State expectations, be clear about outcomes: Roshni Das of Intel

Roshni Das, Vice President, Global Marketing (Innovation) & India Region CMO, Intel Corporation, tries to be with people who emit positive energy as the side effects of negative thinking reflects deeply on work.

In a conversation with Storyboard18, she said: “Read /listen/learn from inspiring people/experiences. There is just so much wonder out there. State expectations and be clear about outcomes. Enjoy what you do and take breaks. Sleep. Spend time with family and friends.”

Edited excerpts:

Can you list five of your favourite quotes on marketing and leadership?

So many inspiring leaders to choose from, but here are a few that resonates with me across both leadership and marketing.

“Good marketing makes the company looks smart. Great marketing makes the customer feels smart.” - Joe Chernov, Marketer and Startup Advisor.

“You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the existing model obsolete" - Buckminster Fuller, American architect

“Your talent determines what you can do. Your motivation determines how much you are willing to do. Your attitude determines how well you do it.” - Lou Holtz, American former football coach.

“Fight for the things you care about but do it in a way that will lead others to join you.” - Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Former Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States.

“The biggest risk is not taking any risk” - Mark Zuckerberg, Co-founder, Facebook

In your free time, what kind of marketing-related content do you look at?

My favorite go-to when it comes to exploring marketing content is podcasts by Chris Evans, Reif Hoffman, Rory Sutherland, Peter Weinberg, and Scott Galloway.

I also keep up with industry trends shared by very generous marketing community groups - Digi Marketers by Jessi Paul, 10Xer by Harinder Singh, Storyboard18, MMA, and CII forums. And, of course, a daily dose of LinkedIn conversations helps with more real-time updates.

Lastly, something that really invokes inspiration and broadens my perspective are advertising festivals, conferences and marketing jury duty. I attend them to quickly get abreast with new insights and see a showcase of some really sharp creative works of marketers today.

Who are your favourite creators and what draws them to you?

I have started to explore Decoder by Nilay Patel who talks business, The Morgan Housel Podcast, which is grounded in life and beliefs, and also Amit Verma’s topics which are always delightful and in-depth.

I follow Mr. Beast with my kids. He is a great example of a brand, creator and a legendary marketer. For entertaining brand integrations plus storytelling, and Bengaluru-centric humour, Danish Sait is a fun watch. We have worked with Varun Mayya of Overpowered extensively this year for awareness of the AI PC, and it's interesting how AI content itself is a separate category of influencers, and a great way to stay updated on some cool tech developments.

Where do you get your social media fix?

I mostly love to meander and let the exploration be a bit unfiltered, but I try to limit the time I spend on social media. My primary digital time would be on LinkedIn for work conversations and updates on what is happening within the industry. Also some great influencers/thought leaders are always worth a read.

I really liked Quora since they began for their community-sourced conversations and queries. I still use it for some questions that pop up, and I watch YouTube for in-depth interviews and reviews.

I am a passive consumer of Instagram. I don't actively participate, except to check tags and notifications. It’s great for some DIYs and content creators.

What were the last few videos viewed on any platform?

The longest video I am watching right now is Shrinking on Apple TV. I enjoyed an episode by Manish Sabharwal on Interpreting India’s labour market. The latest food places to visit in Bangalore by Lets Eat Bangalore on Instagram.

What is your sport/fitness/wellbeing routine?

I try to eat in moderation. I watch and limit the whites (sugar, rice, processed foods). I swim, do yoga, walk, smile and sleep well.

How does your routine weekend go? What does your favorite kind of weekend look like?

I like my weekends to be unrushed. Long, quiet mornings, reading newspapers and then some Sunday swim with a dear friend. I try and catch a movie with my husband and find a new restaurant or bar to hang out with friends and kids, depending on the location.

What have you been watching on weekends?

Gosh, I do binge watch on weekends! Shrinking and Slow Horses on Apple TV. Lincoln Lawyer on Netflix. TV series Paris Has Fallen on Amazon Prime.

Any work or life hack you swear by?

I still like to use a book and pen to draw up an outline before I turn on the PC. It helps me think better instead of getting distracted with formatting and typing. A to-do list is important and I circle back on progress. I take silent coffee or do nothing breaks. It reminds me of a quote from Harry Potter series: “All who wander are not lost."

What are you reading? Any recommendations?

I am reading Alchemy by Rory Sutherland and Outlive by Dr Peter Attia. I highly recommend some popular favourites, like Same as Ever by Morgan Housel, Ideas that Stick by Dan Heath, Atomic Habits by James Clear.

What is your advice to avoid personal and professional burnout?

I try to be around people who are positive. Negative energy drains working effectively. Read /listen/learn from inspiring people/experiences. There is just so much wonder out there. State expectations and be clear about outcomes. Enjoy what you do and take breaks. Sleep. Spend time with family and friends.

A piece of advice you would like to share with GenZ?

I think it’s a two-way street. Understanding what makes them tick so we are culturally relevant as parents and marketers. To me, they seem sure of themselves and very sorted on what they want out of life. I don’t think I had this kind of confidence. But if there was a piece of advice, I would lean on this quote, “A diamond doesn't start out polished and shining. It once was nothing special, but with enough pressure and time, becomes spectacular” so hardwork, understand the inter-generational inter-play, re-learning and being open to change to be spectacular.

What's the best advice you got or heard in life?

There are three that make it to the top:

Don’t take yourself too seriously. Nothing is as good or bad as it seems.

You are who you believe you are. Don’t be shy to bet on yourself.

The little, kind things always matter.

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