From Calvin Klein Model to Google Executive: How Insurance Leader Henna Karna Embraces Nonconformity and Diversity of Thought
“I always enjoyed comments from others about being a “nonconformist.” Today’s woman dreamer, Henna Karna, an executive at Google Cloud focusing on the insurance and risk space, shares her leadership journey, and upcoming trends to know about in the insurance industry. From her top tips to building the best teams to how her childhood experiences as one of the few Indian-American kids encouraged her to embrace diversity and nonconformity, Henna shares how she became the leader she is today. She writes, “when it comes to my leadership style it's the individuality of each person that I really focus on. I don’t try to change anyone, but rather optimize what they bring to the table.” Enjoy her powerful story below!
1) Since your childhood, you have had the belief that women should not feel pressured to conformity. You were one of very few Indians when your family came to the U.S in the 80s. How did you stay true to yourself as kid, and what is your advice to others on this?
It is very good to align with family, colleagues, and communities. And, it's equally important to know that the difference within us is the value we bring to those around us. Hence, why I always enjoyed comments from others about being a “nonconformist.”
For example, when I was teaching I rarely conformed to one single textbook to teach from. During my time in the NY Fashion industry, I decided not to subscribe to any specific brand of clothing, which I remember frustrated colleagues because it made things less simple. Years later, having transitioned to an industry that applied more of my analytical expertise, I realized the one-off areas of mathematics only give us so much. However, when we brought together capabilities across varying fields of mathematics we could solve problems in more innovative and optimized ways. Being in the risk management industry now I realize that the joy of work is not to be siloed in one area, but to have exposure across a multitude of industries and bring together connection points that help us think “outside-in.”
Despite the industries I found myself working in throughout my career, I believe that the human being is at the center of it all. Today, we talk a lot about diversity.
Unfortunately, I did not feel empowered to be different in the 80s, when my family was among a handful of Desi families in Rhode Island. However, what I found compelling was the fact that joining forces with our community did not equal conformity but rather added a different point of view. I was very young when this occurred to me, because when people did not respect my ethnicity, I realized it was not a battle worth fighting but rather a crisis to learn from. I learned early on that changing myself to be accepted by the broader community was not something I would be comfortable doing.
Today, I lead with the guiding principle that diversity of thought and perspectives are incredibly meaningful and priceless. To achieve diversity of thought in a team or firm takes a lot of work, but in the end, it leads to outcomes very few of us could imagine on our own. A collective diverse mindhive in any organization or setting amazes me. It’s important to hire diverse colleagues, and equally important to also create an environment where diversity of thought is expected and encouraged. Willingness and patience to learn others’ points of view is important and incredibly rewarding.
2) You are currently an Executive at Google Cloud, and have served in many leadership roles throughout your career. You have had talent follow you to many different companies, and worked with teams across the world in multiple offices. You stated that the more you rise, the more ethical and value-driven you have to be. Tell us about your leadership style, what are your top three tips for leading a team?
I used to be a huge X-MEN and comic book fan because the premise of these stories is focused on how different every person was and how they had to work together for the greater good of the mission. Many of us have some very unique needs, including the need to be valued and relevant, the need to be true to oneself, and the need to be part of something bigger than ourselves.
With that in mind, when it comes to my leadership style it's the individuality of each person that I really focus on. I don’t try to change anyone, but rather optimize what they bring to the table.
The three things I never compromise on are:
Finding the passion in each individual. They will go the extra mile for what they are passionate about (and then match the work and requirements of the business to your employee’s aspirations).
Finding what takes them out of their element, and something that will also encourage growth and a new thought or skill in their lives (then provide support for their learning curve as they delve into this new, and complimentary space).
Building the dependencies of the firm’s success on groups of people versus individuals (and co-write goals and key performance indicators where the dependencies are understood across each of these groups).
Like everything, leadership is all about intent and culture. Culture dictates resilience, open-mindedness, and authenticity. I think those are the reasons why people respect each other and work together. I will always work as hard as I can and stay true to the mission of the firm and values of the whole team. That is an unwavering commitment that I stubbornly refuse to compromise on.
3) Tell us about the work you are doing now at Google Cloud in the insurance/risk solutions space. From your perspective, what are some trends you see in the risk management industry, coming in 2021/2022?
Google Cloud’s mission is to make the world's information available to everyone, and the work I am doing here is fully aligned with this mission. When we talk about insurance or risk management, we mean man-made risks as well as natural catastrophes. For example, we work with customers that are managing large fleets of airplanes in the aerospace industry, or marine companies that manage supply chain and logistics. We also partner with our customers to understand global risks such as the pandemic, extreme weather patterns and more. At Google Cloud we’re focused on empowering insurers with the tools to create personal experiences for customers. Additionally, we’re providing insurers with tools to better manage their risk, which helps them to capture market share, enter new markets, and provide customers with superior risk management. This is just the start, I’m excited to see what we can accomplish to help insurers unlock data as an asset and drive greater value for their customers.
From a trends perspective, there are several factors that should be considered. First, our world is changing dramatically and emerging risks like cyber and climate change are increasingly complex and will require partnerships across many industries to help mitigate the risk. Increasingly, industries are partnering together to help mitigate and think about the art of what's possible and what we can do together.
4) What were some challenges or moments in your career that you learned from? What was one of the major lessons you learned in your career that you feel every woman should know?
So many! Maybe too many. The solace is that when there is change, we grow. And if we are not growing, we are not living. My career has been filled with challenges and learning moments.
The biggest lesson is one I still have not mastered and that’s allowing myself the freedom to choose. I was not in the selective group of “fortunate-few” who knew early on what they wanted to be when they grew up or were born with such a differentiated talent that it gave them clarity on what they could give the world. I also did not ever think I would be in this industry, in this firm, or in this role. I was not planning or meticulously strategic as I would love to dream to be and imagine many successful colleagues are.
Like some Desi families, I was designated to be the engineer in the family but I decided to be a mathematician. Later on, I realized that balancing teaching and working did not give me any free time to pursue a doctorate degree. Then one day I just started going after my dream, and eventually realized that dream. Going to MIT was also something that came from realizing that I needed to grow in different ways.
Similarly, my career journey has been about learning what value I can add within a team, and within an organization. I try very hard to embrace the reality that the only choice I have is what I will bring to the table anywhere I go, and what I choose to learn from it all. This phenomenon of “choice” has felt so heavy, where many things felt as if they happened to me vs me shaping them. I had to relearn the concept of “choice,” and embrace who I am, what I make of the roads in front of me, and how I choose to live and help the world. This is the greatest choice of all. It’s a choice I feel I make every day.
5) What is your next big dream?
Simple things… like staying healthy, watching my children grow, and being there for my parents and my in-laws. These are the things I daydream about the most. Bigger dreams than that are moments when I think about what I can do for the world of education. This is one of my passions. I was fortunate enough that my family valued and expected achievement in education. It shaped my thinking about its importance. Equally, I have been known to have some pretty audacious dreams to help India’s education system and revamp the importance of education emphasizing “the whole person; the many dimensions of ourselves.” A mission-based education where every person gets to find what they like and lean into it, to collectively make the world a better place.
All in all, though, my next big dream is really a mosaic of beautiful moments that I hope to cherish for a lifetime. With that in mind, I say we toast to the “ordinary person” who aspires to achieve the “extraordinary” one day at a time!
Thank you so much Henna for sharing your story with us! We are excited to have you in our global women’s network!
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