There is no shortage of conversations encouraging women to dream big. Girls are told they can become entrepreneurs, leaders, CEOs, or anything they aspire to be. But somewhere along the way, an important part of the conversation is left out. No one prepares them for what success may ask of them, says Priyancka.
For Priyancka Agarwaal, leadership was never just about building a business. It was about taking responsibility long before she was expected to. Growing up without a father, beginning work at the age of sixteen, starting her own firm at twenty-seven, and later dealing with the loss of her brother, were some of the most intense events of her life that not just shaped her identity but also her understanding of independence and responsibility.
As the Founder of Enorma, a real estate sales and strategic partner with over 15 years of industry experience, Priyancka Agarwaal has built her career in a sector where women are still underrepresented in leadership. According to her, the issue has never been women’s ability to lead, but society’s perception of who a leader is.
Real estate has traditionally been viewed as a relationship-driven industry, but relationships alone are not enough. The industry demands strategy, negotiation, consistency, and execution. None of these are qualities reserved for one gender. Yet women often find themselves having to prove their credibility more than once. Their decisions are questioned more closely, while confidence is sometimes mistaken for arrogance.
As women grow into leadership positions, another lesson begins to emerge. Success is not only about saying yes to opportunities; it is also about learning when to say no.
For Priyancka, drawing boundaries became one of the most important leadership skills she developed. Saying no to disrespect, to unequal professional relationships, and to situations where competence was overshadowed by gender was not always easy. There were times when working with people who were uncomfortable taking direction from a woman simply wasn’t worth the effort.
“Not every opportunity deserves to be pursued, and not every professional relationship needs to be preserved,” says Priyancka.
Priyancka believes the “woman card” is not a business strategy. Opportunities may open a door, but credibility is built through work. Results create trust. Consistency earns respect. Gender should never become a substitute for competence.
At the same time, acknowledging the challenges women face is not asking for special treatment. It is recognising that equal opportunities do not always translate into equal experiences.
Perhaps the biggest myth women continue to hear is that they can “have it all.”
The idea is well intentioned, but incomplete. Building a career, leading a business, caring for family, navigating personal relationships, and showing up for everyone around you all come with trade-offs. Success is rarely about having everything. It is about deciding what matters most and having the courage to live with those choices.Maybe that is the conversation young women need more.
They need to know that ambition comes with responsibility. Boundaries are not selfish and self respect is more valuable than approval. And that success is not measured by how much they manage to carry, but by whether they have built a life that reflects their own choices rather than everyone else’s expectations.
That is perhaps the most important lesson women in leadership can pass on; not that they can have it all, but that they have the right to choose what “all” means for themselves.
Follow her on: Instagram of Priyancka Agarwaal
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