CEOS
3
2021
Edition
2021 | VOL 07 | ISSUE 02
Inspiring
PROFESSIONAL INSIGHTS
I am a firm believer in not putting off until tomorrow what can be done today
PROFESSIONALISM AT WORK - HOW HAS IT EVOLVED OVER THE YEARS? WORK CULTURE DYNAMICS CULTIVATING A ROBUST WORK CULTURE WHAT ARE THE STEPS?
Partner and CEO
Nathan Hunt Leading Gateway to Success while Providing Excellent Customer Experiences
Editor’s Note A
company’s growth squarely depends upon the way it is led by the chief executive officer. The CEO is the face of a company, the altruistic leader for whom the growth of the company and the growth of the employees are of paramount importance. Their success is his/her success.
THEY INSPIRE, THEY MOTIVATE, THEY UPLIFT
And while there are many self-help books on leadership, nothing compares to those who lead from the front. The CEOs are the anchors of the ship that can steer you and the company in the right direction. They have to be impactful, decisive, convincing, collaborative, and should be able to deliver relevant results with strategic and critical thinking. Excellent and effective communication skills are most vital to achieve all of these. They are also the problem shooters and sharp to anticipate an approaching one. Dynamic is their middle name. With changing times, the role of CEOs has also pleasantly changed. Gone are those days when a CEO was a disciplinarian, demanded result irrespective of any hurdle and were not easy to approach. Today’s CEOs are those leaders who are empathetic, easy to approach, warm, and dependable. The goals remain
Sumita Sarkar Editor-in-Chief
sumita@insightssuccess.com
the same – professionalism (read discipline/work ethics) and goal-oriented result; only the routes to accomplish these have changed - a more humane approach. Hence, the word ‘Boss’ has become a word of the past. Today, it has been replaced by the word ‘Leader’. And, it is not just a word, it is a personality. No longer are employees bullied (demotivating is bullying) and no longer are the superiors mocked/gossiped about in private. Today, leaders can be trusted; they are looked up to and are ever-encouraging. They have altered the age-old adage ‘Perform or Perish’ to ‘Perform Before You Perish’. They are well-aware that employees who are cared for and valued deliver the best results and are most loyal. Being a CEO is, however, no cakewalk. Add to it the fundamental shifts triggered off by technology that has redefined the functioning of an organisation and obviously the CEO too. The new normal imposed by the Covid-19 pandemic has only accentuated the urgency to redefine leadership. The dynamic leaders rose to the need of the hour and proved their mettle once again.
The more successful a CEO is the more valuable he becomes for the company, an asset that the latter would retain for good. This is the era of the CEOs! Our latest edition of Insights Success, Inspiring CEOs Edition 3 brings you the stimulating journey of some CEOs who refused to falter under any adversity and did not fail to grab any opportunity that boosted the growth of the company. We hope you enjoy this edition as you discover one interesting journey after another. Have an engrossing read!
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Ankur Singla
Claudia Vergueiro Massei
Dr. Bhuvana Saravanan
A Passionate Business Leader Committed to Transform Business in Oman
Dedicatedly Transforming Children into the Leaders of Tomorrow
Providing Certification and Assurance to Companies in India
Next-gen Leader
24
36 Upasana Kamineni Konidela A Leader with Exceptional Values
CXO
Entrepreneurial Insights How to Become a Prosperous and Successful Entrepreneur?
Work Culture Dynamics Cultivating a Robust Work Culture What are the Steps?
CONT ENTS 08
Nathan Hunt
Leading Gateway to Success while Providing Excellent Customer Experiences
32 Professional Insights Professionalism at Work How has it Evolved Over the Years?
C O V E R S T O R Y
20
ARTICLES
Editor-in-Chief Sumita Sarkar Deputy Editor Abhishaj Sajeev Managing Editor Darshan Parmar
sales@insightssuccess.com
Assisting Editor Ananda Kamal Das
JULY, 2021
Contributing Writers Nidhi, Vinayak
Corporate Offices: Chief Designer Priyanka Rajage Designing Head Rahul Shinde Co-designers Vishal, Rashmi
Operations Head Megha Mishra Business Development Manager Ashwini Pahurkar Business Development Lead Tejswini Whaval Business Development Executive Asif Patel
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CEO S 2021 Inspiring
Management
Company Name
Brief
Ankur Singla CEO
Paramount Quality Certifications and Revolutionary Consultants
Mr. Ankur Singla enjoys challenges and wants to learn and grow in his work
Claudia Massei CEO
Siemens Oman
As Siemens Oman's CEO, Claudia is committed to enabling the digital transformation in the sultanate and to contributing to its economic development
Dr. Bhuvana Saravanan CEO
Ashiyana Public School
Dr. Bhuvana Saravanan is transforming the education sector through her committed endeavors
Nathan Hunt Partner and CEO
Gateway Group of Companies
Nathan Hunt is a devoted CEO who is changing the face of business with his dedication
Upasana Kamineni Konidela Founder and Managing Director
URLife
Upasana Kamineni believes in creating value for whatever work she undertakes and delivers it in a dynamic way
NATHAN
Hunt Partner and CEO
Leading Gateway to Success while Providing Excellent Customer Experiences
I believe that getting up and getting on with your day is the only way to succeed in business
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nspiring CEOs are driven by the zeal to achieve something new with their dedicated endeavors. They are team players and always focus on helping and uplifting every team member or employee. They never give up in the face of adversity and look at every challenge as an opportunity to make a difference in the business and the industry. These dedicated CEOs believe in teamwork and innovation. They learn from their mistakes and always come up with out-of-the-box ideas and approaches. One such devoted CEO who is transforming the face of the business is none other than Nathan Hunt, the Partner and CEO of Gateway Group of Companies. He is a trained chef with experience in Europe and the West Indies before settling in the UAE in 2004. There, he continued in the food and beverage industry until he reached the top of his profession as a Regional Group Executive Chef. Over the years, many junior chefs who worked under Nathan, have moved with him when he took on a new position as he believed in training them well and providing a good working environment. “Now, some of those chefs hold prestigious roles in leading hotels and restaurants, which is very satisfying for me to have been part of their development,” says Nathan. He believes that working as a chef is a highly challenging job. He had gained various easily transferrable management skills over the years, which helped him enhance Gateway's business. These skills include managing teams, stakeholders, and suppliers; striving for excellence; cost control; implementing standard operating procedures; keeping on top of trends and anticipating the next; and so on. About Gateway Group of Companies The Gateway Group of Companies assists organizations to mitigate the risks of getting licensed to do business in the UAE. It aids its clients to choose the right license for their business and long-term goals, ensuring the protection of their assets and profits. The company's on-the-ground knowledge and experience ensure license procedures are carried out efficiently and its nominee corporate sponsor service provides its clients with the control and protection of their businesses, if they need it. A Goal-Focused Leader Nathan believes that getting up and getting on with
your day is the only way to succeed in business. He is a firm believer in not putting off until tomorrow what can be done today. He starts his day normally at around 4:30am as he gets a good couple of hours of work done before the rest of the team gets into the office. “Having those couple of hours extra means that I can get on to virtual meetings with the Far East and also catch the US west coast before they finish for the day”. Nathan believes that being based in the UAE and having the advantage of time zones, it is always great to start the day by completing some virtual meetings at first. Taking on Challenges Enthusiastically Nathan states, “The very nature of our business is a challenge, which is why our clients engage us to navigate government departments and manage government processes on their behalf”. During Nathan's time with Gateway, there have been so many changes such as the country positioning itself as an attractive market for FDI. Hence, keeping on top of these issues and confidently guiding clients to the best solutions for their needs has been his goal. Nathan opines, “Despite many of Gateway's competitors being price-driven and focusing on getting as many new clients as possible, irrespective of whether the product is right for the client, Gateway always remains committed to doing what is right for the client and providing value-based services with a personal touch”.
We help organizations to choose the right license for their business and longterm goals
Inspiring CEOs 2021
The advent of the pandemic last year was the biggest challenge Nathan had ever faced. Not only did he need to keep Gateway's business operating, but he also had to look after their employees and had to support their clients. Initially, parts of the company's services came to a stand-still due to the lockdowns, but the team adapted to new processes and kept the clients informed. Facing the Pandemic Bravely Nathan states that organizing visas for people to work in Abu Dhabi and Dubai is reliant upon people movement. During the first few months of the pandemic, Gateway experienced a slowdown in company formations whilst prospective clients reevaluated their market entry strategies. However, during that time, a new area of business was established for them – expats setting up
companies to get their own visas to be able to stay in the UAE. “Now that the ‘new normal’ is better understood, international companies are continuing their expansions and investments into the UAE, which is spurred on by the new 100% foreign ownership of businesses in certain sectors”, says Nathan. Nathan opines that as far as the team is concerned, Gateway is a very employee-focused business. It understands that its employees are its business. Therefore, its approach is always to treat them with respect and to value their contribution to the business. Therefore, it was important for the company to be able to keep each of its employees. “I'm delighted to advise that we have achieved this and each of them retains their full salary too”, he states. Nathan further adds that internally, they refer to the team as their Gateway family. They operate as a team and support each other.
During the initial days of the pandemic, everyone in the team was crucial to staying on top of regulatory and process changes so that they could provide the most up-to-date information and solutions to support to their clients. Emphasis on Employee Empowerment Nathan states, “Our approach is to treat employees as we would like to be treated ourselves and to provide a happy and healthy working environment that we would love to work in if we were in their shoes”. The company does this in numerous ways including having a funky office; empowering each employee; offering three months maternity and paternity leave (the norm is 45 days and 7 days, respectively). Nathan allows the staff to avail flexi-time to accommodate their personal/family routines. He actively discourages overtime – he understands that time outside of work is important too. Essentials of an Inspiring Business Leader Nathan believes that CEOs need to have a clear vision for the business and ensure that their teams understand what that is and how they each contribute
NATHAN HUNT Partner and CEO
to it. He also emphasizes that innovation is the key to success. Under his leadership, the company is always trying to do things better. Nathan is of the opinion that being client focused is essential too. “Without our clients, we don't have a business, so understanding their needs and the difficulties they face when expanding into a new territory is important,” he states. Gateway's management team have invested their own money to initially set up Gateway, as well as subsequently establishing other new businesses of their own in the UAE. As a result of this, Nathan believes that Gateway is uniquely positioned to understand their client's concerns about starting businesses in the UAE and provide solutions
accordingly, as he has first-hand experience himself as an expat investor in the country. Therefore, Nathan understands the risks of doing business overseas and the implications of making the wrong decisions. Therefore, Gateway's services are designed to ensure control and protection for its clients. Nathan adds, “We treat our clients as we would like to be treated, we are honest, and make suggestions with integrity – we want long term relationships with our clients, so if we can help to set strong foundations in the UAE, it ultimately helps our business too”. Under Nathan's astute leadership, Gateway provides swift services. The company prides itself on excellent communications. It confirms costs in advance to avoid nasty surprises during a project. This way, Nathan ensures their clients' focus remains on building their own businesses rather than being distracted by compliance matters. Words of Wisdom Addressing the young entrepreneurs of tomorrow, Nathan states that a successful leader is a person who has a vision for making changes and improvements. They possess the determination and perseverance to find solutions to make those changes happen and the courage to take decisions. One should always be thinking ahead, anticipating changes, and identifying opportunities. He further states, “It's also important to have charisma and portray your personal values to attract and surround yourself with a good team and a powerful network as you will need to be able to influence their support throughout your journey”. Scaling the Future With many changes on the horizon for business in the UAE, Nathan leads Gateway Group of Companies to
continue to focus on government announcements that will affect the business and its clients. “The UAE's FDI plans include attracting 700,000 new companies over the next decade. It is positioning itself as a key business hub and has been updating company and visa regulations during the last few years to be more attractive, which is now being reflected in the various global indexes, for example, it is currently ranked the 4th most competitive market globally”, says Nathan. He states that Gateway is well-positioned to play a contributing factor to the UAE's FDI goals. Hence, his company will continue to support organizations expanding into the UAE because its on-the-ground knowledge and experience are invaluable to such companies. Nathan adds, “Our services will evolve along with the regulatory environment and we'll continue to be the authority on company formation and market entry, accordingly”. Over the last couple of years, the group has diversified its investments across a variety of sectors including energy, the arts, F&B, and property. Nathan states that a part of Gateway's growth strategy will be continuing to identify such investment opportunities and its global partnerships.
Ankur Singla Providing Certification and Assurance to Companies in India
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he International Standards Organization (ISO) is an independent body which certifies the standards of the organization. Standards can be defined as quality, safety and efficiency of the products or services provided by the businesses. ISO 9001 certification outlines the importance of high-quality goods and services. Also, when you find an increased market rate or tough struggle in being differentiated, ISO comes into play helping you to sustain and thrive in the market. Paramount Quality Certifications and Revolutionary Consultants, both are dealing in ISO Certification services with wide presence in India and overseas. Paramount Quality Certifications has worked with giant clients like National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC), Tata Steel, Voltas and many other international clients. The company takes pride in the fact that it is never very far from clients. Mr. Ankur Singla’s (CEO) goals, passion and inner motivation spirit inspires him to wake up every day and helps him learn from the iconic businessman, Shri. Ratan Tata who has achieved great success and heights. Daily, he likes to read one article of Mr. Tata that helps him make a difference in the respective industry he is catering to. He is working for Tata’s since 2018. Shri Tata’s dictum which motivates Mr. Singla: If you want to go fast, go alone; If you want to go far, go together. Starting a business is a big achievement for many entrepreneurs, but maintaining one is the larger challenge. There are many standard challenges every business faces, whether they are large or small. These include things such as hiring the right people, building a brand, developing a customer base, and so on. There are many challenges to be faced while running a business, few could be like Client dependence: If a single client makes up more than half of your income, you are more of an independent contractor than a business owner. Diversifying your client is vital to growing a business, but it can be sometimes difficult to make the client willing to cooperate and pay well and on time. Having a client willing to pay on time for a product or service is a godsend.
Mr. Ankur Singla CEO of Paramount Quality Certifications
Money management: Having enough cash to cover the bills is a must for any business. Running out of cash makes growing of a business impossible. Money management becomes even more important when cash is flowing into the business.
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Inspiring CEOs 2021
Fatigue: The hours, the work, and the constant pressure to perform wear out even the most passionate individuals. Many business owners get stuck working much longer hours than their employees. Fatigue can lead to rash decisions about the business, including the desire to abandon it completely. Balancing quality and growth: There comes a time when a business must sacrifice a product or a service due to some issues with it. It is usually that level of personal engagement and attention to detail that makes business successful. Describing about their mission: To become a leading organization in the Certification/Validation/Verification business in the upcoming years.Their vision – To be a progressive company recognized for its transparency, strength, credibility and impartiality. Their core values – They aim to provide an impartial, realistic and practical approach. Overcoming Pandemic Challenges COVID-19 crises brought about fundamental changes in consumer behaviour, supply chains and routes to market are knocking companies off balance. This company adopted ways to safeguard the employees by disinfecting the workplace, asking sick employees to stay at home, encouraging employees to work remotely and have virtual meetings, and communicate contingency plans to employees. Paramount Quality Certifications has provided virtual support to all employees and virtual meetings and trainings to all employees. Tips for Budding Entrepreneurs The suggestions that Mr. Singla has for young generation of entrepreneurs are • To adapt quickly • Should have ability to captivate audience with ideas • Decision-making skills to better the business • Challenge others by setting the bar high. • Adapt ability to work in a team and cooperate • Good communication skills • Listen and be actionable • Evidence-based approach
MOTIVATING OTHER PEOPLE IS A CRITICAL PART OF THE FORMULA OF ACHIEVING YOUR GOALS AND DREAMS, AND WHEN MASTERING THE PEOPLE FORMULA IT COMES DOWN TO LEVELS OF LEADERSHIP IN BUSINESS
Eyes on the Future In terms of future growth, Mr. Singla wants to learn and grow in his work, to have increased responsibilities and skills. He enjoys challenges and would like everyone to know that he is constantly meeting new challenges. His goal is to be the best at whatever level he is working at in the company. Mr. Singla would love to take his company to greater heights. He believes that working hard could put the company on the list of top companies and he wants the company to be reputed and well known in all spheres. Motivating other people is a critical part of the formula of achieving goals and dreams, and when mastering the people formula, it comes down to levels of leadership in business, like -Worker – At the base level is the worker style leader. They do their job well, don’t ask for much and don’t aspire toward much. It is as simple as that. Some owners fit that role as well as the people on their terms. Backstage leader – This is a person who can overcome fears of what others think because of their passion, all the while rallying people from behind the scenes. Sometimes that is good and sometimes it can be damaging to a team. Performance leader – They have mastered their craft, and they inspire others because of their achievement. We are inspired by legends, and they make for great models.
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Claudia Vergueiro Massei A Passionate Business Leader Committed to Transform Business in Oman
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n inspiring CEO has strong ambition and optimism. They are receptive and listen to their colleagues and subordinates. These CEOs are always motivated to achieve their goals with efficiency. They are adaptable to every difficult situation and possess nerves of steel. One such renowned personality who is transforming the business scenario is Claudia Vergueiro Massei, the CEO of Siemens Oman. She is a prominent global leader who leads a team of over 60 people responsible for promotion, sales, and project execution of the complete Siemens portfolio (oil and gas solutions, power generation, electrification, control and automation, smart building technologies and digital offerings) in the Sultanate of Oman. In an interview with Insights Success, Ms. Claudia shares her professional journey, her inspiration, and her perspective about the business. Following are the highlights of the interview: Describe your professional journey as a business leader. Originally from Brazil, I commenced my career in strategy consulting, undertaking assignments in France, Morocco, South Africa, and the United States, besides my home country. I subsequently co-founded a SaaS ed-
tech startup in Brazil, Eduqo, which I ran before joining Siemens. I developed my passion for education during my college days, when I worked as part-time teacher preparing students for university entrance exams in Brazil. At Siemens, I held positions in Germany, Denmark, and China for various business fields, including wind power and rail automation, before taking over as CEO of Siemens Oman – where I drive business in power distribution, smart grid, smart buildings, control and automation, and digital solutions for industrial applications. I am also the co-chair of the Industrial Advisory Board of the College of Engineering of Sultan Qaboos University, a Board Member of Casimiro Montenegro Filho Foundation and I sit on the Advisory Board of Battery Associates and Steering for Greatness Foundation. I was nominated by Forbes as one of the most powerful businesswomen in the Middle East in 2020 and 2021 and by LinkedIn as one of its 2020 Top Voices. I am also a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader. I hold an Aeronautical Engineering Degree from Instituto Tecnologico de Aeronautica, an MBA from the Wharton School and an MA in
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International Studies from the Lauder Institute, University of Pennsylvania. What inspires you to wake up every day and keep making a difference in the respective industry you are catering to? I am committed to enabling the digital transformation in the sultanate and to contributing to its economic development. Since a lot of what Siemens does relates to basic infrastructure and industrial applications, our projects impact millions of lives every single day – which I find particularly inspiring and motivating. In the last three years, we have closed the largest contract in Siemens Oman history (EUR 200 MM) for a single power and water plant with an installed capacity of 326 MW and 36,000 m3of desalinated water for Duqm refinery and petrochemical facilities (including a 25-year service contract). We have also deployed the first Siemens cybersecurity pilot project in the world in cooperation with Nozomi Networks for an intrusion detection system for a power substation, which prevents blackouts by keeping the substation safe from cyber-attacks. We also have developed a smart microgrid project in cooperation with the College of Engineering of Sultan Qaboos University and The Research Council;
Inspiring CEOs 2021
Claudia Vergueiro Massei CEO
“
Strive to be the best version of yourself, without trying to imitate others or forcefully conforming to everyone's expectations 17| July 2021| www.insightssuccess.in
supply chains, and smarter buildings and grids, to cleaner and more comfortable transportation as well as advanced healthcare, we create technology with purpose adding real value for customers. By combining the real and the digital worlds, we empower our customers to transform their industries and markets, helping them to transform the everyday for billions of people. Core values: Responsibility, Excellence, Innovation How has the current pandemic affected your business and what steps have you taken to safeguard your employees while catering to your clients? We have already had a “distributed operation” among Oman, UAE, Germany, India, and other countries for many years now. Therefore, online collaboration tools for video conferences, shared drives for storing documents on the cloud and many other digital solutions were something we were very much used to. Once we realized in March 2020 that the situation was serious, we closed our offices from one day and started working from home.
microgrids shall play a key role in a future of decentralized energy generation, when renewables contribution will increase, and technology will be required to ensure grid resilience and reliability. I have also launched the first Talent Program by a multinational company in the sultanate aimed at recruiting and
developing Omani fresh graduates. Brief us about the operations of your company, its mission, vision, and core values. Siemens is a technology company focused on industry, infrastructure, transport, and healthcare. From more resource-efficient factories, resilient
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Unfortunately, for the field engineers who provide site services not much could change, as they still needed to physically go to customer facilities to “keep the lights on and the world running” – which all of us are very much proud of and thankful for. Siemens equipped them with protective gear and with trainings to increase awareness about the COVID-19 infection process and how to avoid it. As things eased up, we reopened the office (we moved offices during the pandemic) to those who preferred to work from the office, which remains not mandatory to these days as we face the highest numbers of the pandemic
ever seen in Oman. Another aspect of the pandemic that has impacted our business has been the oil crisis and the consequent reduction of liquidity in the market. What creative ways have you employed to make the work environment of your company vibrant? At Siemens, we have focused a lot on caring for each other and on growth mindset in order to ensure the mental health and the self-development of our team. We have a program in the Middle East called ‘Be Golden’ that focuses on treating yourself and others how you and they deserve to be treated, including mindfulness and appreciation for each other. We also have started a campaign to replace annual performance appraisals by a constant dialog program called ‘Growth Talks’, focusing on clarifying expectations, giving timely recognition, discussing career growth perspectives, and stimulating everyday learning. At Siemens Oman, more specifically, we have one WhatsApp group with the purpose of checking on each other and sharing personal news. We recognize the need to constantly communicate and stay in touch to guarantee that the group dynamics remain alive. According to you, what are the essentials of being an apt business leader? Keep yourself curious enough to keep exploring possibilities and adopt a growth mindset, which is the idea that everything can be learned with a certain amount of effort. Of course, this learning happens much more easily when you step out of your comfort zone to do something new. Strive to be the best version of
yourself, without trying to imitate others or forcefully conforming to everyone's expectations: it is simply a lot of effort, a lot of energy and a lot of time that you will have to invest if you want to do this. Moreover, the result will not be as good as it can be if you focus all your energy on simply being authentic. Do what you think is right: not what is convenient, or what is expected, nor what is easy. By doing so, you will leave things better than you found them and will certainly be remembered for this. What would you like to share with the young generation of entrepreneurs who are looking to step into a leadership role in their respective businesses? When trying to develop something for the long term, patience and perseverance are essential. Life is a marathon, not a sprint, so accept that things do not just happen overnight. The law of compound efforts is very wise: compound efforts can produce spectacular results, if you can maintain discipline, be patient, and take the time to achieve them. However, just as time can benefit you, it can also harm you, so do not forget to always imagine and consider the long-term consequences of each of your actions today. If you want to build something, do not wait to be ready, just get started - the ideas only get clearer as you work on them. And allow yourself the freedom to fail and learn from every mistake
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without thinking you have something to lose. Speaking of failure, if you keep increasing your demand level constantly, trying to stretch your limits, inevitably, at some point in your life, you will fail or at least have the perception that you have failed. When that happens, be sure to learn from each mistake and remember that failure does not exist, what exists is just life pushing us in another direction. Finally, stay true to your values and surround yourself with good people who share them. Stop for a moment and ask yourself, “What really matters? Which values are most important to me to make a serious and meaningful contribution to the world?” Each person will have different answers, but I hope they all have something related to ethics, honesty, respect, responsibility, justice, generosity. You will increasingly find that having good people around is the key to success (whatever your definition of success is) and that identifying these good people will be much more challenging than you expect. However, remember never to compromise on this point!
Cultivating Work
a Robust
Culture
What are the Steps
?
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Work Culture Dynamics
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robust work culture always improves performance of the company. Few decades ago, the term - ‘work culture’ was not well-known. But it is getting more attention with the time. Now a days, most of the companies are focusing on building a strong culture. The company growth depends on the employees. How interested are they towards their work? What do they think about the company? Do they enjoy their work or not? Such types of questions need to be answered. These can be achieved by cultivating a robust work culture. This article will guide you about some of the useful steps to prepare a work process. Let's discuss about them1) Open Communication System If you are leading a successful company, you must give preference to the open communication system. This system allows the workers to be more enthusiastic and understand their role in the company. Participation of employees in the communication impact them specifically and the company growth also. The higher management should discuss about their longterm goals with their employees. Effective communication may look easy, but it requires efforts to carry that. Regular talking with your employees and co-workers will make sure they are well aware of their responsibilities. 2) Setting Clear Goals for the Company Each company needs to set their short-term and long-term goals. These goals should be S-M-A-R-T ones i.e., they should be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound. Your consistent progress will create momentum for the long-term goals. Be sure to keep a measuring track of your progress. The best way to measure your performance is to set KPIs (Key Performance Indicator). Revise your progress timely.
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This will eliminate the possibility of donkey work and make sure you are walking on the correct path. 3) Rewards and Promotions Employee responds better to the appreciation for their hard work. It encourages them to do their work with better mindset. A simple appreciation gesture also matters for the employees. They get pleased with these gestures, in result benefitting the company. Employees do their work more enthusiastically for getting rewards. Some of the employees are really hard working and committed towards their work. Promotion of such type of hard-working employees could benefit a company too. Happiness plays a vital role for the productivity of the company. 4) Open to Feedback Feedback helps people to get better understanding of their strengths and weaknesses. Feedback is not about only praising and seeking, but it should be constructive. It will help them to learn and grow. Everyone wants to be good at their work and feedback is a powerful way to improve yourself. Feedback is an important factor to define the quality of relationship between company and workers. It need not to be in a secret manner, rather a group meeting will be useful for underlining everyone’s abilities. A regular feedback can create more effective teams. 5) Flexibility of Work The term flexible working is often used for working parents. But looking at a bigger picture, it is applicable to all types of employees. Flexible working gives more freedom to them. They can focus on their timetable considering the work hours of the company. The traditional 9-5 working culture is mostly accepted by the companies. Flexible work culture provides a healthy work-life balance to the employees. It improves working conditions and minimizes operating costs for in-office employees. Now a days, work from home or remote working is getting more attention as it is a need of hour. This working culture is not only about doing the same work from home but is about getting better with the conditions.
6) Arranging Creative Activities and Games People are always in the search of enjoyment and entertainment. Thus, arranging activities like sports, funny games will create a fresh environment for the employees. They will participate in these activities happily and get refreshed. This helps to release the stress and pressure from them. Annual trip is also a good way to deal with the used-to environment. Gatherings and occasional parties bring your employees closer and creates an emotional bond between the company and employees. 7) Comfort to the employees Some companies have tight rules for the employees regarding their clothes. Most of them only allows the formal dresses in the workplace. Companies stick to their policies strictly which may cause problems for the employees. Many of the employees are not comfortable with the formal clothing. Some consider clothing as their personal choice. Informal dresses like jeans, trousers are more popular than formals and people do feel comfortable with them. They back their stance saying, ‘skills are more important than clothes’. Hence, compulsion of clothes is getting outdated with the time. But still, it is a priority of many of the companies. 8) Provide Extra Facilities to Employees You can develop an emotional bond with your employee by providing them extra facilities. It may include medical, educational or other facilities. If your employee needs an economical help for any particular reason, then you can aid him. For example, if anyone is interested in the further education or doing any course which might help the company ahead, then you can fund that employee. They will only be productive if they are happy. The core part of any successful company is a strong team. An environment that can flourish them and can bring the best out of them. Employee satisfaction should be the priority of any company and you need to take care of them. Afterall, employees are the ones who carry the company.
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- Vinayak Ghorpade
How to Become a Prosperous and Successful
Entrepreneur? W ho does not want to be a more successful and affluent entrepreneur? Having your own business gives you a sense of independence and control. You can build things and watch them grow. Entrepreneurs make their own decisions, realize their visionary dreams, and build long-term partnerships with other business owners, clients, and vendors. These points are compiled to assist you in being a more successful entrepreneur:
• Perseverance Perseverance is the ability to keep working when everyone tells you that you should give up. You must be persistent if you want to be a successful entrepreneur. To be honest, you won't get far in the entrepreneurial world unless you put in a lot of effort and endurance.
will have to work long hours and make sacrifices for your company as an entrepreneur. Putting in long hours won't feel like a hardship when you're passionate about what you do. If you will not have the motivation to keep going when you're stressed and tired, if you're not passionate about what you do. • You Must Take Risks to Become a Successful Entrepreneur Successful entrepreneurs take risks in business, and they also know when to take risks and when not to. Learn to identify and take risks that will benefit your business. Taking risks can be dangerous, but the opportunities they present also outweigh the risks. You will likely become a more successful entrepreneur if you learn how to identify which risks are worthwhile.
• Have Trust in Yourself Believe in yourself. Being a successful
• Challenge Yourself You must challenge yourself if you want to be a successful entrepreneur. It's up to you because no one else is going to push you. Challenging yourself with new and difficult tasks will make your other tasks seem even easier. You must always be on the lookout for the next big challenge as an entrepreneur. • Successful Entrepreneurs are Enthusiastic About What They Do If you don't enjoy it, don't do it. You
entrepreneur means that you have learned to trust your instincts and make choices based on your wisdom. Your confidence will be demonstrated by your capacity to trust and believe in yourself. Confident leaders are more likely to be followed and trusted. Having faith in your abilities can also help to alleviate some of the worry that comes with starting a business. • Reduce Fear If you let fear be your guide as an entrepreneur, you won't be able to listen to your instincts, you won't be willing to take the required risks, and your decision will be clouded by emotion. You will be a much more effective entrepreneur if you can find ways to reduce and control your anxiety.
• Successful Entrepreneurs Visualize their Goals According to recent research reported in the Harvard Business Review, people should not just set goals. What they need are "areas of focus". Goals are the destination, while areas of focus are the means to get there. Instead of focusing on the goal itself, concentrate on what you need to do to achieve the desired outcome, the things you want to spend your time doing. The area of focus is the path, and the end goal is the result. Talk to a Mentor You can also discuss your concerns
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Entrepreneurial Insights
About the Author Satinder Malhotra is the CEO and the Founder of Signature Interior Designs. It is based in Dehradun, Uttarakhand, India. She has a passion for Interior Designing, which motivated her to pursue her dream to be a designer in the interior space. Satinder has made a name for herself in the interior designing space in a dynamic way. Her belief that the best designers are those who design with empathy and work hard to understand their client and the project, makes her stand out from the competition.
with one of your mentors or seek out a new mentor to assist you in your business endeavors. These are people that have significantly more experience and insight into the very minor issues and obstacles you are facing than you do. They will be able to provide you some sound counsel or, at the very least, coping tactics to help you rekindle your inner fire. • Exchange Ideas with Your Peers Simply interacting with other entrepreneurs in your neighborhood about your business and the nature of business development could reenergize you. These are folks who share your enthusiasm, probably even more so, because enthusiasm is contagious. If you surround yourself with these people, you will automatically become more inspired. • Hire Great Partners to Assist You in Becoming a Successful Entrepreneur Successful entrepreneurs are backed by a strong team and support system. I suggest recruiting excellent partners for the services who are well-behaved
and whom you like and respect. You'll be working long hours and making difficult decisions with your partner. If you do not value your partner, your team will not last long (s).
promises and then failing to deliver is a surefire way to lose customers. Successful entrepreneurs, on the other hand, go above and beyond their customers' expectations.
• Make a financial Plan Money is needed for startups and entrepreneurial ventures. Many business owners spend much too much time looking for money and far too little time doing. There are a few ways you can fund your business: • Self-funding • Investors • Startup Loans
Conclusion Company success does not happen immediately. Being a good entrepreneur necessitates a great deal of planning, training, imagination, perseverance, and patience. The advice given above will assist you in developing a long-term plan for growing your successful company.
• Entrepreneurs Who Have Succeeded Pay Attention to Complaints Take your customers seriously, listen to their complaints, and treat them with dignity. A smart and successful entrepreneur pays attention to these criticisms and uses the knowledge to fix the business's weaknesses. • Exceed Everyone's Expectations Customers, investors, and business associates will be delighted if you offer more than you promised. Making
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Inspiring CEOs 2021
I
nspiring CEOs of the education sector take every necessary step to uphold education and to nurture various skills of the children. They take up every challenge as an opportunity to train young children and to develop them into better human beings. These CEOs believe that motivating students can play an essential role in reaping excellent outcomes. They give their very best towards building a bright career path for the children.
One such prominent leader who is transforming the education sector through her committed endeavors is Dr. Bhuvana Saravanan, the CEO of Sri Ashiyana Public School (SAPS). Her journey began 20 years ago when she was working in different schools as coordinator and student psychologist. Each school gave her a unique experience. At one point of time, she realized that many schools portray something different outside and try to show that they are unique from other schools. However, the scenario inside those schools was completely different. Dr. Bhuvana realizes the limitations of schools along with the parents' biased decision making while choosing a school. The parents compare one school with another, while desiring that the same teaching method is followed everywhere again and again. Hence, if a teacher tries a new method or if a school introduces some unique methods of teaching, it takes lot of time for the parents to accept the same. Dr. Bhuvana states, "In many schools, children with psychological problem & learning difficulties are not identified by both the teacher and the parents and a child is branded as dumb or slow learner or lazy". After gathering rich experience in teaching-learning procedures, she started her playschool in the year 2015 on 5th September in a small house. Dr. Bhuvana's objective was to build a unique and different school, which would fulfill all the educational requirements of specially gifted and mentally challenged children.
Dr. Bhuvana wants everything in her school to be unique: the teaching method and the way of handling students. This way, the parents will also be excited to make the children take part in all the activities and be a part of the program. Under her leadership, SAPS allows the parents to take part in all the activities which are related to the kids. This results in the parents' involvement in the development of their children. This perspective makes Dr. Bhuvana passionate towards her dream and she dedicatedly works towards it. Overcoming Odds with Elegance Dr. Bhuvana believes that irrespective of gender, establishing a business is a stiff task for everyone. Being a woman in the field of education, she has experienced tremendous competition in every step of her career. She believes that in order to succeed and to deliver exceptional educational experiences, one has to think out of the box. Dr. Bhuvana had to be defiant and had to push every limit to get even the smallest of approvals, even ordinary certificates. She says, "It has always been a challenge to persuade the parents that what we are doing is for the benefit of the children". However, she feels that in a way, she has achieved a lot of success in educating and developing the students. Dr. Bhuvana perceives that the parents also understand that the school is leading the children towards the correct path and it always thinks about their benefit. About Sri Ashiyana Public School Sri Ashiyana Public School focuses on the vision of creating an ideal learning environment. As the school caters to the special and mentally challenged children, it aims to make each and every individual self-reliant so that they can survive and achieve success in the society. The school, run by Guru Raghavendra Trust, embodies the vision of creating an ideal learning environment, which it has honed over 15 years of collaboration.
A Goal-Focused Leader Dr. Bhuvana believes in the saying that if you want to achieve your dream, then don't sleep and dream, get up and chase your dream. She feels that to make her dream come true, she must always be alert and should think of new strategies which the education industry is using. She believes in following the new protocol and the new way of teaching, and to lead institution effectively.
SAPS focuses on empowering children with tools and strategies to excel in today's world of escalating expectation. It believes that learning should be a joyful experience and children should always be inculcated with self-belief and pride in execution and quality of work. Dr. Bhuvana believes that well-trained and experienced academicians are the strength of the school. Hence, as the CEO of the school, she aims to choose appropriate
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IN ORDER TO SUCCEED AND TO DELIVER EXCEPTIONAL EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCES, ONE HAS TO THINK OUT OF THE BOX
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CEO Sri Ashiyana Public School (SAPS)
Dr. Bhuvana Saravanan Dedicatedly Transforming Children into the Leaders of Tomorrow
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educators to cater the children and furthermore have balanced combination of integrated curriculum, specially designed from experienced academics as it becomes the strength of the school. The school aims to create lovely memories for the children. The dedicated group of educators uses experimental educational techniques which allow the students to learn visually and kinesthetically. Facing the Pandemic Efficiently Dr. Bhuvana states that that the pandemic affected many businesses including the education sector, especially the specially gifted children. She states that it is difficult to take care of these children at home. Hence, the school has taken up this challenge. Under Dr. Bhuvana's leadership, the school's staff prepared with protective equipments visited the homes of each child on a weekly basis. They tried to ensure that the children are safe and are not abused at home by their relatives or anyone near to them. Moreover, Dr. Bhuvana always feels that the children should be given constant and proper care whether it is a pandemic or not. The school authorities have always catered them by visiting their room and giving them food and supplies which they need for their daily uses. Dr. Bhuvana adds, "I feel this way we have challenged, and we have taken all the steps to provide them the good education and everything till now, as always in future also we will be supporting them".
For Dr. Bhuvana, her team is her support; accordingly, during the pandemic, she provided each and every staff in her team with a COVID safety kits and also provided them with house groceries for one-month. Being the CEO of the school, she feels that it is very important to look after both the staff members and the children. Dr. Bhuvana considers her team as the backbone of the school. Advice to the Young Entrepreneurs Addressing the young entrepreneurs, Dr. Bhuvana says, "First of all, believe in yourself and your dreams. Learn about your strengths and weakness and analyze every threat and opportunity in business in order for taking any decision". She believes that leadership is an art and encourages the young entrepreneurs to lead or talk in such a manner that their employees are ready to take suggestion from them and work as a team. Dr. Bhuvana encourages them not to be a boss, but to be leader. She advices them to create a team, in which everyone is comfortable. She further states that they can win only by teamwork. "It is very important to observe and learn about the role that you are going to take in the company", adds Dr. Bhuvana. Future Plans Under the judicious leadership Dr. Bhuvana, SAPS is taking little steps towards its motto of providing education to the underprivileged special kids in and around the villages of Madurai. The school is receiving positive response from the parents and Dr. Bhuvana plans to establish SAPS as a torchbearer of academic excellence in the times to come.
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Professional Insights
Profe
32| July 2021| www.insightssuccess.in 01 | MM 2021 | www.insightssuccess.in
ssionalism at Work
?
How has it Evolved Over the Years
W
hat is professionalism? How professionalism is being followed at different workplaces? How can it help you grow? What are the good habits that can help you achieve professionalism? And what factors have contributed to its evolution? The word professionalism has various definitions, it differs based on its evolution, geography, the kind of job sector we are talking about, or the type of industry it is.
As a fresher, with time, you will learn to understand the thin line between how to behave inside the office and outside the office. To learn to be a good employee try to improve yourself in things like Be reliable in your workplace, especially if you are working in a start-up company, where hierarchy in roles and responsibility is not well established.
In this article, we will explore professionalism in general. Professionalism is how you behave in the workplace. Your colleagues will develop a perspective towards you, based on what they observe about you. The way you respond to the various kinds of situations, how you express yourself and how you treat others. Also, importantly how you perform on duty. How you take positive criticism to improve in your work.
In such a start-up, you also must take the load of responsibilities that are not yours, and you must learn how to be flexible so that people can rely upon you. Try to be better. No matter in which field you are, you are not perfect in it from the start, even though you have studied it well in theory. In the office, you are going to be a first timer in many things where you will make mistakes, but you will also receive a chance to improve yourself.
Now, office environment is much better than it used to be. The pressure of hierarchy, workload and deadlines is not to the level that you might end up losing your self-confidence. 33| July 2021| www.insightssuccess.in
At such times you must keep patience. Be open-minded to take the criticism positively; it will help you grow. Develop good communication skills. It is the basic need in any career for your growth. In India, our generation faces communication problems a lot. Ability to expressing your thoughts with the speed of your thinking is important. Here you need to do practices instead of being ashamed of your mistakes. Follow the work ethics. Every company has its code of conduct and ethics to follow. Be attentive in your training period, to everything being taught. It is important, as your training syllabus is formed based on a company’s long-term experience with its employees. If you face any problem, you should know how to deal with it in the office. Be organized, it will help you and your colleagues to manage the workload you share. It will help you create a good image of you in front of them. Be accountable for the work you do. If you happen to make mistakes in your learning phase, do not try to hide your fault. Accept your mistakes and work on them.
Do not repeat your mistakes, learn from them. Do not quit or get depressed, observe how much you have improved, and try notice where you have gone wrong. Have self-discipline, it is going to be tough in the start, but you will slowly learn. Be dedicated and self-motivated. Keep your goals in mind and trust yourself. Focus on self-development and note down everything that is not right that is hitting your head. Make a checklist of it and work on it. Be obsessed with your improvement. Read more books. Reading good books will not only help you learn new things but also help you improve your focus and vocabulary. Time management, as we know, ‘Time is Money’. Time is more important because it is a non-refundable asset. Choose to spend it wisely. Try to meet your deadlines but do not compromise on your work quality. The evolution of professionalism, various factors like the birth of 'the internet' and global crises like 'the pandemic' has changed our life drastically.
Tips to be more professional -
It has also evolved the kinds of workplaces we use to have and how people use to behave professionally.
Follow company’s rules and policies. Being an asset to your team and focus on the team progress, try not to be an odd man out.
Earlier the office's hierarchy was strictly followed, and offices were more of depressive zones. Words like servants were commonly used.
Respect others, irrespective of their designation and performance. Always think before you speak and maintain a good appearance.
Now situation is different, people respectably do their work irrespective of their post.
Do not talk bad things about others. Try to observe your company's aura and behave accordingly. These are some important points that will help you to grow in professional life, no matter what kind of job you do. But how you can develop these professional qualities? What are the good habits that will help you learn professionalism?
In this 21st century, with the help of the internet we have broken many geographical boundaries in the professional world. -Ashish Chandgude Many freelancers have born due to this pandemic and many workers have started working remotely. Such factors had affected the definition of professionalism positively. As people have received more job opportunities and discovered the different and better kinds of office culture with time.
Set realistic goals. You know yourself the best, judge your capabilities and accordingly fix your targets.
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- Nidhi Arya
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Upasana Kamineni Konidela Founder and Managing Director
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Inspiring CEOs 2021
A Leader with Exceptional Values
E
ntrepreneurship is not just limited to business. It is more than that. It is also about making a difference in people's lives. A ritual of giving back to the society. Many entrepreneurs fail to realize that and are often strayed away from the path of true entrepreneurship. The meaning of it is quite different for many business professionals and so they act according to their values and vision for entrepreneurship. One thing that is most crucial and common to entrepreneurship is creating value. Upasana Kaminneni Konidela is one such person who believes in creating value for whatever work she undertakes and delivers it in a dynamic way. She is a next-gen entrepreneur, well-being curator, sustainability activist, animal conservationist and a distinguished philanthropist. She is best known as the ViceChairperson CSR of Apollo Foundation, Founder and Managing Director of wellness and healthcare firm called URLife and Managing Director of Family Health Plan Insurance TPA Limited (FHPL) - an insurance services company. Upasana's endeavours have been getting her understated persona and the most well-deserved accolades. She has received the Femina Award for Recognition in Healthcare, and she was recognized as Tycoons of Tomorrow and felicitated by Forbes. Earlier this year, Upasana was also awarded the Dadasaheb Phalke Excellence Award for Philanthropist of the Year.
Her adventurous nature and a penchant to bring awakening in the mind, body, soul, and healing through various sustainable business practices make her a unique example. Upasana is the wife of South Indian superstar Ram Charan (Actor, Producer and Son of Dr Chiranjeevi) and granddaughter of billionaire entrepreneur Prathap C Reddy. Leading Conglomerates URLife is all-in-one wellness and lifestyle platform. Upasana has a team of certified medical doctors and professionals, celebrity fitness experts and holistic nutritionists that provides clients with first-hand access to trending health tips, nutrition, expert videos, diet plans, lifestyle hacks, consultations, healthy recipes, fun DIY's and personalised services. In a short period of time, Urlife did very well this year. Upasana has achieved to get 1800 clients for her company and achieved a 100-crore turnover. She is a next-gen entrepreneur from the Apollo Hospitals Family, who believes in creating socialistic sustainable businesses that create a meaningful impact and also give back to society as a whole. The Apollo Hospitals Group spearheads many breakthroughs first-of- its-kind initiatives in healing India; two of which are: The Apollo Foundation and URLife. The former believes in identifying, diagnosing, treating, and educating people in need of medical care. On the other hand, URLife is about making Urban India and the Indian workforce increase their productivity and manage their wellbeing harmoniously.
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Since Upasana started URLife using herself as an example and incorporating best wellbeing practices from around the world to help increase productivity of Corporate India, Upasana firmly believes that the world can heal through transformation. Today, URLife has the largest number of Occupational Health Centres in the country. URLife has been applauded for its remarkable feats in the wellness space and has accumulated accolades, Economic Times Retail Icon & Realty Award in 2017 being one of them. BPositive magazine was started a decade ago by Upasana, but during the pandemic she made a sustainable shift by opting to go digital. “We have merged and rebranded our previous company Apollo Life now known as URLife,” she says.
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The Apollo Foundation believes in giving back with respect and empathy, whether it's taking care of WWF forest guards who protect our wildlife or providing the elderly with adequate medical care, who have been abandoned by their families. The Apollo Foundation takes great pride in conceptualizing a breakthrough self-sustaining model to help rural India stay healthy – A Total Health Program. This program takes care of an individual's health from womb to tomb (Dr Prathap C Reddy's Brainchild)
We share engaging content backed by renowned experts that is in sync with UR mind, body, nutrition and health. URLife is committed to helping you live UR life to the fullest by harnessing the power of technology to promote healthy lifestyle choices
With an International Business Marketing and Management degree from Regents University, London and Love for Health & Wellbeing, Upasana received the Femina Award for Recognition in Healthcare in 2017.
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