Be compassionate towards yourself

To provide a platform to weavers for direct engagement with the prospective customers, Raghuram Kuchibhatla, founder and CEO, Yes!poho launched the brand in 2017. With the aim to improve the livelihood and social-economic conditions of the craftsmen and revive the dying culture of handloom and handicraft artisans. He talks to Corporate Citizen, about his working philosophy and how he keeps himself mentally and physically agile

Corporate Citizen: How do you set out your priorities to keep your work and personal life balanced?

Raghuram Kuchibhatla: I set goals and work towards them. Goals are long-term and keep one focused. Once I have a goal set, priorities fall in place and I schedule my activities accordingly.

CC: While on the move, what helps you the most in maintaining calm and peace?

Meditation, walking, running, and reading books help me to keep calm. I tend to focus on gratitude. When we’re facing a series of challenges, it can be easy to slip into tunnel vision and focus on what’s going wrong at the expense of noticing what’s going well. Even taking the time to write down just three things each day that we feel grateful for can help to reinstate a balanced perspective on our day-to-day experience. I also like to practice self-compassion. Most importantly, I tend to avoid creating a negative environment and always lookout for ways to credit my team and myself.

CC: What keeps you fit and healthy and your mind calm and cool?

I run or walk five miles every day and jump rope for 30 minutes. Meditation helps me to relax and keeps me mentally fit, while reading helps me think. Additionally, I have a goal of reading at least five books per month—business biographies, business-related literature, biographies, and autobiographies, history and social sciences, are among my genres. These books assist me in providing a 360-degree viewpoint while also providing fresh ideas.

CC: How do you like to rejuvenate and recharge and de-stress?

I have no stress. Being active keeps me rejuvenated. I walk and exercise, meditate and read books. I also listen to music and watch comedy scenes from old movies and dramas on YouTube. Meeting friends and networking also helps to de-stress. When you’re stressed and irritable, your instinct may be to isolate yourself. Instead, I reach out to family and friends and make social connections. The easiest stress reliever is taking a coffee break with a co-worker or a friend. Another stress reliever is gardening and cooking.

CC: Give five tips that work the best for you to maintain a work-life balance.

In today’s post-pandemic world where we are all working from home, it is essential that we create a routine for ourselves—such as eating healthy food, exercising more often, limiting time-wasting activities. I also like to focus on the things that matter the most like spending more time with family.

CC: Do you play any game which helps you in your work?

Racquetball and tennis are two sports that I love to play. It helps me with concentration and improves my physical fitness. Since the ball returns to you with speed, you must be focused not only on receiving it but also on properly placing it. The randomness in the ball movement is like the way I see how the market forces work, and one must be prepared and keep learning from everything that the market offers you.

CC: What is the secret of your success?

I don’t think I am successful yet, as success is more goal-oriented than purpose-oriented. If we say being a CEO defines success, then yes. I may be successful according to that definition but more important is having a purpose and working towards it.

CC: What is your philosophy of work?

Don’t become complacent. Deliberately pursue growth by continuous improvement and innovation. I consider every day as my last, so I work with vigour to deliver.

CC: What message you would like to give to youngsters?

Right from childhood, everyone is taught about success and failure, and that failure seems to be a bad thing. I would state that is incorrect. Unless one tries, how else will they know to succeed. Keep trying. The best advice I got was from my daughter: “Shine like a sun and live your dream.” I truly follow this.