Lack of joy at work leads to burnout and stress: Avi Kumar, CMO, FNP

Avi Kumar, chief marketing officer, FNP, feels that burnout and stress is caused by a lack of contentment and happiness with one’s work.

He explained, “We all need to prioritise our mental, physical as well as spiritual health. My advice will be that we prioritise self-care in every aspect of life. Not just at work, but on the personal front as well.”

He also believes that one must be a student for life if one is to be on top of the game.

Edited excerpts from his conversation with Storyboard18

The creator economy has taken the world by storm. Which influencers and trends are you following?

At FNP, we have an always-on influencer strategy. We emphasise on authenticity, and our first priority is organic collaboration. It is how we can make moments special for the collaborator / influencer.

Our recent partnership with influencers like Sara Tendulkar and Janhvi Kapoor have been impactful as we also help them make their special days more special.

We also leverage AI to analyse the overlapping audiences to ensure that our collaborations resonate with both the influencer’s followers and our audiences.

What marketing related content do you consume in your free time?

I read industry blogs and watch webinars. I have been listening to the Marketing Over Coffee podcast for some time, followed by the CMO podcast by Jim Stengel.

Additionally, I think the Harvard Business Review (HBR) helps one stay abreast of the broader business landscape, and follow some of the innovative practices.

There's a lot of talk about burnout, workplace toxicity, and hustle culture. What steps have you taken to avoid the adverse impact of the always-on culture on yourself and your colleagues? What advice would you give to peers, colleagues, and next-gen marketers?

We all need to prioritise our mental, physical, as well as spiritual health. My take is that if you enjoy your job, you will make light work of it, and there will be no burnout or stress.

The burnout or stress happens when you do not find joy in work. My advice will be that we prioritise self-care in every aspect of life, not just at work, but on the personal front as well.

What does your weekend look like?

Weekends are as busy as weekdays. I try to steal as much time as possible with the family, and not just time, but quality time, because that's what matters.

I have just recently shifted to Gurgaon. Hence, I am exploring new places within Gurgaon and checking out cafes. And I try to catch up more on reading and listening to audibles.

I also spend some time over the weekend to reflect, plan the week ahead, and think of what really happened through the week gone by. Since that's the time when you can really cut the clutter, the noise, and focus on what your priority is really.

Is there any sport or fitness routine you practice?

I practice vipassana. I also gym, swim, and play squash on alternate days. On weekends, I have this unwinding session with my son, who is 8 years old. I take him for a swim followed by breakfast. It also helps us bond with each other.

Please share one work and one life hack you swear by

In terms of work hack, I think what you prioritise gets done. Hence, you need to block your time and prioritise the work that you want to do, and manage and schedule tasks much more efficiently.

This has helped me improve productivity and ensure focus. If you break your day down in terms of what you think is important and spend time on that, it helps get the work done. Otherwise, time just flows. That's the work hack.

In life, we need to have a positive outlook and continue learning and striving, while reducing stress.

Every morning, I write down three things that I was grateful for in the day that went by. It is a very simple habit. But I think it is incredibly powerful to start the day on a positive note and keep that momentum going.

What are you watching or streaming this weekend?

I don't watch too much OTT now. I was the head of marketing for Zee5 and watched a lot of content across platforms, both for work as well as entertainment.

There's a new show on Apple TV called `New Look.’ It's the story of Christian Dior and his contemporaries, including Coco Chanel, etc, how they navigated challenges during World War II, and what launched the modern fashion industry that is there today. All these brands still exist and are market leaders.

What are you reading? Any recommendations?

My recommendation is that the more you read, the better it is. So keep reading. Currently, I am reading Team of Teams, a book on leadership and organisation dynamics. It talks about navigating complex environments and how one can have better teamwork, adapt teams to situations, etc.

A piece of wisdom you would like to share?

At whatever stage of life we are in, we have to be curious and open to learning. We are evolving fast, and so is the market and trends.

One has to adapt very quickly, and I think that's the key to success. We have to embrace change and not be afraid to experiment and innovate. The more you prioritise customer centricity and understand how the customer is changing along with their behaviour and trends, the more we will be able to be successful in whatever we are doing. I think that God is in the details. So, small things make a big difference.

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