Categorised under Business & Management and Leadership, EMPOWERED offers a refreshing perspective on leadership by beginning not with authority, position, or professional designation, but with self-awareness and self-belief. Through this book, Syeda Faiza addresses an important question faced by many women: What if the greatest barrier between a woman and the leader she can become is her own uncertainty about her potential?
The Ananta Press Sahitya Ratna Award recognises books and authors whose work demonstrates originality, meaningful thought, reader value, relevance, and the potential to create a lasting impact. The award committee looks beyond the subject of a book and considers how effectively the author communicates the central idea, how relevant the work is to contemporary readers, and whether the book contributes something valuable to its field.
EMPOWERED stood out during the evaluation process because of the clarity and relevance of its message. Instead of presenting leadership as a distant professional goal available only to managers, executives, or people in positions of authority, Syeda Faiza makes leadership accessible. She presents it as a process that begins when a person understands her strengths, emotions, values, fears, boundaries, capabilities, and purpose.
This inside-out approach is one of the strongest qualities of the book.
The book thoughtfully addresses self-doubt, imposter syndrome, fear of failure, comparison, societal expectations, and the tendency to wait until one feels completely ready. These are concerns that many capable women experience at different stages of their personal and professional lives. Rather than offering only motivational statements, the book encourages readers to understand these barriers and work through them consciously.
As the journey progresses, EMPOWERED introduces readers to important areas such as emotional intelligence, confidence, communication, decision-making, resilience, professional relationships, boundaries, influence, authenticity, and purpose. Each of these areas contributes to the larger idea that successful leadership begins with knowing and trusting oneself.
Another important reason for the book’s recognition is its approach to authentic leadership. Syeda Faiza does not ask women to copy an established image of what a leader should look or sound like. Instead, she encourages readers to develop their own leadership identity.
Qualities such as empathy, integrity, courage, emotional awareness, and authenticity are presented as genuine leadership strengths. This makes the book especially relevant at a time when leadership is increasingly understood not simply through authority, but through trust, communication, emotional understanding, and the ability to create meaningful influence.
The award committee also appreciated the book’s realistic treatment of failure and uncertainty. EMPOWERED does not create the impression that confident leaders never make mistakes or experience fear. It recognises that setbacks, difficult conversations, wrong decisions, criticism, and uncertainty are natural parts of growth.
The emphasis on resilience makes the message more practical. Confidence, as the book demonstrates, is not about never being afraid. It is about developing the ability to continue learning, adapting, and moving forward even when the outcome is uncertain.
The book’s attention to relationships and community adds another meaningful dimension. Leadership is not presented as a journey that takes place in isolation. Readers are encouraged to create supportive networks, find mentors, develop healthy professional relationships, build trust, and support other women.
This perspective expands the idea of leadership beyond individual achievement and connects it to shared progress.
The practical nature of the book further strengthens its contribution. Reflective questions, exercises, strategies, and real-world observations encourage readers not only to read the ideas but also to apply them. The reader is invited to examine personal habits, beliefs, behaviours, and aspirations and to identify areas where meaningful change can begin.
The later focus on purpose and legacy gives EMPOWERED an additional depth. The book gradually moves the reader beyond the question of career advancement and asks something more significant: What kind of impact should leadership create?
In doing so, Syeda Faiza reminds readers that leadership is ultimately not about recognition alone. It is about contribution, influence, responsibility, and the positive difference a person leaves behind.
The Ananta Press Sahitya Ratna Award committee recognises EMPOWERED for its accessible approach, practical value, contemporary relevance, positive message, and its ability to combine personal development with leadership learning.
Syeda Faiza has created a book that can speak to aspiring leaders, working professionals, entrepreneurs, students, managers, and women who simply want to become more confident in their decisions and their ability to influence their own lives.
At the centre of EMPOWERED is a message worth remembering: leadership does not begin when someone gives you a title. It begins when you recognise your own ability to contribute, influence, and create change.
Ananta Press warmly congratulates Syeda Faiza on this well-deserved recognition as a Winner of the Ananta Press Sahitya Ratna Award. We wish her continued success in her literary and professional journey and hope that EMPOWERED reaches many readers who are ready to recognise their abilities, trust their voices, and take meaningful steps towards leadership.
May this recognition encourage Syeda Faiza to continue contributing thoughtful, purposeful, and impactful work to readers and literature.
Jury Feedback
Glenville Ashby
EMPOWERED presents leadership in a way that feels personal and approachable. What I particularly appreciated while reading the book was the decision to begin with self-belief instead of immediately discussing management techniques or organisational authority. The author understands that many people may possess talent and potential while still questioning whether they are prepared to lead. The discussion of self-doubt and imposter syndrome gives the book emotional relevance, especially for women who may have spent years underestimating their own abilities. I also liked the progression from understanding oneself to communicating confidently, making decisions, developing resilience, and finally creating meaningful impact. The book never suggests that leadership requires becoming louder or adopting someone else’s personality. It encourages the reader to recognise her natural strengths and develop them responsibly. This makes EMPOWERED useful not only for established professionals but also for younger readers and aspiring leaders. It is encouraging, practical, and based on a message that can remain relevant throughout different stages of life.
Kavya Pandey
What stood out to me in EMPOWERED was the author’s understanding that confidence cannot simply be demanded from a person. People are often told to speak up, become confident, take opportunities, or stop doubting themselves, but they are rarely shown how to understand the thoughts that are holding them back. This book attempts to fill that gap. Syeda Faiza guides the reader through self-awareness, emotional intelligence, communication, decision-making, resilience, and professional relationships in a natural sequence. I found the emphasis on reflection especially useful because it encourages readers to think about their own experiences instead of accepting general advice without questioning it. Another strength is that the author does not present failure as something shameful. She treats mistakes, uncertainty, and setbacks as part of the leadership journey. This can be reassuring for readers who believe that they must become perfect before accepting responsibility. EMPOWERED offers a healthier idea of growth. It encourages women to recognise progress, practise confidence, and gradually develop the courage to lead in their own individual way.
Apeksha Gupta
I found EMPOWERED valuable because it connects personal development with professional leadership without separating the two. A person does not enter the workplace without emotions, fears, values, or previous experiences, and this book acknowledges that reality. Syeda Faiza explains that leadership begins with understanding how we think, react, communicate, and make decisions. The sections dealing with emotional intelligence and authenticity are particularly meaningful because modern leadership requires more than technical knowledge. Leaders also need to understand people, create trust, communicate clearly, and respond thoughtfully during difficult situations. I appreciated the author’s emphasis on empathy and integrity as strengths rather than weaknesses. The discussion around healthy boundaries is also important, especially for readers who may confuse leadership with constantly saying yes or trying to satisfy everyone. The book reminds women that they can be compassionate while still being clear and confident. Overall, EMPOWERED offers readers a thoughtful framework for becoming more aware of themselves and more intentional about the way they influence others. Its message is practical, encouraging, and relevant.
Kavita Kaushik
EMPOWERED carries an encouraging message without becoming unrealistic about the challenges involved in personal and professional growth. I appreciated that the author does not promise a life without fear, mistakes, criticism, or uncertainty. Instead, Syeda Faiza explains that these experiences are part of becoming stronger and more capable. Her treatment of resilience is one of the book’s important qualities. Readers are reminded that confidence does not mean always knowing what to do. Sometimes confidence means trusting yourself enough to make a decision, learn from the result, and continue moving forward. I also found the focus on finding one’s own leadership voice particularly effective. Women are often exposed to fixed ideas about how a successful leader should behave. EMPOWERED challenges that assumption and gives importance to authenticity, empathy, integrity, courage, and emotional awareness. This creates a more inclusive understanding of leadership. The book is easy to connect with because its ideas can be applied beyond formal management positions. Its lessons are equally useful in professional relationships, personal decisions, entrepreneurship, education, and everyday situations.
Neel Preet
The strongest element of EMPOWERED for me is its focus on the journey rather than only the final position. Many leadership books naturally concentrate on becoming a manager, leading a team, increasing influence, or improving organisational results. This book asks the reader to understand herself before attempting to lead others. That approach gives the work a distinctive identity. Syeda Faiza encourages women to examine their strengths, fears, values, emotional responses, communication habits, relationships, and sense of purpose. This creates a foundation on which practical leadership skills can be developed. I also appreciated the book’s discussion of networks, mentors, trust, and supporting other women. Leadership should not be understood as an individual race in which success belongs only to one person. The author presents leadership as something that can create opportunities and positive change for others as well. The final movement towards purpose and legacy gives the book a thoughtful conclusion. It encourages readers to ask not simply how successful they want to become, but what difference they want their leadership to make.
Deepak Seth
Reading EMPOWERED gives the impression of a conversation with readers who may already have the ability to lead but have not yet fully accepted that ability within themselves. The book’s core message is simple, but it carries considerable importance. Leadership begins before a title, promotion, or formal responsibility arrives. It begins with recognising that your ideas, decisions, actions, and voice have value. I particularly liked how Syeda Faiza connects confidence with action instead of presenting confidence as something a person must completely possess before taking the first step. The book encourages gradual development through awareness, reflection, communication, resilience, relationships, and purposeful action. Its accessibility is another positive feature. The ideas are not restricted to senior corporate professionals. Students, entrepreneurs, young professionals, managers, and women returning to professional life can all find useful lessons here. The emphasis on authenticity also deserves recognition. The author does not ask women to change their personalities to fit leadership expectations. Instead, she encourages them to develop their existing strengths with greater awareness, courage, and responsibility. That makes EMPOWERED both practical and encouraging.
