Print.IT Reseller - issue 74

01732 759725 18 WORKPLACE Alpesh Unalkat, CEO Aura, picks the tools he uses every day and couldn’t do his job without I couldn’t do my job without... However I know the team, what I am thankful for is that everyone around me is fantastic and has similar values and beliefs to my own. I place huge importance on having a great team around me to get the job done. When you have a strong group of people facing in the same direction towards a shared goal, I think it’s both essential to achieving objectives and makes the journey a whole lot more fun along the way! 2 My Blackberry Many people, especially those who know me, will read this and chuckle as my love affair with Blackberry devices is well known and given the widely publicised story of Blackberry’s demise once ‘smarter’ smartphones arrived on the market. However, so many don’t realise that Blackberry launched an excellent Android hybrid a few years back (and new products since!) and for me this combination of security and advanced capability means I can get 90 per cent of what I need done on the go without the need for a laptop or tablet. In all seriousness, whether it’s a Blackberry or other smartphone I do think the ability to be mobile with that much computing power available on the go is a must for me in my job. PS – contrary to popular belief I do not hold shares in Blackberry or any affiliated company! 3 Clear goals I’ve always believed an essential ingredient to getting any job done is clarity about where you’re heading and passion/conviction in wanting to get there. I couldn’t get a job done if I only half wanted to do it, so I firmly think having a clear vision/strategy as to what you want to achieve and then, some excitement and natural energy in wanting to get there, is so important. We all spend a big proportion of our time at work so to me getting that job done and done well has to be based on having clear goals and shared values, which for my business are to be collaborative, transformative and responsible. 4 Collaboration tools As you’re probably gathering from things I’ve written earlier, I am a believer in teams working together and so, to me, collaboration tools are essential in getting the job done. Previously, I felt that fewer people were comfortable working remotely perhaps over video and dynamically working on the same document. Our business is all about the future workspace and given the COVID-19 situation, I think more of us have learned the ease at which we can use these tools to our own benefit. I don’t have any specific applications that I favour, I just know collaboration tools are a must for me and will become more so for a wider number of people going forward. 5 A great network One area that I find is important in getting my job done is talking to and sharing ideas with my network of customers, suppliers, partners, competitors, friends and acquaintances. For me great dialogue and interaction across my network helps me understand different viewpoints and experiences and keeps me fresh in my thinking. In my role, especially in a future-focused business like Aura, I think this is really important in getting my job done. And whilst tools like LinkedIn are great for this type of stuff, there is nothing better than a good chat over a coffee or on the phone! www.aurafutures.com 1 Team Aura As you know from the feature in issue 72 of PITR , we have recently completed a deal to bring together Karlson and Intevi to form Aura. This new business is made up of people I’ve worked with before, people I’ve known for some time and new people I’m getting to know. I place huge importance on having a great team around me to get the job done