life. With research-backed evidence illustrating that humans are wired to succeed by working together, Malhotra will share tactical steps to uncompete through choice, action and resistance. We can and must shift away from a zero-sum mindset to succeed as individuals, teams, organizations and societies.
Workplace culture has been identified as one of the driving factors behind today’s Great Resignation. As more employees design their lives to best suit them and choose workplaces accordingly, they seek to devote their efforts to companies that have a culture of belonging. The secret to building inclusive culture, according to Ruchika T. Malhotra, bestselling author of the award-winning “Inclusion on Purpose: An Intersectional Approach to Creating a Culture of Belonging at Work” (2022), is understanding the intersection of race and gender and how it impacts people in the workplace. Her refreshing frameworks for developing inclusive workplace culture offer recommendations for small interventions, such as suggesting language shifts when hiring or structured feedback sessions that deliver an outsized impact to employees who feel unseen. In this presentation, she offers a breath of fresh air for anyone looking to escape tired, ineffective programs and move to a fully inclusive system with diversity built in. “Leaders have to continue to focus on culture because employees have a choice now,” Malhotra emphasizes. “People aren’t going to stand for working in an environment where the culture isn’t right for them, and it’s up to us to create the environment of tomorrow, today.”
The why of inclusive leadership is often easily understood: it results in greater collaboration, creativity and innovation. What’s not often so easy is the how of inclusion, and what it looks like when you get there. As the award-winning author of bestseller “Inclusion on Purpose” (2022), Ruchika T. Malhotra has the frameworks to help leaders deliver the “how” on inclusion within their organizations. And as the founder and CEO of Candour, which works with organizations to create diverse teams and inclusive cultures, Malhotra advises leaders to follow her revolutionary BRIDGE framework to cultivate an “inclusion mindset” in addition to their growth mindset. In her honest talks, she recommends clear steps for leaders such as expecting and accepting that you will be uncomfortable, hiring for “culture add” instead of “culture fit,” and accepting that change takes time, which makes it easier for organizations to implement inclusion principles right away. As Malhotra’s frameworks demonstrate, through awareness, intention and regular inclusion practices, leaders can deliver profitability, productivity and a better world for us all.
Conventional wisdom tells us that competition breeds innovation. But what if encouraging a highly competitive atmosphere is doing the opposite and stifling growth instead? Research shows that collaborating can result in much more success than competition and has in fact brought about some of history’s biggest breakthroughs. Through this talk from award-winning culture expert Ruchika T. Malhotra, leaders will be able to reflect on their perceptions of scarcity and competition to understand how the winner-takes-all environment of constantly pitting people against one another stalls innovation and quickly leads to burnout. It creates divisions and rivalry that blocks a culture of psychological safety and inclusion. With research-backed evidence illustrating that humans are wired to succeed by working together, Malhotra shares tactical steps to “uncompete” through choice, action and resistance. We can and must shift away from a zero-sum mindset to succeed as individuals, teams, organizations and societies.
Few would disagree that inclusion is both the right thing to do and good for business. Then why are we so terrible at it? If we believe in the morality and the profitability of including people of diverse and underestimated backgrounds in the workplace, why don’t we do it? Because, explains Ruchika T. Malhotra, award-winning inclusion strategist and bestselling author of the award-winning “Inclusion on Purpose: An Intersectional Approach to Creating a Culture of Belonging at Work,” we don’t realize that inclusion takes awareness, intention, and regular practice. Inclusion doesn’t just happen; we have to work at it. In this talk, Malhotra presents inclusion best practices, showing how leaders and organizations can meaningfully promote inclusion and diversity. She centers the workplace experience of women of color, who are subject to both gender and racial bias, an intersection of gender and race, that can show us how to create inclusive workplaces that benefit all.
The pandemic has made a dramatic impact on women’s participation in the workplace. How can leaders create an environment that welcomes and supports their women, and other employees from historically underrepresented identities at work, as they seek to regain their professional footing? Ruchika T. Malhotra, award-winning inclusion strategist and a 2022 LinkedIn Top Voice for Gender Equity to Follow, says the answer lies in fixing the places where women work instead of fixing women at work. As the co-author of the groundbreaking article, “Stop Telling Women They Have Imposter Syndrome,” and its sequel, “End Imposter Syndrome in Your Workplace,” Malhotra draws on her experience and research to deliver clear and actionable frameworks to leaders interested in retaining top talent in their organizations.
The 21st century is primarily characterized by constant disruption. As leaders develop proactive strategies to answer seismic technological and cultural advancements, they find themselves asking how they can remain at the forefront of today’s developments. According to Ruchika T. Malhotra, award-winning strategist and bestselling author of the award-winning “Inclusion on Purpose” (2022), inclusion is the answer. “Without inclusion at the forefront of a leader’s agenda, I don’t believe a leader can be effective,” she explains. “Leaders must develop curiosity, empathy and diversity to take their leadership skills to the next level.” Encouraging leaders with a voice of optimism, she reframes today’s “Great Resignation” to a “Great Reimagination,” an opportunity for organizations to demonstrate their willingness to build a future with a wider variety of people and perspectives. Her frameworks deliver clear guidance on how to navigate tough conversations, listen with intent, build empathy and more, giving today’s leaders the practical tools they need to become the visionary executive of tomorrow.
Books by Ruchika T. Malhotra
Uncompete: Rejecting Competition to Unlock Success
Penguin, 2025
Inclusion on Purpose: An Intersectional Approach to Creating a Culture of Belonging at Work
The MIT Press, 2022
You, the Leader (HBR Women at Work Series)
Harvard Business Review, 2022
The Diversity Advantage: Fixing Gender Inequality in the Workplace
Ruchika Tulshyan, 2018Ruchika in the Media
Imagine a Singapore Without All That Hyper-Competition ($)
The Myth of Competition
The Joy and Success Found in Choosing to “Uncompete”
Want to Be Successful? Stop Competing ($)
How to Reject Competition to Unlock Success
How Work Has Changed for Women in Corporate America Over the Last 10 Years
Like Kamala Harris, My Name Has Been Mispronounced My Whole Life. Here’s How I Reclaimed It
Comparison Culture Is Harming Your Well-Being. Here’s How To Stop That
The Essentials: Handling Fierce Criticism
Applying an Intersectional Lens to Your DEIB Policy
Authentic Leadership: Episode 1 - What Does ‘Authenticity’ Mean?
How Colorism Affects Women at Work
Inclusion, diversity, and representation in the workplace have been hotly discussed topics over the past two years, which, to start, is long overdue. That said, it isn’t enough just to talk about these issues—they require active and persistent work to make any kind of lasting, positive change. Ruchika Tulshyan, CEO of consulting firm Candour, debunks a number of recent workplace self-help theories (like “leaning in” or establishing a “level playing field” or hiring someone because they fit within the preexisting office culture), while offering a guide to dismantling workplace bias, with a focus on the experience of women of color, who are subject to both gender and racial biases.
Fortune
With this important book, Tulshyan shows us how we can make progress toward inclusion and diversity—and we must start now.
Porchlight Book Company
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