THE TOUGHEST LEADERSHIP TEST!

With the changing consumer behaviour and preferences, there may be new opportunities opening-up with the need for new business models to service the changing market needs, says Krishan Kohli, Head of Hydraulic Brake Systems & Vehicle Dynamics business units, India, and Managing Director, Continental Automotive Brake Systems, India

- Niranjan Mudholkar

Has Covid-19 put you through the toughest leadership test of all time?

COVID-19 has undoubtedly brought an unprecedented situation upon the whole world. In a way, it is one of the biggest and most stringent tests for leadership across the industry. Many name Covid-19 as the black swan event which hit mankind in multiple decades.

While being part of the industry, we are equally impacted by this pandemic. However, at Continental, we are continuously working with all our stakeholders, including our employees, suppliers, and customers, to best manage the situation.

During this time, our primary focus has been the safety and health of our employees. At the very outset, Continental provided a work from home option wherever possible and took all necessary steps to ensure a smooth transition of work to manage business continuity topics. We have also been in close touch with our customers during the lockdown, continually understanding the changes, operating procedures, and their requirements, which f-tracked our operation resumption in a phased manner. Also, we have been meticulously following government directives and regulations on COVID-19, ensuring we are fully compliant with the law and maintaining a high degree of safety for all our employees and business partners.

Once the government relaxed the lockdown regulations for the manufacturing sector, we gradually resumed our operations with 20-30 percent of our workforce at our manufacturing plants and partly aided by the automation processes that were already in place. We not only followed the regulations established by Government authorities but in parallel also aligned with Continental global standards and guidelines to handle the pandemic. We have also implemented social distancing in all workplaces, including the shop-floors and canteen areas.