BENGALURU: As the CEO of Innovative Foods Limited, Brand Sumeru, Mithun Appaiah juggles between his leadership position and myriad interests, which range from building log huts in Kodugu to playing competitive cricket. Over his 15 years experience, he has picked up some key learnings from his activities which have helped him at work. Here, he tells us some of his takeaways from his passions: 

Staying calm and composed: “Having played cricket professionally, including an owners game between RCB and KKR where Shah Rukh Khan batted, I’ve learnt the art of staying calm and composed. As a leader, my reaction to a situation is important since it can create an environment where people can do well. A cricketer like MS Dhoni delivers almost 80 -90 per cent of the time in spite of being under heavy stress. And the result is what matters,” he says.  

Team spirit: While his interest in architecture drew him towards the idea of building log huts, the process can be quite difficult, especially since it requires a lot of co-ordination with plumbers, electricians, window makers and others involved.

“And it only gets harder since Kodagu is located in a remote place. But here, with minute details coming into play, it’s important to work together to ensure a good final product. At office too, I try to build a team cohesively,” he says.  

Organisational skills: There’s no such thing as busy believes the CEO, who, in addition to spending time with nature also spares time to watch his favourite movies and series, including until recently, the Game of Thrones. Efficient time management is something that many need to learn to manage points out the management speaker at different business schools and start up foundries. “It all depends on how you plan out things. If done properly, there’s always time to do more,” he says.