Bangalore, August 24, 2021 – Great Place to Work® India has announced Parag Kulkarni, Managing Director, A. O. Smith India Water Products Private Limited as one of ‘India’s Best Leaders in Times of Crisis 2021’.
In a study conducted by Great Place to Work® India, 75 leaders were recognized for their exemplary leadership during this very challenging year. The categories were broken out into two groups; of which 25 of the leaders spearhead mid-size organizations (100-500 employees), and 50 lead large organizations (more than 500 employees). A. O. Smith India Water Products Private Limited employs around 300 people and Kulkarni received this award in the mid-size organization category.
The Great Place to Work® India study was conducted to gain insight into the various ways in which organizations operated within the VUCA (Volatility, Uncertainty, Complexity and Ambiguity) environment intensified by the pandemic. Great Place to Work® India then validated the study with employees through a detailed survey.
Commenting on the recognition, Mr. Parag Kulkarni, Managing Director, A. O. Smith India Water Products Private Limited said: “I thank everyone for showing the trust in our leadership and delivering on our promise to customers during these difficult times. Our team achieved remarkable results despite the challenges and adversities we faced by overcoming them together. This recognition is for all our employees who acted as leaders for their respective teams during the most difficult times, remained true to the core values of A. O. Smith, and provided support and guidance to their teams. I am humbled by the appreciation and thank my team staying positive, energized and working together to keep each other safe during these challenging times. We’ll continue to encourage and support each other as we have always done.
Demonstrating strong leadership at a time of crisis is crucial as priorities keep changing. You have to be decisive while keeping a positive outlook and stay focused on creating opportunities out of impediments. There is a need to lead with empathy and even a small act of kindness goes a long way in easing someone’s concern in the current scenario. People are indeed your best assets and we remain focused on weathering this storm together as a team to emerge stronger than ever,” added Parag.
About the Study
The Covid-19 Pandemic challenged old paradigms of working and thrust the new normal on businesses and the work force. While organizations have found ways to cope with the VUCA world, current times placed tremendous pressure on the leadership team to be agile, decisive and adaptable. There have been many examples of exemplary behavior on the part of senior leadership, be it redefining business models, redesigning workplaces to suit the current needs or ensuring the wellbeing of the workforce. The ‘India’s Best Leaders in time of Crisis 2021’ Study was a Great Place to Work® India initiative to identify leaders who have demonstrated exceptional ability in dealing with the COVID-19 crisis.
The study captured history as it happened by enabling organizations to update actions and initiatives regularly, while a short impact survey was conducted on cross-sections of employees to understand their experience during these challenging times.
