Redefining leadership in sport, Vani Kapoor

Less than a century after India became an independent nation, women in India are leading and excelling in every field. From the health sector to sports, Indian women are in no mood to slow down and are almost at par with their more privileged male counterparts. Today we are introducing to one such young woman and a leading female golfer, who has been named the ‘Hero Player of the Year 2014’: Vani Kapoor.

Vani has been performing consistently well and is leading the Hero Order of Merit. Having turned pro just three years ago she has already made a mark on the golfing circuit and in an interview with Shubhangini Arora for SheThePeople.TV, she talks about what it means to be a young leader.

What defines leadership according to you?

I would define Leadership as making a difference to the performance of everything around you by inspiring achievement. Leadership is about making a positive impact in people's lives in any given situation. Additionally, it is about standing ahead of everyone in tough times and behind when the team celebrates.

Who are among your inspirations to play golf and more importantly to learn core values from?

The person whom I derive inspiration from is definitely Tiger Woods. He was playing a totally different game and was far ahead than the rest during his peak time. The person whom I derive my core values from would be my coach Anitya Chand. He without a doubt is my backbone and an answer to all my questions.

Why is it important to have role models?

Having a role model is like having a live example to follow. It gives u a way to follow, to achieve your goals and there can be nothing more important then that. It's like you have a path carved for you.

If you had the chance to meet a leader like Ratan Tata or Tiger Woods, what two questions would you ask them and why?

I would ask them what have their mantras to success been and what encourages them or motivates them to achieve more and be different from others. I would also ask Tiger what is his day like so that I could follow the same. I would ask them these questions in a hope that I would become as successful as they are one day!

We have a campaign called #EveryWomanIsALeader and we would love to know your thoughts on why that is true?

Without a doubt Every Woman Is a Leader! There is nothing stronger than a woman in today's world and I firmly believe so. There is no field where a woman isn't excelling. They are excelling besides raising families and managing their homes. They are extremely independent and are brave enough to make choices for themselves. They are very career orientated. They excel in whichever field they choose be it as a housewife or on the professional front.

How has the game of golf changed you as person?

Well after experiencing golf in my life I have completely changed as a person. I am much more confident now and have the ability to express myself better. It's made me more responsible, focused, ambitious, even more hardworking and most importantly it's taught me time management. It's taught me to take responsibility for my own actions.

Why are patience and perseverance important to our lives?

I would say patience and perseverance are most important in our lives because hardwork does take time to pay off. One will not get immediate success. One should stay in the process and not be result oriented. It's the journey which is more important then the destination. It's the journey which makes the person grow.

As a young woman traveller - thanks to your passion in golf - what would you say roaming the world teaches you?

Being a young woman traveller is teaching me a lot. It is teaching me to grow as an individual. Learning different cultures around the world, meeting people of all walks of life, getting inspired to learn, grow more, be more successful, to achieve. It is education outside the classroom!

What would you define as the turning point in your life?

I am still waiting for my turning point in my life. Hopefully it will be my European Tour Ticket for 2016.

What's the essence of being a woman according to you?

Essence of me being a woman is to break the barriers which have been set by society in the past and achieve much more than other.