Lockdown Lessons: “The lockdown has prepared us to navigate the uncharted waters”

The lockdown period has changed our lives, behaviours and the way we conduct business forever. The lessons that we have learnt during the lockdown period and our experiences during the year so far, will help us navigate a world that we had never imagined. It has been a trying time for many of us, with everyone working from home and having to adapt to a new way of working and living. Adgully’s latest endeavour – Lockdown Lessons – is an attempt to present the key learnings that India’s business honchos have learnt and imbibed, and which can help the industry navigate the new normal better.

Also read: Lockdown Lessons: "We need to have a contingency plan to pivot existing biz strategies"

In this interaction with Adgully, Avinash Rao, President - Sales Marketing & CRM, Provident Housing Ltd, shares his key learnings from the lockdown period as a professional, on working from home, on introspection, and the importance about fiscal prudence.

What are the key lockdown lessons as a professional during the lockdown period?

When the lockdown was first announced, there was a big question mark on how would we be able to deal with the circumstances and challenges in front of us. While the health and safety of all employees was of prime importance, the big question was – what step should first be taken to ensure business continuity? Should we first act then evaluate or should we first analyse it and then execute? The lockdown has helped us introspect and prepared us to navigate the uncharted waters. It has not only made us aware of the unique challenges, but has also given us a crisis handbook like never before.

As an individual, we have only ourselves to be accountable for but as a leader, when there’s a responsibility to keep moving forward, self-motivation and being focused on the goals is the key to stay committed (to your work) and keep teams motivated as well.

As businesses became virtual in the shortest span of time, and remote working became norm, to understand and manage remote employees was a new learning curve. What we all learned and imbed was empathy, a little bit of empathy and understanding went a long way in maintaining relations and also finding a new-world order of operations.

So in a nutshell, as a professional in a lockdown taught us to deal with ambiguity and be prepared for the unexpected and most importantly, stay motivated as well as keeping your own teams motivated, driven and continuously focused on their goals.

Please tell us some of the key takeaways in terms of life lessons from the lockdown period?

I would like to call it a five-step formula, that helped me sail through:

1. Substantial - Each moment is important and it should mean something to us as an individual.
2. Action - We can’t control a situation, but only control our actions that make the situation better or worse.
3. Positivity - This is the toughest part. Staying calm and positive will define each move taken.
4. Be Authentic - Positivity is often confused with ignoring your surroundings, however, what it really means is, staying focused yet judicious and practical on what should be given attention and what should be avoided. Stay true to yourself and the situation.
5. Avoid the cacophony - Cut the noise around, filter critical information and let the rest go. This is what will drive a person to stand still even in tough time

How did you manage and achieve work-life balance while working from home?

I have always believed in quality time. When at the office, I dedicate myself to work and when at home, I try to dedicate quality time for my family. But when boundaries become blurred, it is very important to bring discipline in the routine. But despite all efforts, sometimes it is difficult to achieve a balance between work and family, especially now during WFH. In these times it is critical to focus on the quality time that both sides deserve. The focus on quality will enable a balance and synergy between work and life. Work-life balance is a line in the sand, easy to get merged hence routine is key. One must realise that the balance is important for herself or himself. Without self-care first, no balance can be achieved.

It has been more than two months since the lockdown was enforced. How are you gearing up for back to office mode?

The Lockdown gave us time to introspect and understand ourselves better; both as an individual and team leader, it has helped us prioritise better. So, when we returned to our workplaces in May, the transition was easy as our goals were set and energies were high. This introspection has equipped us to work more efficiently, in the same routine that we were following at home. This has also motivated us to go above and beyond with our approach at work, keeping things new and refreshed for all of us.

Any lessons that you picked up in financial management from the lockdown period?

This is the era of uncertainty. I believe that fiscal prudence in the present will help us redefine what we want to be seen as in the future. In the times where the entire world is dealing with a pandemic, fiscal responsibility and owning value-driven assets have been at the helm. On a lighter note, the silver lining here is that the lockdown has seen many of us develop life skills that we didn’t know we had, for example, doing the dishes and being on a con-call – next level of multitasking.