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Leader Talk: In Conversation with Mr Agendra Kumar, President, Esri India
Leader Talk: In Conversation with Mr Agendra Kumar, President, Esri India

April 28, 2020

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1. Please share your thoughts on how you are managing productivity?
To have a clear understanding of productivity from our context, let me talk about Esri briefly, and what we do. Essentially there are two sides – product & services. We develop Geographic Information System (GIS) software and have about 5000+ customers in India with an an extensive tech support team to support our users. On the services side, we have domestic clients as well as US-based ones.

From a services delivery standpoint, we were able to shift workstations (laptops & desktops) to a WFH model with practically no disruption. Yes, with the clients under lockdown, getting new business – particularly on the product side – has been a challenge. This, we believe, is a temporary decline. Nonetheless, our sales team is leveraging technology to the hilt to stay in constant touch with prospects.

2. Managing employee morale?
If employees remain engaged in their work then there’s not much concern about morale taking a hit. But there are estimates doing rounds that normalcy will return only in 2021 and we have to look at employee morale from a long-term perspective as well. I have already conducted two tech-enabled Town Halls to date and got very good traction as well.

Today, leaders have to ensure that communication channels are always open. Managers need to be in touch to know what’s going on in the team members’minds and the way progress is being made. We’ve also created an internal platform – Let’s Talk. This is used for non-business conversations and it helps to ward off loneliness especially for people living as PGs, away from their families. People use this platform to talk to each other and share their experiences. It’s a weekly series where people are invited in small batches of 15 people so that all participants get to speak in a well-moderated session. So far, it’s worked well and people do open up with their thoughts and feelings. The focus is on mental health, time management, and it is an opportunity to motivate people to exercise regularly to stay fit. This initiative is driven by the HR function.

Esri India is currently supporting more than 25 Govt bodies which are fighting COVID-19 across the country. Through our technology, we map healthcare centres, hotspots, etc. Our analytics-based tools work real-time to show insights, which help various governments (Centre & State) to take the necessary steps. This is a great motivator for employees who are engaged in this initiative. For them, it’s about giving back to the nation. The nature of work itself becomes the motivating factor.

3. Post-COVID world, the disruptions you see in your business line?
• We used to conduct very large marketing events which were aimed at building connects for the product side of our business. Obviously, with physical distancing norms, the old ways aren’t coming back so soon – if at all.

• I can see business travel coming down significantly. And, tech-enabled tools are powerful enough as an alternative – to hold meetings.

• Expense management and cash management will take on a whole new meaning. It’s these areas which will determine longevity.

• After the Global Financial Meltdown 12 years back, a lot of things changed. Similarly, this time, the WFH model has proven to be a success. Even after the lockdown is eased, companies may want many employees to continue working in this manner. Office spaces may be given up accordingly. In turn, the Real Estate sector is likely to take a hit.

• Resilience is going to be the key.

4. How are you ensuring that talent reskilling is kept on?
People are extensively using the internal learning platforms but to be honest, this WFH way of working hasn’t eased any time for our tech support teams. They are more pressed on time than ever before towards ensuring business continuity. Though, learning never stops. Our Sales teams is attending a lot of online courses to improve their skills on account management and various other teams are taking up online certifications as per their roles and technology expertise areas.

5. Leadership traits during disaster recovery.
• Obviously, this is a Black Swan moment without any precedence. It caught the whole world off-guard. To come out of this, we need to focus on a few segments where we can see immediate business opportunities. Some segments will remain in a depressed state and as a leader, I need to be cognizant andfocus on sectors where recovery will be faster.

• Focus on financial modelling – key drivers being liquidity and profitability.

• Determine the non-negotiable cash flows – for instance, salaries.

• What are some of the levers available? Hiring freeze, cutting down on discretionary spends. For instance, can we do with smaller offices for a temporary phase?

• There has to be a connection between the heart and the mind. Everything cannot simply be driven by business outcomes. We need to empathise with people in these times and trust them. They need to be empowered to deliver. Again, a de-centralized approach is required.

 

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