Handling subtle bias with tact
A leadership succession-planning review proved to be a lesson in tact for Sonia Kulkarni. Successors for a critical role were being discussed. One of the strong internal candidates was a woman who had consistently delivered results, built strong teams, and had great stakeholder feedback. However, as the discussion progressed, Kulkarni noticed a shift in tone. While the comments weren’t explicit, they sounded like: “She’s very capable, but does she have the presence for this role?”. The candidate’s ability to “handle some of the stronger personalities on the team” were questioned.
What struck Kulkarni was that male leaders with very similar styles had been promoted in the past based on their nature being collaborative and not overly aggressive. At that time, their “presence” hadn’t been questioned in the same way!
That is when the subtle bias and lack of neutrality hit her.
She was smart enough to not call it out as “bias” directly, as “it didn’t feel like the most effective way to move the conversation forward,” says Kulkarni.
Instead, she chose to pause the discussion and ask, “Can we ground this in what success in this role actually requires?” She pushed everyone to look at instances in the recent past where the candidate had handled difficult stakeholders and driven outcomes despite resistance.
Kulkarni smartly cited specific examples of a project where the candidate had pushed back on a senior stakeholder and delivered anyway. She tactfully brought in feedback from her team and cross-functional partners and steered the discussion toward the actual business outcomes she had led. Most importantly, Kulkarni dared to question, “Are we assessing her differently than others we’ve moved into similar roles?”
This courage to speak up at the right moment makes Sonia Kulkarni what she is today: the CHRO-India & South Asia at Ingram Micro. An HR leader who doesn’t just ensure fairness in process but actively shapes how decisions are being made in the room.
“Bias at senior levels is rarely obvious—it’s in the language we use and the standards we apply unconsciously,” says Kulkarni. She goes on to point out, “If you confront too directly, people can become defensive; But if you re-anchor the conversation in evidence and consistency, you can shift thinking without escalating tension.”
“Bias at senior levels is rarely obvious—it’s in the language we use and the standards we apply unconsciously”
In the business of human behaviour
“Culture is shaped far more by leadership behaviour than HR strategy,” says Kulkarni. And this is the second important lesson she has learnt from her experience. She has come to realise how deeply entrenched human behaviour is at the workplace and how little is actually about policies or processes.
When she started out armed with an MBA, Kulkarni expected structure but what she found was complexity. A strong EVP, policies, and programmes cannot drive culture. In reality, “Culture mirrors what top leaders do, not what HR designs,” she observes. Shadow culture (informal norms) often beats formal initiatives. According to her, “HR is really the business of human behaviour, and no textbook/ degree fully prepares you for that”.
“Culture mirrors what top leaders do, not what HR designs”
Being fair vs being pleasing
The decisions that earn respect in the long run are often the same ones that reduce likeability in the short term. Kulkarni suggests an internal shift first, “Stop equating being liked with being effective”. Then she urges an external one: “Anchor yourself in ‘fair, not pleasing’”.
She has learnt to be practical and never ask herself “Will they like this?” Instead, she asks “Is this fair, consistent, and defensible?”
After all, likeability may fluctuate, but credibility compounds!
Guided by ethics and Dharma
Although Sonia Kulkarni started out as a trusted business partner known for finding a quick fix to all problems, she matured into a senior executive with clarity. To her, now leadership is about managing through uncertainty knowing that there is often no right answer. Often called upon to make decisions with incomplete information, she relies on ethics and Dharma as her guiding principles.
“My style today is direct but empathetic, firm on principles but flexible on approach. I’ve also become far more comfortable saying ‘I don’t know, let’s figure it out together’,” shares Kulkarni.
Today, she is a measured, not reactive leader. She prefers being direct and not abrasive; warm, but not seeking approval. This business-savvy and commercially- sharp HR leader tries to remain sensitive, influential and transformational with a strong ethical backbone.
Quick-fire
One book that changed your perspective on leadership?
The Professional by Subroto Bagchi. It taught me that leadership credibility is built less on brilliance and more on consistency of behavior over time
Your mantra for difficult days?
“This too is work and this too shall pass.”
Best career advice you’ve ever received?
Build relationships before you need them.
Morning ritual that sets you up for success?
Thirty minutes of quiet reflection before the noise begins — no phone, just me and honest intention.
If not HR, what career path would you have pursued?
Probably business — I’ve always been drawn to harnessing energies of people for growing business.
What energises you most about your work?
Watching someone grow into a version of themselves they didn’t think was possible.
Strategic HR: Theory vs practice
At a senior level, ‘strategic HR’ stops being a concept and becomes very visible in choices, trade-offs, and where you spend your time. In practice, it begins from the business, not HR. It begins not with engagement, capability building and culture programmes but with what the business is trying to achieve in the next 12–36 months. Whether it is expanding into new markets, dealing with margin pressure/cost restructuring, transforming digitally or facing leadership pipeline gaps.
Strategic HR, therefore, is not about asking “What HR initiatives should we run?” but “What people risks could derail the business strategy?”
Once you understand the business, you convert it into a few critical talent priorities, not a laundry list. For instance, aggressive growth for the business will require strategic HR focus on hiring speed and leadership bandwidth. Cost optimisation would require organisational redesign and productivity. Market expansion would need market mapping with local leadership capability, and so on.
Strategic HR is about making choices between what matters most, what can wait and what not to do at all.
It is when a CEO calls you not because there’s a crisis, but because they’re thinking two years ahead and they know talent, culture, and capability will determine whether they get there.
Anchoring people through transformation
Kulkarni and her team are concentrating on three things for the future: building adaptability into how we hire and develop people, rethinking what the employee experience looks like in a hybrid and AI-augmented world, and ensuring our culture is strong enough to hold through constant change. One key area of focus is organisational design as a continuous process, not a one-time exercise.
The future organisation is flatter, faster, and more fluid with a balance of efficiency and effectiveness. Here, HR not just facilitates transformation but anchors people through it. Change is exhausting without trust, and trust is something HR has to deliberately build.
Observing leadership in real situations
Kulkarni draws inspiration from everyday leaders inside the organisations that she has worked in. She is inspired by business leaders who handle tough calls with integrity; managers who balance empathy with accountability; individuals who evolve when given feedback; and her own team members who manage tough situations with grace and fairness.
From her level of seniority, she sees inspiration as less about ‘iconic leaders’ and more about observing leadership in real and every-day situations at work.