Spend as much time sharpening your axe as chopping: Chandramohan Mehra, Bajaj Allianz Life
Chandramohan Mehra, Senior President and Chief Marketing Officer, Bajaj Allianz Life, in a conversation with Storyboard18, touched upon the work and life hacks he swears by, what he’s reading, and strategies to avoid being burned out.
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Chandramohan Mehra, senior president and chief marketing officer, Bajaj Allianz Life, firmly believes that one must spend as much time sharpening one’s axe as chopping in order to keep burnout at bay.
“Sharpening your axe is about expanding your skills, following a passion outside work, and spending time with family. This will enhance your work productivity, i.e., chopping,” he explained.
Edited excerpts
Please list five of your favourite quotes on marketing and leadership?
• The best ideas come as jokes. Make your thinking as funny as possible.
• Only dead fish swim with the current.
• If you are not pushing forward you are moving backwards.
• The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.
• When the shadow gets longer than yourself, dusk is close (shadow means ego, dusk is downfall).
In your free time, what kind of marketing-related content do you consume?
The feeds and newsletters of all major advertising and marketing portals allow me to keep abreast of campaigns happening across brands. Also, award jury duties or speaking forums impart new learnings, enthusiasm, and inspiration.
Where do you get your social media fix?
Largely, it's LinkedIn for everything to do with business, industry updates, and leadership. YouTube for long-format videos and Ted Talks. Insta is teaching me how to effectively create content that’s less than 10 seconds long.
What were the last five videos you viewed on any social platform?
- Dr Yasantha: AI Vs AGI, and Homo Sapiens’ Next Chapter.
- Jeff Bezos on why he didn’t become a physicist.
- Barack Obama on learning how to get stuff done.
- Eliuid Khipchoge: My sub-2 hour marathon
- Gen Alpha Slang Vs Gen Z Vs Millennials – a reel on Insta.
What is your fitness / wellness routine?
Long distance running. It has kept me sane for the last two decades. It keeps me organised and helps respect and maximise every unit of time.
What does your favourite weekend look like?
Long Sunday morning runs followed by breakfast with my running mates. OTT or books or newspapers in the afternoon. Walking Crypto (our shih tzu) early in the evening, followed by a dinner outing with the family.
What have you been watching on weekends?
Hugh Van Cuylenburg: GEM. He makes a compelling case for why and how to practice Gratitude, Empathy, and Mindfulness (GEM) for growth and mental well-being. I have also been watching Diplomat, Season 2
Any work or life hack you swear by?
If you have 100 minutes to solve a problem, use 99 minutes to understand it. More often than not, experience is a bane as it accelerates things and may lead to suboptimal decisions. Hence, a holistic deep-dive is more effective. Another hack I live by and recommend to my team is preparing a to-do list, preferably in the evening before signing off for the day. It improves efficiency, speed, and the ability to do more with minimal anxiety.
What are you reading? Any recommendations?
I am reading ‘Tuesdays with Morrie’. It’s a non-fiction memoir about author Mitch Albom's visits to a college professor who is dying of Lou Gehrig's disease, and the lessons he learns there.
I also strongly recommend Outlive, by Dr Peter Attia, who makes a relevant point about focusing on one’s health span over life expectancy. Also, Atomic Habits by James Clear, which is worth reading more than once.
What's your advice to avoid personal and professional burnout?
Spend as much time sharpening your axe as chopping. You will end up chopping far more, and efficiently. Sharpening your axe is about expanding skills, following a passion outside work, and spending time with family. This will enhance your work productivity, i.e., chopping.
A piece of professional wisdom you would like to share with next-gen marketers?
Continue to build your ability to understand your customer, and tie that up with providing business solutions. Regardless of new trends and emerging tech, this will not only make you a valuable marketer but also a solid business partner. Additionally, the appetite and ability for getting things done will take you very far.
What’s the best advice you’ve got or heard on life?
Life is a marathon, not a sprint.
