CRN A-Listers on what lockdown habits they will keep going post-Covid
We asked 109 big wigs of the UK’s IT channel about the habits and routines they developed during Covid, and whether they plan to stick to them – here’s what they said
Whether it was baking sourdough loaves, taking up yoga, or pruning discovering a new love for the outdoors, we all found new hobbies during the multiple lockdowns throughout 2020 and 2021.
While some lockdown interests were nothing more than just fleeting interests to pass the time until Covid restrictions were eased, others became cherished passions which we could no longer live without.
So what lockdown habits have taken hold of the IT channel and become permeant fixtures in their day-to-day lives?
As part of CRN's A-List 2022, in association with Agilitas, we quizzed 109 top channel execs to find out exactly that.
Read the full A-List report here
Access individual A-List profiles here
Fitness fanatics
A staggering 41 per cent of the 109 execs in this year's A-List said regular exercise was the number one lockdown habit they plan to keep going in the long-term.
Of those, the majority (53 per cent), including CAE Technology Services boss Justin Harling, Microsoft's global partner solutions lead Orla McGrath and pure technology group CEO Stephen O'Brien said they've found a new love for walking during the Covid pandemic which they plan to carry on for the long-term.
Meanwhile, 26 per cent said they got into cycling during the pandemic, including HPE's UK channel sales boss Lewis Simmonds, Paragon Micro MD Darren Brodrick and Forrester analyst Jay McBain, with the latter having (virtually) cycled more than 2,000 kilometres from Miami to Toronto.
Lastly, 21 per cent, including Block CEO Marc Chang and Distology CEO Hayley Roberts said that they hit the pavements and upped their mileage running during the pandemic and plan to keep it up as a regular hobby.
Setting new PBs isn't the only thing that the channel has found time for during UK lockdowns. The second most popular habit our A-Listers plan to keep going, other than exercising, is spending more time with family.
It seems the pandemic has caused the IT channel to strike a better balance between work and home life. With many IT execs now working remotely, time saved on long commutes and after-work events can instead be spent with loved ones.
Nuvias CEO Simon England said that having dinner at home several evenings during the week was the one lockdown habit he intends to keep going, while Dell's UK channel boss Rob Tomlin said that remote working means he can be home in time to read his daughter her bedtime story.
Unsurprisingly, working from home was also a popular lockdown habit that A-Lister plan to continue, with 12 per cent of A-Listers opting for this choice.
Musical flair
With 2021 being a year when we took time to find new passions or rekindle old ones, we asked our A-Listers this year what one new skill they'd like to learn if they had the time to commit to it.
The IT channel could very well form its own super group, because a whopping 38 per cent of the A-Listers said they would love to learn a musical instrument.
Aptum CEO Susan Bowen said that being stuck in lockdown reignited her love for playing the piano and is now re-learning the skill which she acquired in her teenage years, and is also teaching her seven-year-old son.
Meanwhile Exclusive Networks' UK boss Graham Jones said he's added committing more time to tickling the ivories to his to-do list for 2022.
Other A-Listers said they would like to pick up the guitar, with Avanade CEO Pam Maynard saying learning to play is on her bucket list.
Language barriers
Meanwhile the second-most coveted skill for this year's A-Listers was learning a new language - picked by 32 per cent of those included.
Spanish, French and Chinese were the three languages our channel execs would most like to speak.
Westcoast CEO Alex Tatham said that he once challenged the head of a Japanese vendor that he would conduct their next meeting entirely in their native language.