1. What is the best professional advice you’ve ever got?
“Follow your passion and conviction, be a good listener and think and act like a leader.” This advice, given to me by my mother, has worked well for me in my professional as well as personal life. I think women make for great business leaders because they bring not just IQ but also EQ.
2. What’s efficiency or time-saving hack that’s worked for you?
Planning my day and calendar ahead of time, scenario planning and effective delegation that help we regulate my time at work. As a woman, multitasking comes with ease, but so do increased breadth of roles and responsibilities. Planning ahead saves time on decision making. I have also come to the realization that the more you simplify and standardize basic things at work and in life, the more time you save and the better efficiency you can achieve.
3. Are crazy schedules and lack of work-life balance inevitable for an entrepreneur, or can these be managed?
Yes absolutely, and add to these sleepless nights every now and then due to ideas running through your head or finding a solution to a problem. To make it easier and avoid burn out, its good to take short 20/30 minutes breaks within a day, doing what calms the mind. Its also a must to take breaks to travel. Making sure that my personal and business finances are in place, helps to keep the mind stress free.
4. What’s the first thing you do when you get out of bed?
Much as I would not like to, I check my phone messages. As I get ready for my morning workout/run, I sift through all my social media handles, particularly to check on markets and finance news. Updates from women in the active LXME Community are always a source of joy!! I also follow a few handles that are inspiring and make me begin the day on a positive note. I get up eager to learn something new!
5. What’s your personal warning sign that you’re depleted?
Losing my sense of humor and my appetite are two big red alerts!!
6. When you notice you’re getting too stressed, what do you do to course-correct?
As a founder and CEO, one learns to navigate stress. I believe in the adage of “seize every moment, give it your best and learn from the outcomes.” Setting a culture both at work and home that is conducive to collaboration and harmony is the best stress buster for a leader, particularly as a woman. On some days stress correction may need more, like a long walk with some great music or a session of Poker with my son!
7. How do you reframe negative thinking?
Not dwelling too much on what has happened, looking at the larger picture, counting your blessings, and moving to the next goal have been helpful tools. It helps to accept that the world is not all black and white, but a lot of shades of greys. Keeping my values and ethics intact have helped me navigate this effectively, to my satisfaction.
8. What is your personal policy towards gadgets when working or at nighttime?
I am a gadget freak and an information junkie. Everything right from my phone, laptop, tablet, noise cancelling earphones are my lifelines, especially during the COVID times. My policy for all of these is that they are convenience tools that are critical for today’s lifestyle. There are times when I fall asleep at night while reading on my kindle, or reading an e magazine. I have chosen to be extremely generous and flexible on gadget usage.
9. If you could give your younger self any life advice, what would it be?
I would tell my younger self to:
- Start investing at least 60% of my savings
- Travel at every given opportunity, especially all the mountain trekking
- Cut the noise out and keep a laser focus on your goals.