Lockdown Lessons: We should not take anything for granted - Gautam B Thakker

The year 2020 has taught us several harsh lessons. Barely had we entered a new year with renewed hopes and expectations, when the global COVID-19 pandemic jolted all of us out of our comfortable ‘Normal’ zone and flung us into an uncertain world. Terms like lockdown, social distancing, quarantine, work from home, new normal, unprecedented times and the dreaded ‘R’ word – Recession – have become a part and parcel of our daily lives.

India is just emerging out of an over two-month lockdown – a period that 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. 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.

Gautam B Thakker, CEO, Everymedia Technologies, is a serial entrepreneur and a self-confessed workaholic. As the chief employee of Everymedia Technologies, he looks into the overall management as well as strategic growth and development of the company. These are his Lockdown Lessons...

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

The most important lesson that we all have learned is that as a professional, we should not take anything for granted. As a team, everyone at Everymedia Technologies has learnt how to communicate remotely and work together. While there was a teething period in the beginning, it is amazing how everyone has come together to put the best quality of work.

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

During the lockdown period the some key takeaways would be that it is possible to utilise the options available to us and keep working hard to make the most and bring about the best possible outcome.

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

Working from home has become the new normal now. At first, it was slightly tricky and challenging to adjust to a completely new set up, but eventually, we worked it out. Establishing set working hours as we would in a physical office set-up is the most significant step one can take. Work and personal life have always been carefully woven together, but now the lines are slightly more blurred where the distinction is concerned. What we can do is prioritise our time at work while assessing our productivity as individuals and as a team. This will help to achieve some semblance of a balance of work and personal life.

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

As of now, we have kept our offices shut. We are monitoring the situation on a daily basis. We do not intend to rush back into office mode until there are clear indications that the health and safety of our people is not compromised.

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

The biggest lesson in terms of financial management is that ensuring a stable cash flow management is a very prudent financial practice. While it has always been a top priority, the lockdown has made us realise that there needs to be a more aggressive strategy for the same. We have become much more astute in making the decisions regarding the expenses. Once the influx of cash is measured against what the output might be, there is a clear assessment that comes into place which helps us all in making smarter choices.

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