Champions of Change 2021

Champions of Change 2021
Volatility Demystified Why Timely Changes are Necessary in Business? Adaptation Requisites How to Adapt as a Business Leader? Santosh Sunar Founder and Director BeTheGuide September 2021
Editor's Note THE LEADERSHIP MINDSET It's not about the title when it comes to leadership. It's not about the size of your office when it comes to leadership. It is not about having official power to be a leader. Leadership is a way of life that you live every day. Leadership is about how you interact with people and with the world. Leadership is a way of being. Leadership is a mindset! Mindset is a critical factor in dictating how one operates in the world. It drives every opinion you have, every decision you make, and every action you take. For leaders, mindset influences the culture they foster and sets the tone of your team. It shapes how you focus your group/organisation’s efforts on creating, marketing, and delivering products and services, as well as the expectations you create for your team. But what are the attributes of a leadership mindset? In this edition of the CIO Look magazine – ‘Champions of Change 2021’, we attempt at dissecting the moves and decisions of the six excellent leaders featured in this edition to get a better understanding of the leadership mindset. Leadership is tough. The very nature of leadership demands the will to face challenges head-on. Problems will arise and a leader’s role is to successfully help his/her team overcome them. Having a leadership mindset means seeing problems as opportunities and recognising that every challenge provides an opportunity to learn and grow. The leadership attitude necessitates the capacity to make judgements swiftly, communicate them confidently and stand behind them come what may. While impulsiveness undermines leadership, the capacity to quickly filter through information in order to make an educated and timely choice saves the team and the business from becoming engulfed in concerns and anxieties. Leaders need to be decisive. People like to see humility in their leaders – someone who will admit what they don’t know and work quickly to fill in those gaps. A humble leader values and recognises the abilities and efforts of people around them, and freely credits the achievement to the entire team. Growing accustomed to change is an important part of developing the leadership attitude. Leaders who have a fixed mindset begin to miss crucial changes and might soon fall behind. Being a strong leader entails being open to a variety of techniques and information sources. A growth mentality entails not only seeking guidance from industry experts but also walking that extra mile to find a variety of sources of information and inspiration. Successful leaders are resourceful. They are willing to learn from anyone and keep their eyes and minds open to solutions and approaches. There are a few things people hate more than being lied to. Especially in business situations, team members need to know that their leaders are being honest and transparent. Honesty breeds trust, happiness and inspires employees or group members to work harder. So many qualities and still we are not even close to exhausting the list of factors that make a great leader. Read through the pages of this special edition to learn about some of the fascinating leaders and changemakers of the 21st century. Happy reading! “Great achievement is usually born out of great sacrifice, and is never the result of selfishness.” -Napoleon Hill AdityaUmale
HR Boost mYngle Creators Architects BeTheGuide strives to become a driving force for people who are looking to grow in their career and lives by enriching a positive mindset. HRBoost® specializes in meeting companies at their pace and budget to integrate an authentic culture invitation that can be reinforced again and again through leadership at all levels with solid HR infrastructure. mYngle is the pioneer of online language lessons. Native teachers offer classes through a live virtual classroom to professionals all around the globe. Aglaia Capital Club With a second line of business focused on digital assets, fintech and blockchain, and advisory of token, Aglaia is generating events, covering the whole process with an affiliated technological and legal team. Designs that only deliver beautiful buildings are a thing of the past. For Creators Architechts, it is about how architecture adapts towards changing emergent needs around us. BeTheGuide Indian Mentoring Academy Pvt. Ltd Brief Company Name Marina Tognetti Founder Utssav Gupta Partner and CEO Santosh Sunar Founder and Director Nicole Martin CEO and Founder Angela Alvarez Founder and CEO Featuring D-DMS Techno D-DMS works with passionate and ambitious businesses that want to Plan, Strategize, Transform and Launch. Varun Dahotre Founder and Associate Director Visionet Systems India Visionet Systems is a premier Information Technology, Consulting, and Business Process Management Company that delivers solutions to enable its clients to do business better. Alok Bansal MD, Visionet Systems India and Global Head of BFSI Business
Santosh Sunar In the Business of Building Confidence COVER STORY 08
C O N T E N T S Alok Bansal A Dynamic Leader with Focus on Excellence Nicole Martin A Trailblazer in Developing Powerful Businesses Marina Tognetti Communicating Beyond the Boundaries Ángela Álvarez A Forerunner to Streamline Financial Sector 20 34 16 24 Articles Volatility Demystified Why Timely Changes are Necessary in Business? Adaptation Requisites How to Adapt as a Business Leader 30 44 Utssav Gupta Changing Business Paradigms with Innovative Ideas 40 Varun Abhaykumar Dahotre Shaping the Business Space with Confidence 48
EDITORIAL September
Santosh Sunar In the Business of Building Confidence COVER STORY “ “ Change is all about . transformation Change is constant
Santosh Sunar Founder and Director, BeTheGuide
environment where they can be confident and speak boldly so that the interview process becomes a piece of cake for them. This is where he is trying to bring the change in. The motivational courses and professional coaching courses available in the market right now are not up to the mark. The ones that are already in the market lack credibility and proper course material to facilitate true motivational coaching or mentoring sessions. “I am providing services in such a way that the experience for a learner becomes affordable with quality training,” says Santosh. BeTheGuide is an ISO certified company now and it has won many accolades. It is one of the best coaching centres in India. According to him, every organization and every institution must have motivational speakers. He has partnered with preschools and colleges. Santosh along with his team at BeTheGuide is able to completely discuss students’ problems and challenges while providing effective solutions along the way. A Versatile Journey Santosh has 15 years of experience in the motivational coaching field. He failed twice while completing his graduation in Zoology (Hons). He was hunting for jobs after graduation. Santosh has worked in multiple disciplines. He was a teacher; he has worked in an internet café, and he was into construction as well. “I have done jobs that were out of my comfort zone,” states Santosh. He has worked across different verticals to gain knowledge of different markets. But then, he received an opportunity to work in HSBC. Being a graduate from a different course, working with an international bank was a challenge. But he never backed down from a good rodeo. Through his experience, he has learnt that there are three things to do when one is in a new zone - observe, analyse, and implement. “I call this OAI model – Observation, Analysis, and Implementation,” shares Santosh. Initially, he wanted to become a Naval officer. “I strive to work out of my comfort zone. That is why, when I was working in HSBC, I used to handle customers who used to earn 8-9 figure income whereas I was just getting a five-figure amount,” contemplates Santosh. This made him realize that the finance sector is not really his calling. People nowadays face a lot of challenges when it comes to experiencing change. May it be their personal life or professional one, the hurdles become taller and taller to cross and this creates an unbalanced lifestyle. In these changing times, it is very important to secure one’s mind as it is the most important tool that keeps everyone on their toes. Negative thoughts and opposite emotions can affect the thought process of able individuals in a drastic way. This is why there is a need for competent motivational speakers, who can really help people to come out of their stagnant self and become the leader of their own life. Changing times like the Covid-19 pandemic has forced people to work remotely and it has been observed that many people are facing mental health issues due to the sudden lockdowns and isolation. Hence, it has become quite evident that there is a rising demand of motivational speakers in almost every part of the country. This is why we at CIO Look India, with our latest edition – Champions of Change, 2021 have brought Santosh Sunar, one of the renowned motivational speakers and mentors to the cluster of the stories we are featuring. He is the Founder and Director of BeTheGuide. Bringing the Change by the Spirit of Motivation Reskilling, Reshaping, and Rebuilding is Santosh’s mantra. He trains people to become motivational speakers and professionals, where they can stand in front of many people and be confident while speaking. “I want them to give the best speeches,” claims Santosh. When candidates go for an interview, Santosh wants to create an “ “ I have won the national award for the best motivational speaker “ “ Motivational speaking is the world’s most interesting career
He wanted to do something more. So, he started browsing through Google and came across various motivational speaking videos and channels. “I was fascinated by the motivational speakers and the way they influenced people’s lives,” adds Santosh. He decided that this is something that he wants to be involved in. This is the space where he needs to make a difference. From that point onwards, he never looked back. In his initial entrepreneurial days, he used to conduct free sessions to gain public attention and build his brand. “I personally felt how difficult it is to step into the motivational speaking industry,” shares Santosh. To further his knowledge, he started consulting with other motivational speakers and looking for motivational speaking courses. But there were no economical options available at that time. He realized that if he wants to make his stand in this space, he needs to learn everything himself. It has been four years since his journey with BeTheGuide started. “My entrepreneurial saga began with my passion to follow my dreams and I am glad that I am into the motivational field,” says Santosh. He and his team train the C-level executives from multinational companies and mentor them in becoming dynamic orators. Speaking is an essential skill for a leader, and Santosh helps business leaders develop this skill to the best extent possible. Dynamics of BeTheGuide It is a motivational coaching start-up that focuses on providing excellent and affordable motivational drive for youngsters and professionals in the “ “ Every company should have dedicated motivational speakers in their arsenal to enhance their corporate lifestyle
Northeast India. BeTheGuide is Meghalaya’s first skill development coaching center, which has been certified and registered under MSMED Act of Government of India, 2006. The company is providing a unique learning platform for dropouts, freshers, and already working professionals to upskill their communication in a dynamic way. Through its various mentoring programs, the organization is helping people to be self-employed and create an opportunity to grow in their community via motivational speaking. BeTheGuide strives to become a driving force for people who are looking to grow in their career and lives by enriching a positive mindset. Its model creates motivational speakers trained by other motivational speakers through the coaching that the organization provides. The team at BeTheGuide wishes to put at least one motivational coach in each house in order to make home a safe space to develop and grow. To achieve this feat, the company has organized different sessions and mentoring programs at various educational institutions in Meghalaya. BeTheGuide has been awarded with various awards and recognitions like a prestigious Indian Leadership ICON Award and Top 10 winners in Chief Minister’s E-champion challenge.
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A Dynamic Leader with Focus on Excellence Alok Bansal S uccessful business leaders are driven by the zeal to introduce massive transformations through their dedicated endeavours. They embrace innovation and excellence to bring out something new in their companies' operations. These leaders never give up during adverse situations and always provide tremendous opportunities to every employee to learn and grow. One such goal-focused change leader in business who is introducing transformational ideas to take the business to the next level is none other than Mr. Alok Bansal, the MD of Visionet Systems India and Global Head of BFSI Business. Mr. Alok is an expert in managing strategy, global operations, optimizing and leading growth of financial services, mortgage banking, and BPO firms. He is highly skilled in general management, turning around start-up businesses, and in managing multi-site operations. Mr. Alok has led technology and business development fuelling the growth of companies he has worked with. Being a high-performance leader, he is adept in creating scalable organizations by developing comprehensive programs for team building, leadership development, organizational culture, and knowledge management. An Accomplished Professional Mr. Alok has two decades of in-depth experience in spearheading major technology initiatives. He has successfully implemented scalable outsourcing services and delivery infrastructure. Under Mr. Alok's astute leadership, Visionet gained 7x revenue and the employee base grew by 3.5x. He has developed multiple team-building programs which has helped in developing the operations across multiple organizations. Supporting Society Dynamically Mr. Alok believes in going beyond token CSR and in making real and positive impact on the society. He is of the opinion that the country can grow and prosper inclusively only when the paradigm shift happens at a collective level. Envisioned by Mr. Alok, 'Unnati For India' is an initiative, which is far-reaching and impactful. The team at Visionet has extended its expertise to make the next generation future ready. Under the umbrella of 'Unnati For India', the company plans to train almost one lakh graduates over a tenure of five years, in order to transform them into employable resources in the IT and BPM space. With this initiative, Visionet trained almost 600 graduates last year, and 90% of these resources have been absorbed by Visionet as its employees. A Decorated Individual Mr. Alok has made tremendous achievements throughout his illustrious career. He completed his Bachelor of Technology degree from IIT Bombay and completed his executive education in aligning strategy and sales from Harvard Business School. Apart from that, Mr. Alok is a marathoner, fitness enthusiast, and an avid reader, which helps him to carry out his leadership responsibilities effectively. A true leader does not create followers, but leaders 16 | September 2021 | www.ciolookindia.com
Alok Bansal MD, Visionet Systems India and Global Head of BFSI Business Champions of Change 17 | September 2021 | www.ciolookindia.com
Under the focused leadership of Mr. Alok, Visionet has received numerous recognitions. The company has won the Microsoft Partner Award in 2021. One of the employees also won the HW Woman of the Year 2021 Award. Besides, owing to the perseverance of Mr. Alok, the company has received testimonials from clients who are part of the top 20 financial institutions in the US. These clients have found Visionet to be a strategic partner that helps them achieve sustainable business outcomes through digital solutions. A Leader with a Purpose Mr. Alok believes that a true leader does not create followers, but leaders. He aims at not only overcoming the challenges, but also at creating a sustainable work environment, where people can learn and evolve. With delegation, mentorship, affirmation, motivation, and inspiration, Mr. Alok aims to create a legacy of empowerment. He believes in putting people at the heart of the organization, investing in them, appreciating their achievements, listening to them, and allowing them to grow. Mr. Alok is of the opinion that a true leader should take every feedback in a positive manner. Especially, during this current pandemic situation, they should encourage the employees to be confident enough to express their grievances and to come up with suggestions and new ideas. This way, in the future, when they lead their own teams, the employees will remember how it felt to be seen and heard, which in turn, will also turn them into good listeners. About Visionet Systems Visionet Systems, Inc. is a premier Information Technology, Consulting, and Business Process Management Company that delivers solutions to enable its clients to do business better. It offers a unique combination of technology, knowledge experts, and proprietary mortgage technology products. The company excels in delivering industry- leading solutions to global BFSI clients. With a talent pool of more than 6,500 passionate engineers and digital consultants across the world, Visionet offers agile and innovation-driven value to its clients. Towards a Bright Future As the Global Head of Visionet BFSI, Mr, Alok aims to make India a global financial hub in the Asian market and develop it into a centre of excellence for automation, analytics, cloud and data technology, and innovation. The company plans to deepen its talent pool to provide comprehensive, high-quality banking/fintech advisory solutions. Marching ahead, Mr Alok intends to facilitate and invest in R&D to develop new solutions, including the use of distributed ledger technology for inter-bank payments and trade finance. Under his dynamic leadership, the company will continue to enhance its regulatory approach, to support enterprise and innovation while maintaining financial soundness. Visionet will also continue to focus on ensuring that regulations support innovative business models and on strengthening the cyber resilience of financial institutions. Mr. Alok believes that complementing the business strategies and innovation agenda will be an active skill development program to help the financial sector workforce build world-class skills. With digitalization and automation, job roles will evolve, and existing professionals must be equipped with new skills and competencies. 18 | September 2021 | www.ciolookindia.com
Founder and CEO, Aglaia Capital 20 | September 2021 | www.ciolookindia.com
COVID-19 pandemic has On digital assets, we are in a process of launching a security token which allows you to invest with an underlying asset, get an annual result, and reduce your carbon footprint. Participating in venture capital aimed at sustainable investments in aligned with one of our core values. 21 | September 2021 | www.ciolookindia.com
22 | September 2021 | www.ciolookindia.com
CHANGE IS AN PART ESSENTIAL OF BEING AN ENTREPRENEUR “ “ 24 | September 2021 | www.ciolookindia.com
C hange is the central idea of everything, may it be life, business, social interactions, etc. Change is important for every organization because, with no change, businesses would lose the freshness and there will be no competitive edge. The world is changing every day, if businesses fail to embrace the change, then it is difficult for them to grow on a massive level. Timely change is necessary if you want to keep up with the world around you. It is very easy to have been left out in the world of business. In businesses, change plays a vital role but, many organizations are threatened to change because they might lose the traditional business models. Streamlined businesses are often scared of change. But it is also true that change is a much-needed factor in the current fast-paced world. There are challenges faced by the different industries in enhancing change in their already set business. Nevertheless, this has to be done to keep up with the rapidly advanced technologies and world. Change just does not affect the financial liability of industries but it comes with huge success rates too. As Albert Einstein said, “the measure of intelligence is the ability to change”. This quote sums it all up. No doubt that there is difficulty in coping with the fast-paced world but one who achieves this critical art of change, wins. WhyTimely Changes are Necessary in Business Volatility Demystified ? 31 | September 2021 | www.ciolookindia.com
In this article let’s see why change is a necessity in businesses. Technology Benefits Technology is on the boom in the current industrial scenario and overall. From kids to senior citizens everyone uses technology and are attracted towards it. Including technology in business is not as easy as you might think it is. The fear of letting go of the traditional models of doing business will always haunt entrepreneurs. But, embracing tech-savvy solutions and adding them to the business will provide you with a huge customer base. It will no doubt prove to be the cherry on the cake in the growth of the business. The advancement in the concept of AI and Big data has touched skyrocketing heights. Businesses are utilizing and making the most of it. Technology makes things smoother and crispier. Work gets minimised with technology by your side. Customer needs are constantly increasing and technology acts as a helping hand in keeping up with the ongoing trends. Embracing the technology will only add value and a solid base to the businesses. New Opportunities Change opens a gateway for improvement and coming out of the comfort zone. Usually, people are used to doing the same with the same methods but, change will teach you to do the same things in a better and easy way. With change comes new opportunities, new ideas, new skills, and a new mindset, which is utterly important in the current situation. No one likes the same trend or repetitive ideas, hence changing with time will add to the success rate of the business. Changing a crisis into an opportunity is an inspiring phenomenon that entrepreneurs do. Out of the box thinking comes and changing frequently goes hand in hand. Change in the organization will let employees learn new skills and explore different ideas. The employee’s creativity will only add profit rates to the business. Changing Economy The change brings in a difference in an organization and along that brings in financial expansion, which can be scary. The change in the economy can affect an organization in positive and negative ways. The change will bring new opportunities, but it will also bring new challenges while walking on the way towards success. Economic stability is the most important factor while doing any business. Being afraid of bringing in change in the organization is obvious. But this does not mean that there should be no change at all. Smart work and smart changes are always worth giving a shot. The Ability to Experiment Every new day is a new opportunity to learn something new. Experimenting with the existing factors is a way of embracing change. Baby steps can be taken while starting to experiment with organizational changes. What matters here is the freedom to do something new, something unique, and something exceptional. Sticking to the traditional way of working with adding a little bit of change and a hint of uniqueness is what will make the business shine. As Winston Churchill said, “to improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often”. Perfection can be achieved if you keep changing with the flow. - Sayali Sangewar 32 | September 2021 | www.ciolookindia.com
CEO and Founder , HRBoost The one thing that won’t change is change itself “ Champions of Change | 2021 34 | September 2021 | www.ciolookindia.com ®
W omen in today’s time are not just great home makers but are also great businesswomen. They are the ideal example of being patient and strong. In recent times, they are breaking the stereotype of society of women being fragile. Indeed, they are passionate and brave towards everything they do. The never giving up attitude of women makes them stand out of the crowd. Such women are capable of bringing change in the world. While searching for such world changers for our edition, Champi- ons of Change | 2021, we came across an amazingly talented woman, Nicole Martin, CEO and Founder of HRBoost®. Nicole’s leadership skills and passion towards bringing a change have proved that she deserves to be one of the most successful women in the world. In the following interview, Nicole briefed us (the team of Insights Success) about her journey to build HRBoost®. She also mentioned about the challenges she faced while bringing up the change in the industry and about how she man- aged to serve best to the clients during the Covid-19 pandemic. Nicole has also shared her future goals and advised the budding entrepreneurs and youngsters who wishes to bring a change in the world. Following are the focal points of the interview: What is ‘change’ according to you? Change is inevitable. However, to receive it and become agile through change requires an astute aware- ness of how we are feeling amidst the external environment—and then feeling safe enough to communicate it to those around us in a way that allows us to embrace it together. Kindly tell us how you are bringing change in this world with the help of your business. Describe about your company in detail. Ironically, the biggest threat/change to the marketplace is talent, even now. Only the truly forward- thinking companies will make winning moves even in the down- turn of economy. The best just competes against themselves. The concept of the best is to be rooted in continuous process improvement. The one thing that won’t change, is change itself. The time is now to incorporate not just intrapreneur strategies in your business, but also augmented talent attraction strategies for freelance and/or skilled resources. With culture being the new organizational structure, the benefit of access to freelance expertise in various areas of business will not be just desirable, but necessary. This can be beneficial for businesses too. Businesses that are good at building a framework to uphold the culture as a common language and experience for all their resources working in synergy with clear focus to a shared goal, well then, business can acquire what is needed at a fraction of the cost. This can help fuel a growing business and when done right, it can improve efficiency and contribute to the economy. None of us can foretell the future. I am confident however, that the talent won years ago. Despite the current unemployment rates, you hear about, the skilled talent is at work and resources are skim in several industry verticals. Get ready to witness people making life changing decisions. People who are purpose driven to claim their joy through flexible work that fuels their intellectual passions is now at the forefront. The new evolution will be seeing this take place from the former bread winners in families who no longer fear the risk in the face of uncertainty, knowing nothing is more important than their wellbeing and the well-being of their families. The hospitality industry is already painting the future with staycation retreats because working from home can be great especially when it is not mandated. The talent of the future will seek to work from anywhere and on their A TRAILBLAZER IN DEVELOPING POWERFUL BUSINESSES 35 | September 2021 | www.ciolookindia.com
terms. I feel this is all evidence enough to put every business owner on notice. If you did not know it when I wrote The Talent Emergency in 2015, then heed my notice to you now. The talent still has the upper hand and women remain an opportunity! Now, I would like to pose to you, is the talent landscape a threat or an opportunity? At HRBoost®, we specialize in meeting companies at their pace and budget to integrate an authentic culture invitation that can be reinforced again and again through leadership at all levels with solid HR infrastructure. Strategic HR Day 1, Employee 1. What made you venture into the industry you are catering to? It is my number one responsibility to empower my team of Boosters, invest in ongoing education, tools, and resources to optimize my team. I have a faith that they will in turn delight our clients with the love for what they bring. I was truly humbled when after years of serving on Advisory Board and being part of a winning organization in my prior roles, my own company took the stage of Best & Brightest ® Compa- nies to Work for in Chicago, in 2019. Now, we just aim to get others there with us. What kind of products or services do you provide that are making a difference in people’s lives? We recently engaged a partner to be the HR Expert on Demand, and this truly takes our bench strength to small businesses across the country via phone or their chosen mobile device. While we prefer in person like everyone, these days we have gone digital. Given we are not your Broker, your Attorney or a 1-800 number. We believe HR expertise is essential to any business as they grow their enterprise. Our Shared Services approach allows businesses to access strategic HR at their pace and budget, all while taking a holistic approach to integrating a culture plan that enables their strategic and/or operational plans as a business. We deliver skilled talent to our clients. We also believe they need both strategic and tactical resources at the same time. One human is not ideal as there are various cognitive abilities to optimize HR strategically. We believe our shared services approach to the middle market is the PEO Alternative. And yes, the middle market needs an alternative. What kind of challenges have you faced while bringing the change through your business? How has it affected your professional life? Like any business, talent is critical to growth and skilled talent is critical to our business. As a result, we have reinvested in our talent and our approach is not only towards acquiring talent but also, to enable it. We have also been careful to listen to our clients, their experience, and ways we can better serve them. Our flexibility and custom approach to how we work with clients, has fuelled our growth and success. The challenge will always be access to capital, both financial and human. As the business grows, those challenges just increase in scale. How has the ongoing pandemic affected the operations of your 36 | September 2021 | www.ciolookindia.com
organization? How are you driving your company to sustain its operations and ensuring safety of your employees at the same time? We have always trended with growth year after year, however amidst the pandemic we were hit hard like many. Thankfully, we have successfully returned to pre Covid- 19 revenue levels, and this is something we are pleased with given the level of uncertainty in the market. We have revealed some new innovative ways to reach our clients and as talent shifts occur, we are ready to help the businesses that seek to retain talent. What would be your strategic approach to scale your business in 2021 and beyond? Like many businesses, my organization was hit with a decline in revenue when lockdown occurred. Challenges like many others, we facilitated several furloughs, layoffs as a service to our clients and even partnered with others that had to dismantle their business. Thankfully, as businesses that were ‘essential’ needed support, 50% of our portfolio kept talent onsite and have never been virtual. Our lost revenue was recouped but with a new portfolio of clients that realized their culture invitation and compliance was critical to continued talent retention. Our largest revenue ever in one month occurred in October 2020. Now, a year later, the talent is moving and not just from one company but across the country to where they choose to live. I also have talents in my team that made choices to keep their families safe and in balance. Thank- fully, we practice what we preach so we have talent in the pipeline. Regardless, it is clear, the competi- tion for skilled talent has no boundaries in our country, and virtual and hybrid approaches to working will outlive this pandemic. Our Recruiter on Demand services have increased throughout 2021. Diversity and Inclusion became the forefront as well as Safety and Well- Being. New measures of engage- ment include wellbeing and overall health to include mental health in the workplace. Businesses that showed care during this past year will retain talent but those that failed to keep talent informed, part of the discussion and ahead of the anxiety will see their team change and likely in a big way before year end. What would be your advice to budding entrepreneurs and youngsters who are striving to bring a change in their community? I feel it is imperative to get hands on experience doing what you seek to learn. Make sure it brings you joy before investing time, energy, and dedicating your life to it. Enjoy the journey and be prepared to learn, unlearn, and relearn. Surround yourself with people who inspire and support you, but also don’t patronize you. Remember, even if it gets harder, or takes longer, stay diligent. Anything you love will be worth it. Where do you envision your company to be in the long run and what are your future goals? How do you plan to embrace the changes happening in your industry? We created a Covid Business Bundle within 30 days of the legislative changes that swept across our country. I priced it at a nominal fee ($149.00) for all the policy, forms, and instructions to manage the new paid sick leave and emergency family medical leave. We included a free consultation because the last thing a business needed was to learn they weren’t in compliance, when they were trying to do what was right. The most fascinating part was to see how many out of state clients found us before many in our own backyard did. We kicked off 2021 with a Culture Leadership Summit with 11 international speakers and only charged $2.95 cents. The cost of fuel but instead of your car, it was for you personally. Proceed benefited A Safe Haven, a Chicago non-profit addressing homelessness in our city. We also inked a joint licensing deal to bring our Phone Client program to Android and Apple, something we now partner with Brokers to bring HR Experts on Demand to their clients. Looking to the coming year, much of what we did in person will now be available online and on demand. What is the current industrial scenario of the sector you are catering to? If you do not have a positive work 37 | September 2021 | www.ciolookindia.com
culture, talent will not tolerate it for long. Creating a culture conversa- tion take rigor where two-way exchange is fostered and upheld. We were recognized as a Best & Brightest® company to work for, in Chicago before the pandemic. Regardless, any organization committed to excellence knows culture can change with every promotion, hire, or termination. Put separation and a pandemic in the mix and more conversations were needed. If you do not have a common language for how leadership lives across the organization, morale can suffer. We implemented pulse Covid Surveys in addition to our standard culture surveys and metrics. Anonymous pulse is important, but we also began more company check- ins across peer levels. We have kept Monday Motivation, Happy Hours, and Wellness Wednesdays with the long term in mind as we feel we created a deeper connection during these tough times. We also had Chaplains in the workplace before Covid-19. I was thrilled to see them working more proactively to connect with our team in a virtual world and we had high utilization these past 12 months. I feel proudest of what we discussed, exchanged on, and shared. The subject matter has not been around easy subjects. We had a team meeting to discuss racial unrest and while it was emotional, I was touched that my business has a culture that feels psychologically safe, where I can hear and see my team sharing with each other and beyond without fear of peer judgement but rather seeking to learn from one another. You will notice it instantly. Nicole Martin, CEO and Founder of HRBoost®, loves what she does, and she does it remarkably well. “I’m the accidental entrepreneur,” says Nicole, “I looked back after starting my own business and said, ‘I started a business. Whoa!’” Nicole did not set out to create HRBoost. She simply followed her passion to help clients understand the importance human resources can play in developing a strong business. Today Nicole is a successful entrepreneur and an HR industry innovator, who is dedicated to helping small to mid- size business realize their potential through their employees. A self-professed ‘country girl in disguise,’ Nicole Martin grew up in Montana, where, she says, “Everyone knows you and greets you on the street.” Nicole was also lucky to have a great mentor early in life: her mom. “My mother is highly spiritual, and she raised me with the philoso- phy of being happy,” said Nicole. “She always believed in that you are a special person—she ingrained that in me—and you are capable of anything.” Success is relative. Many people would read my resume or some printed article about me, but the real success comes in the joy of doing what you love every day. It is amazing however, when you turn around and see many others who work for you and source Joy and Purpose through our shared work and creation. Work and Life should be integrated not compartmentalized. “I love that there is no real dividing line between work and play for me,” she conveys. “It is our vision at HRBoost to bring JOY and PURPOSE to PEOPLE through their work. It is how we serve our clients and the people that choose to join up on their visions. We live it at HRBoost and believe everyone deserves the same opportunity. I am thrilled to travel the world in my spare time and share how all of us can live our joy and purpose through our work,” concludes Nicole. A COUNTRY GIRL IN DISGUISE 38 | September 2021 | www.ciolookindia.com
Champions of Change 2021 Utssav Gupta Partner and CEO, Creators Architects 40 | September 2021 | www.ciolookindia.com
In an exclusive interview with CIO Look India, Mr Utssav Gupta, Partner and CEO of Creators Architects enlightens us about the concept of Change. His insightful and innovative way of thinking is the essence of Change. He is an efficient personality, who provides innovative solutions in the architectural space. Below are the highlights of the interview. What is change according to you? Change evokes fear in some, excitement in others, and dread in many. Change can occur as a result of an activity or as a result of an action. And while both are important, I believe that transformation is the most beneficial outcome. A change that does not provide an obvious advantage to people or society is not subjected to a change. Change moves at its own pace, and a change agent leaves a positive impact on the current situation and create a big transformation in the entire scenario, environment, and humanistic behavior. In addition, I see the change as an opportunity to learn and improve. When you see an opportunity to make a difference in the bigger world and take action to make it happen. Architects at Creators Architects consider architecture to be an instrument for change. Kindly tell us how you are bringing change in this world with the help of your business. Describe about your company in detail. The environment in which we live is one of the most crucial influencing variables of change. It has an impact on us and stimulates us to act in specific ways. There has been a change in the environment, as well as in how human activity is perceived. The behavior is the outcome of conditioning as a consequence of environmental influence, and the environmental impact is the result of the building’s design and how the individual is surrounded by it. That is the hammer we are employing right now. We make architecture a practical alternative for everyone. We create architecture to frame that environment, which influences the subject’s behavior positively. Our change has also affected the audience’s behavior, not only on individuals but on how the crowd performs as a whole. Is it more empathetic? Is it more considerate? Is it more thoughtful? Is it more spiritual in nature? Our architectural molding affects the efficiency of our work, particularly the critical efficiency. We have a Utssav Gupta Changing Business Paradigms with Innovative Ideas Every project allows us an opportunity to learn something new “ “ “ “ 41 | September 2021 | www.ciolookindia.com
workplace audit, a health-care space audit, and a factory space audit covered for our clients. We believe, it is more efficient and easier to be efficient if you have more efficiency and ease of efficiency. Brief us about the featured person and shed some light on his/her professional tenure. We at creative architects have worked with generations to generations spanning 35 years as a change agent. Change management and change induction have long been at the heart of Creators Architects’ work. The terrain has changed dramatically in the last 35 years. However, the ethos of change has remained consistent and has been passed down from Rajiv Gupta and Mrs. Mukta Gupta’s prior generation to Mrs. Mukta Gupta and Mr. Utssav Gupta's the modern world’s combined rangers. Change necessitates forethought and the vision that previous generations possessed, resulting in many innovative architectural ideas. The need for a faster life or greater efficiency, modernization, and critical applications has migrated more into the modern world as a result of the technological revolution. Utssav Gupta’s present framework structure embraces that element of change and handles it in the modern environment. What made you venture into the industry you are catering to? Design and architecture intrigue us, help us comprehend the world better, and are powerful tools for reorganizing ourselves. Of course, how you carry out these tasks is critical. Architecture, on the other hand, has always been like this for me. And, as someone who was born and nurtured in this culture and profession, I recognized the attributes. These contributing attributes can be traced back to childhood. As a result, pursuing this job with my own unique perspective became a natural choice for me. What kind of products or services do you provide that are making a difference in people’s lives? The building industry has the power to transform people’s lives, and it is prominent. Through human centricity, business unpredictability, and climatic centricity, we adapt our architecture to make a difference in people’s lives. Creators Architects drive by the principles of the outcome- driven model. This model consistently delivers exceptional results — and it is not by chance. The strategy was designed from the ground up to be outcome-driven, with a focus on what consumers and stakeholders want to achieve. It leads to the creation of feature sets, platform concepts, and business models that will undoubtedly benefit customers and stakeholders. What kind of challenges have you faced while bringing the change through your business? How has it affected your professional life? In the field of architecture, every day is a new learning experience and a lot more challenging. The most complex task is quantifying the amount of change that the product will bring because we are working with an imaginary product. It is not physically present to verify for the client what is going on. As a result, although there is a significant gap between the actual product and understanding the tangible product, it becomes much trickier to comprehend and measure the change that will occur. How has the ongoing pandemic affected the operations of your organization? How are you driving your company to sustain its operations and ensuring safety of your employees at the same time? Catastrophic changes and inventions are identical twins. COVID-19 was one such devastating event in human history that mentally rocked humanity. But this COVID crisis instigated us to anticipate the possibilities of changes to be adapted, changes to be embraced, and change in a way that enables us to comprehend what the pandemic has to offer. We, Creators Architects, took it as a positive outcome for our fraternity and clients. The proactive stance we are taking for the year 2021 and the ensuing years is to look forward to a healthy reassessment of conventional forms and determining if the output generated by conventional methods is bringing enough change and positivity to the new COVID environment. We wish to hone the skills further and build a model of innovation. A paradigm, that adapts to new changes while also giving new values to this new COVID environment. We envisioned our company as being at the forefront of bringing valuable market-changing innovations. We are a niche centre company, and we anticipate that the niche will continue to grow and meet people’s future needs in qualitative rather than quantitative ways. What would be your advice to budding entrepreneurs and youngsters who are striving to bring a change in their community? The only constant, as they say, is change. But, in today’s world, how adaptable are we to embrace change? While change is required, it is also critical for creation instruments to change and define the change as you know, as what’s required, as well as quantify the change that defined the change as a consequence of what’s required. If the change is not meaningful, if it is not serving, if it is not the words of positive growth, then it is pointless to make the change. As a professional who has experimented with change, I believe that it is essential. What matters the most is the meaningful change. 42 | September 2021 | www.ciolookindia.com
Howto 44 | September 2021 | www.ciolookindia.com
Leadership Quest Adaptas a Business Leader ? I t's no secret that businesses face unique challenges in this swiftly changing era. From technological advancements, pandemics that turn the world upside-down, to shifting public perception, and more, business leaders need to adapt their leadership styles to remain competitive in this ever-expanding global economy. For example, in order to meet consumer demand and expectations, savvy business leaders will continue to understand how these demands affect the workplace and subsequently improve the workforce. Hence, innovation and creativity will also be key areas of focus in modern companies as we look towards changing tactics and incorporating new approaches along with technology. Evidence-Based Learning The foundation of adaptive leadership is the idea that people and organizations learn more from their mistakes than they do from their successes. Adaptive leadership is grounded in what we know about human behavior and decision making, and the psychology behind how we sometimes fail to be our best selves. The leadership style also means that leaders must learn from the results of their decisions. If they do not, then they cannot improve their decision-making. The hard part about adaptive leadership is to realize that the decisions you made last week may not lead to the same outcomes as similar decisions today, nor might they lead to the outcomes you expected them to. Simply put, evidence-based learning and adaptation aim to give the leader the confidence to act based on an assessment of their learning process. This learning process will enable leaders to develop an informed understanding of what works, what doesn’t work, what is unpredictable, and what might reasonably be expected to work in given situations. Through this process, business leaders can become more robust in response to complex environments; they will learn faster about their environment; they will 45 | September 2021 | www.ciolookindia.com
be able to tailor responses effectively; and they will be able to analyze what works and why, over time. Evaluate Theories, Assumptions, and Beliefs Each aspect of the adaptive cycle – observing a problem, analyzing the difficulties, generating a hypothesis about what is going wrong, experimenting to prove or disprove the theory – is a comprehensive process that seeks to incorporate as many different dimensions as possible into its assessment of specific problems. In other words, it is about looking for an integrated understanding of specific challenges, one that cuts across various dimensions and interrelated issues. If you strip out any of these steps from the overall adaptive cycle, you hinder action. Actions will only lead to failure without recognizing the assumptions and theories guiding them and also be less likely to lead to success on their own unless they are informed by relevant facts and experiences on the ground. Streamline Decision Making Opinion-based decisions are prone to error because human beings are imprecise. Every person within an organization has the ability to make effective, good decisions. However, they can only do this if they have access to quality information and evidence about the problem they are trying to solve. If you want your team to make quality decisions, streamline your decision-making process. Make an intentional effort to gather the evidence that you need in order to make decisions that are better than simply guessing or using personal preference or opinion to settle on a course of action. Implement Transparency, Inclusion, and Accountability Adaptive leadership works well when you create contexts that encourage people to speak up about mistakes, but it also requires diverse viewpoints. You need to address human error, but you shouldn't hamper individuals in any way in their most productive time. Transparency, inclusion, and accountability are three of the basic tenets held by adaptive leadership. These three entities can go a long way toward making adaptive leadership work in any context. They help leaders understand what led to a mistake and create systems that allow the organization to learn from it in a meaningful way. When a leader makes a mistake, it can often be a catalyst for great change. If this is the case, it's important that you use this catalyzing power in a positive way. Communicate More Effectively A leader’s job is to meet the needs of the people who rely on them. And part of that is providing clear and consistent communication at every turn of the wheel, especially in times of rapid change and risk of failure. They need to communicate effectively and accurately without causing confusion and anxiety. There are many unconventional ways to filter and present in-depth information in a simple and easy-to- use manner in order to give your leadership team and your staff exactly what they need in real-time. The key is to adjust yourself and the organization to the unique needs of various stakeholders. In conclusion, adaptive leadership is about creating an environment where you can learn from the people around you. Your goals should be aligned to ensure your scenarios are relevant and representative of the real world. 46 | September 2021 | www.ciolookindia.com
49 | September 2021 | www.ciolookindia.com Founder & Associate Director, D-DMS Techno Solu ons Private Limited

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