Name: Krishna Raut

Title: CEO

Organisation: Alchemy Travels P.Ltd.

Chief Executive Officer and the founder of Alchemy Travels P.Ltd. Executing as a full-time dedicated travel agency personnel to deliver wonderful travel experiences of Nepal.

Thank you to the 2,000 leaders who’ve generously done the 7 Questions on Leadership!

I hope Krishna's answers will encourage you in your leadership journey. Enjoy!

Cheers,

Jonno White

1. What have you found most challenging as a leader?

The most challenging tasks are managing people, handling a critical situation, and achieving the projected goals within a time frame.

2. How did you become a leader? Can you please briefly tell the story?

To become a leader is not an overnight process. It takes lots of time, effort, dedication and learning. So, I went through all these processes. I started my first career as a high school teacher. At that time, I realized, that to be a teacher is itself reaching out to a leadership position. During my teaching, I learned not only teaching skills but also enhanced the ququalityleadership. After a half deinde in the teaching profession, I changed my job and became an education consultant abroad studies. It was more challenging than the teaching job. I had been many responsibilities such as administrative work, providing counseling services to students, plansare marketing pland coordinatingution, co-ordinate with delegates from different institutions and agencies. In addition, I have also simultaneously developed my passion work side by side which was the travel agency business. I used to spend my spare time working as a part time staff in a travel agency. Now I am vto become to become and the founder CEO of forompany since last five years at Alchemy Travels P. Ltd. The company has been serving unique travel experiences to people around the world and working consistently to accommodate more people on board.

3. How do you structure your work days from waking up to going to sleep?

I have planned a self-paced routine for my daily activities. I havetimedinto my time into three aspects. Personal, business tasks and family time. I wake up 5.00 am in the morning. As usual in the morning I do Yoga, meditation and a light physical exercise. Reading books, watching podcast, go through articles in popular social sites and reading other online materials as per availability of time. I spend day time at least nine hours every day on my office work with full concentration and in the evening engage with family activities indoors and outdoor as the situation demands in weekends.

4. What's a recent leadership lesson you've learned for the first time or been reminded of?

Recently, I have watched a motivational video which was about the development of leadership quality. The motivational speaker reminded me a few qualities which I have already considered about credibility, transparency and integrity. They are the fundamental elements that a leader deserves.

5. What's one book that has had a profound impact on your leadership so far? Can you please briefly tell the story of how that book impacted your leadership?

Yes, I have read a few highly qualitative and inspiring books. One of them is “The Seven Habits of the Highly Effective People” written by Stephen R. Covey. The author has explained these seven habits very impressively and practically. I learned many things from this book which are essential for us to be a leader. Importance of proactiveness, being careful and very upfront about the consequences of the execution, setting up priority in tasks, learn how to conquer people’s accomplishment, understanding others’ views and develop team work.

6. If you could only give one piece of advice to a young leader, what would you say to them?

Listen to your soul first and focus on your passionate segments of work consistently.

7. What is one meaningful story that comes to mind from your time as a leader, so far?

Being a top line officer obviously has to take care of all unexpected complications come across the work place. A couple of years ago, before COVID, we had a group of trekkers to go to Throng-La-Pass in Annapurna Circuit in Nepal. We had organized a group trekking very nicely with an experienced trekking guide.

In the evening, when I was having dinner with my family, I received a phone call which was from our trekking group. She was so terrifying to tell me that the trekking guide who was leading the group severely got sick. As she said he was completely unconscious and there was no chance to guiding them ahead again. There were two problems at once in front of them. One is to get treatment to the guide and another is chaos around who would guide the group to handle the rest of trekking.

Hearing that bad news, I also got shocked. I got much upset for a while. But I could relax them with the commitment to manage the situation. I immediately called my hotel colleague who was in the same area. I explained everything to him and he assured me, he would look after all necessary arrangements for them. I passed on their contact information to him. As he assured me, he arranged another trekking guide and helped the group move from there. The sick guide was taken to the nearest health post for the primary treatment. This is a great lesson that I learned. We should always stay aware of the unexpected incidents that may occur in any time at our workplace.