‘Control the controllables and keep the noise out’
What was the problem you were grappling with?
At Ageas Federal, we have gone through a relatively challenging time in the past six to seven years. The first few years were because of uncertainty in the company shareholding and the past couple of years, due to Covid-19.
Whom did you approach for advice and why?
During the first few years when the company was going through a period of uncertainty, I was extremely disturbed, and it was evident to people at home. At that time my father was suffering from Parkinson’s and was bed-ridden. Despite his illness, he called me to his bedside and asked me why I was so troubled.
What was the advice you received?
My father told me two things I will never forget: (i) Never waste a good crisis, and (ii) Control the controllables and keep the noise out. After hearing this, I was ready to face the challenges being thrown at me.
How effective was it in resolving the problem?
This advice, along with a lot of hard work put in by the team, enabled us to demonstrate good performance on various industry parameters. We have consistently been declaring profits for nine consecutive years and are in the top quartile of all persistency buckets. We were the first new-age life insurance firm to wipe out all accumulated losses and declare dividend. Our unconventional marketing strategy focussing on sports and fitness has helped us to differentiate ourselves. We also pride ourselves on our people practices that have led to us being recognised by the Great Place to Work Institute as one of India’s best workplaces in the insurance sector.