Pankil Mehta, the chief business officer of the Alchemy Group - a leading digital media and content agency - handles businesses, such as AndBeyond.Media and Localyze. Mr Mehta is a convergent thinker who has challenged traditional digital practices by bringing forth a futuristic way of identifying the digital market.

With over 15 years of experience spanning across digital marketing and consulting, Mr Mehta has made way for new product initiatives by engaging in business opportunities and helping diversified growth for brands globally. Based out of Mumbai, he is an active industry advocate who likes to combine his business acumen and leadership experience to deliver innovative and customer-centric experiences within the digital space. In an engaging conversation with Sharmila Chand, Mr Mehta outlines his management principles and practices that have helped him make big strides in his career.

Your five management mantras

·        Planning with complete clarity to ensure seamless marriage of visions and goals: Planning not only takes care of strategising and implementation, but it also ensures excellence in execution.

·        Teaming up the right kind of people that result in extraordinary teams: Everyone in the team should work with a shared vision and set system-driven work. This helps achieve the company's goals and also lets its employees grow personally.

·        Leading a team like a true leader with transparency goes a long way: Giving regular feedback, having brainstorming sessions and motivating the team from time to time make sure that the company's vision becomes their vision.

·        Play with disruptive technology: In today's times, the world keeps changing at an accelerating speed. One has to look around for disruptive ways of enhancing one's business in order to play the management game. The right culture and system must be set in the company which helps achieve this.

·        Develop the ability to learn constantly: As a wise man once said: "The only thing that is constant is change."

A game that helps your career

I play Snooker often, especially when I want to keep my mind straight. In the game of Snooker, you always have to plan your next two moves in advance. Snooker requires a lot of concentration, which indirectly trains your mind to concentrate on the most important things at work. The attention to detail in the game has helped me be more practical in life while thinking logically. The game also leaves you with a bundle of experience that you can act out in your real life, which is why I think playing Snooker has helped me improve a lot of skills that I apply in my work life too.

The turning point in your career life

When I slowly started to understand where my strengths lay, especially during hard times, I realised that there was something more to me than I ever thought. I started to build on my strengths and enhance them further through on-ground experience. It changed the way I saw things in life and in my own line of business.

Secret of your success

I shall let you all in on my secret. You can only achieve success when you follow your passion. And I mean, really follow your passion. I am a risk-taker and follow my guts when it comes to making hard decisions. The one thing that keeps me driven is my work ethics and values and the way my people respond to it positively.

Your philosophy of work

Work hard, play hard - exactly like the song that we all love jamming to. No matter what you do in life, just ensure that it makes a difference in your life, to the people around you and to the people who will benefit from it.

A person you admire

My father - I wouldn't have been where I am today without his unconditional support. He has been my backbone since the day one, and I cannot thank him enough for everything.

Your favourite books

The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment by Eckhart Tolle is an incredible guide for people who wish to be guided through the stresses of life by living in the present moment. Another book that I am really fond of is Abundance: The Future Is Better Than You Think by Peter H Diamandis and Steven Kotler. The book is like a roadmap for entrepreneurs who seek abundance in their life. It's one of those books that will always be an inspiration for me.

Any interesting episode you wish to share

Wherever I get time off, I often watch YouTube videos relating to intermittent fasting. My wife and I have been researching on this in addition to applying it in our lives. Reading on it and downloading apps that help me keep track of my fast have helped me understand my body better. In fact, my lifestyle has drastically changed ever since I started following intermittent fasting. But one should not forget to do one's research before planning to practise it.

Your fitness regime

I always make it a point to start my day with Yoga and meditation. It's very important that I start my day with a clean slate. Apart from that, I also follow a strictly-balanced diet that is highly nutritious. If time permits, I also go on bicycle rides to keep myself active after a long day of work.

Your five business mantras

·        Having a clear vision of your business goals can bring about success. Goals without vision are short-lived, but goals with a vision can help you achieve a lot more than you think.

·        You should always play to your strengths by doing what you're good at.

·        Follow good work ideals, ethics and values that are people-oriented rather than process-oriented.

·        Lead from the front so that people listen to you.

·        Don't lose hope; it's the last thing you want to think about.

Your message to youngsters

Don't do things that make you feel like you're forced to do it. Follow your passion hard, and you'll achieve everything you want. I am not kidding. Do what makes you happy, and never ever give up on it. Otherwise, you may end up regretting it.