Sumeet Bhojani, head of marketing communications at Godrej Interio, believes in simplicity and focusing only on what truly matters. He values attention as the most precious currency, urging thoughtful consideration of where it’s invested, be it in work or personal life. “It’s important to contemplate on what’s important and what deserves your attention, whether it’s at a workplace or in your life,” he shared in a chat with Storyboard8.
Edited Excerpts
The creator economy has taken the world by storm. Which influencers and trends are you following currently?
I think this is actually a very exciting time, whether you’re a marketer or creator or even a consumer for content. It’s almost like 24 hours really aren’t enough to consume everything that is being put out daily.
So I follow a wide variety of brands which include a lot in the home and furniture space because that’s the branded business that we are in. There’s a lot of content and trends around homes, interiors, home furnishings trends that I really like to keep myself updated on.
And then, there are content creators that are aligned to my interest. There’s entertainment and comedy,like AiyyoShraddha, Viraj Ghelani, etc.
Apart from that, there are specific interest areas like football related content specifically to a fantasy football game that I play called FPL. Then, there’s parent related content. I’m a father to a 10 year old daughter.
Then there is philosophy related content with creators like Ryan Holiday. Another thing that I listen to regularly is podcasts like long form conversations that make sense from Sam Harris, Coleman Hughes, Richard Dawkins, Alex O’Connor, etc.
What marketing related content do you consume in your free time?
So there’s a lot happening in this field right now and I think it’s important to keep yourself updated.
Lately, I’ve been consuming a lot of content and stuff around Generative AI and that’s a big thing that’s been happening over the last six to eight months. How is this evolving as a technology and what are the practical applications in marketing and communications and how is it that brands are using this?
That’s the kind of content which I think is an important technology to keep a very close eye on and how it’s going to impact the function and the marketing field.
Then there are specific A&M handles, the usual ones that give out the latest on campaigns and media followed by a few expert handles on Instagram, LinkedIn that offer a take on the campaigns.
There’s an expert opinion on campaigns and a variety of marketing strategies that industries use. So that’s the kind of content typically that I end up pulling both from a marketing point of view and some of the marketing technology point of view as well.
There is a lot of talk about burnout, workplace toxicity, and hustle culture. What steps have you taken to avoid the adverse impact of the always on culture on yourself, your colleagues, and what advice would you like to give to your peers, colleagues, and next gen marketers?
Given the long hours at work, I think one of the most important things these days is to make sure that health and wellness are given priority in the workplace.
Simple things like following workplace wellness tips from experts, things like using ergonomically designed chairs and furniture, staying active, even at work. Some of these things go a long way for both physical as well as mental health.
At Godrej Interio, there is an ergonomic cell that advises organisations on how to best orient their workspace towards more ergonomics and it’s more mindful to the needs of their employees. Because at the end of the day, employees do put in a fair bit of hours at the workplace.
I think it’s important to have a very healthy balance between work and life. I personally believe it leads to better productivity and overall well being, which is very important because we have long careers these days. This is also dependent on a lot of life and career stages. And having said that, I think it’s important to understand what kind of aspirations one has for their professional life.
My take on this also is that, you’ll have to be really honest with yourself with regards to who you really are and what matters to you. If you are a person or you’re at a life stage where a work of hustle gives you a kick and it gives you the kind of satisfaction that you’re seeking for, then go for it.
But having said that, I think it’s very important to be cognizant of the fact that everyone may not be wired in that way. So it’s important to be respectful of other people’s boundaries and choices and this becomes extremely important when it comes to building a culture.
It’s not just about your work style, your boundaries but about recognising the boundaries and the work style and the way people approach work these days across the organisation. Especially your colleagues, which you deal with day in and day out. I think being respectful and mindful of their choices and their way of working in this matter becomes extremely important.
And then you are able to build a very healthy and productive culture. Otherwise it becomes toxic.
Is there any sport or fitness routine you practice?
On weekdays, I work out every morning for about 45 minutes to an hour. And typically, this is like three days of strength training and a couple of days of cardio.
I think I’d really recommend it for everyone. It makes for a great start to the day. And in fact, there are days when I miss it. I can literally feel the difference in energy levels during the day when I’ve worked out versus when I’ve not worked out.
So, I think, that’s one routine that I make sure that I don’t miss. On weekdays, Saturdays or Sundays, I play football. We have a group of fathers and kids who get together every Saturday or a Sunday. We book a turf court and play an hour or hour and a half. It’s one of the highlights of the weekend.
What does your weekend look like?
Weekends are fairly packed these days. Most of the weekend is spent resting and recharging. I do spend a fair bit of time with my family. We take out our daughter for lunch and dinner. She’s a foodie.
So, we sometimes end up catching a movie or a play. We play a game of turf football. We finish some chores, we meet some friends, and I also end up making a point to catch some Premier League action live on television.
So, I’m a big football fan, and I make sure that I catch a couple of games over the weekend. We obviously watch a fair bit of content on television. I catch up on my reading during the weekend, so yeah, weekends are fairly packed and always exciting to look forward to.
What are you watching or streaming this weekend?
I am watching a show called ‘The Gentleman’ on Netflix. It is a very interesting show about how someone inherits an estate where there is a drug factory in the basement and that person is actually a ‘Duke’ who gets embroiled in a lot of shady activities.
We have started watching a medical drama called House MD. My daughter is really enjoying it as well. I am also on season five of a show called the ‘Peaky Blinders’.
Any work hack or life hack you swear by?
It’s about keeping things simple and eliminating the inessential. I do believe that your attention is the most valuable currency that you have and you must spend it wisely on things that actually matter.
So, it’s important to contemplate on what’s important and what deserves your attention, whether it’s at a workplace or in your life.
So, use technology, support systems, disable notifications, not using phones when you’re with family or loved ones and focusing on one thing at a time because multitasking is a myth.
What are you reading? Any recommendations?
I am actually reading this book called the ‘The School of life’. It has a lot of these topics which are not normally covered by self-help books. It covers topics like emotional intelligence, how to build relationships, what are the things that are important in life? etc.
A piece of wisdom you would like to share?
It’s a philosophy that I follow which I borrowed from the book. It is called Memento Mori which is translated as ‘Remember you must die’.
So, what it actually calls for is to actively meditate on your mortality. What it does is that it kind of treats death as if it doesn’t make life pointless, but instead it gives it more purpose. It gives you the clarity to focus on what’s really important to lead a good life now and not worry about things in the future or in the past.
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