Page 48 - FDI Alliance International Magazine Summer 2020 Digital Interactive Issue

CHAMPIONS OF CHANGE - TACTICAL

ANALYSIS OF WINNING TEAMS DURING

COVID19

As I watch the UEFA Champions League soccer/ the other hand, poor tactical awareness or the in areas not typically thought of as tech hubs.
football matches this past week, it becomes inability to shift direction of the company in an With their worldwide headquarters recently
obvious that tactics implemented by the club’s ever-changing world can lead to financial ruin announced in the historic Glassworks Building
coaching staffs are the key to their team’s survival and bankruptcy. in downtown Louisville, Ankur and his team were
in the knock-out phases of the tournament. From ready to take the next steps in their business plan.
brilliant strategies implemented by underdogs RB In the modern world of COVID, business winners Then, everything changed.
Leipzig and Olympique Lyonnais coaching staffs and losers are being determined on a daily basis.
to the overthought calamities by Manchester Every day, we are seeing businesses that have Traditionally, tech companies like Interapt have
City’s Pep Guardiola and Atletico Madrid’s chosen the wrong tactics and, as a result, are a central gathering place or office to bring
Diego Simeone, winners and losers in must- filing for bankruptcy and disappearing from our problem solvers, designers and technical staff
win matches are often determined by subtle but local communities and main streets. According together to tackle all issues that they face in their
confident directions given by the ones in charge. to the business tracking app Yelp, over 70,000 current projects. The company has always been
Being a long-time mitglied/member of the businesses across the United States of America famous for their family-like atmosphere where
German club FC Bayern München, I have seen have closed from March 1st – July 10th, 2020 office doors are always open with young, staff
first-hand what a difference in tactics can do to due to the impacts of COVID on the economy. working hours that fit best with their social life
transform opportunities for a football team in Small businesses and restaurants have been the and tech-driven lifestyle. But once COVID hit,
terms of winning and losing. With the start of hardest hit by the closures but no industry sector the office life was jettisoned and a new reality
the 2019/2020 season, Bayern were lifeless is immune from the impacts of this pandemic. It of Google Meet meetings dominated the daily
under the direction of Nico Kovač and fell into is hard to find bright lights in the dreary scenes of schedule.
seventh place as winter approached. After a this pandemic but I want to highlight two leaders
hasty coaching change, Hansi Flick was named I have found who chose the right tactics to lead When asked how COVID has impacted his
the new manager and Bayern München were their teams to opportunities to survive now and to business, Ankur stated, “We didn’t know what
quickly back to their winning ways with a change thrive post-COVID. to expect, as everyone else. Should we hunker
in attitude and tactics. These tactical changes by down? Or double down? We chose to double
Flick were obvious immediately and led the club Ankur Gopal is the founder and CEO of Interapt, down and find creative ways to keep our
to a record winning streak with two trophies in LLC, a software development and training employees in their jobs. It caused uncertainty
hand so far this season. The quest for the third company based in Louisville, Kentucky. Interapt for our employees, so we had to show grace
elusive prize, the UEFA Champions League Title has survived many fluctuations in the tech sector and think creatively for our employees working
is within reach after a lopsided 8-2 win over the over the last decade but nothing could have from home, with their kids, with another spouse
once invincible Lionel Messi and Barcelona. prepared Gopal for what was coming down the working...and sometimes in close quarters.”
pipe. Prior to COVID and its impacts, Interapt
Leadership and coaching are not exclusive to was providing custom technology solutions for He went on to describe how they have handled
the pitch or sporting world. Every day in the companies from web and mobile applications. their day-to-day operations, “Some obvious
business world, company leaders implement Ankur and his team in recent years have evolved changes include Zoom meetings, slack, daily
strategies that lead to wins and losses in the their business plan to develop custom training and weekly check ins. But we’ve also done other
financial columns. These tactics can transform programs in economically distressed regions. things, like buying dinners for our team members
the trajectory of the company and can create The goal of the training programs is to fill the at home. Doing virtual coffees and happy hours
opportunities that would not be available without rising tech talent gap by developing a new to blow off steam and talk about life.”
otherwise these changes by leadership. But on generation of talented software developers
48. FDI ALLIANCE INTERNATIONAL