SUCCESS
MANTRA Ten lessons from life:
The funny thing about life is that you
realize the value of something only when it begins to leave you. As my hair
turned from black, to salt and pepper and finally salt without the pepper, I
have begun to realize the enthusiasm and excitement of youth. At the same time,
I have begun to truly appreciate some of the lessons I have learnt along the
way. As you embark on your careers, I would like to share them with you. I am
hoping that you will find them as useful as I have.
Economically India is among the two large
economies (above $700 billion), growing above seven per cent. Also, India is
possibly the only country in the world where those aged less than 25 years are
more than half the population. Both these represent tremendous opportunities.
Yet there are fundamental challenges in the country including education, basic
infrastructure, water, health and hygiene which need to be addressed. But then,
challenges as much as opportunities, bring out the best from talent and youth.
Take charge :
This was the first thought that came to
me, when over four decades ago, I stepped into Wipro factory at Amalner. I was
21 and had spent the last few years in Stanford University Engineering School
at California. Many people advised me to take up a nice, cushy job rather than
face the challenges of running a hydrogenated oil business. Looking back, I am
glad I decided to take charge instead. Essentially, leadership begins from
within. It is a small voice that tells you where to go when you feel lost. If
you believe in that voice, you believe in yourself. You can either amplify the
voice to make it the purpose of your life or you can discount it and turn if
off. Similarly, when you face a great challenge, you can run away from it, push
it on to someone else, or just plain roll up your sleeves and face it head on.
I have always chosen to take charge. In the long run, I have found it the
easiest option of all. Similarly, when it comes to choosing your careers, you
have to take charge of your own destiny. I believe that at the end of the day,
our destiny is too precious to leave the choice to someone else.
Earn your happiness:
I have learnt that a Rupee earned is of
far more value than five found. In our interviews, when people are asked to
narrate their most memorable achievements, they usually recount those which
needed maximum effort from their part. It is almost as if the pain they faced
is now an integral part of their pleasure. In my own life, I have found that
nothing gives as much satisfaction as earning our rewards. In fact, what is
gifted or inherited follows the old rule of come easy, go easy. I guess we only
know the value of what we have if we have struggled to earn it.
Success from failure:
Next lesson I have learnt is no one bats a
hundred every time. Life has many challenges. You win some and lose some. You
must enjoy winning. But do not let it
go to your head. The moment it does, you
are already on your way to failure. And if you do encounter failure along the
way, treat it as an equally natural phenomenon. Don’t beat yourself for it or
any one else for that matter! Accept it, look at your own share in the problem,
learn from it and move on. The important thing is, when you lose, do not lose
the lesson.
Willingness to learn:
Humility is important. There is a thin
line of difference between confidence and arrogance. Confident people are
always open to learn. A recent survey of executives in Europe showed that the
single most important quality needed for leadership success was the willingness
to learn from any situation. Arrogance on the other hand stops learning. It
comes with a feeling that one knows all that needs to be known and has done all
that needs to be done. In a dynamic world, the rules of the game are always
changing. Complacency can dull the senses and prevent us from knowing what is
happening around us. That is the first step towards failure.
Always a better way:
Partly as a corollary to what I have just
said, we must remember that no matter how well we do something there has to be
a better way! Excellence is not a destination but a journey. Continuous
improvement happens when we believe it is possible and when we are willing to
work for it. Sometimes, we reach a plateau in our climb for perfection.
That is when we need to look sideways.
Creativity and Innovation sometimes need inspiration from other disciplines. It
is probably not a chance that Einstein’s interest in music was as much as his
interest in Physics. Bertrand Russell was as much a mathematician as a
philosopher. Excellence and creativity go hand in hand.
Respond, not react:
There is a world of difference between the
two and in terms of success and failure. The difference is that the mind comes
in between responding and reacting. When we respond, we evaluate with a calm
mind and do whatever is most appropriate. We are in control of our actions.
When we react, we are still doing what the other person wants us to do. In
youth, rebellion is a fashion. I remember myself being a rebel without a cause
many times. But rebellion as a reaction is conformity to something else.
Disagreement and bringing about change as a response has led to challenging the
status quo and useful, sustainable social reforms.
Stay physically fit:
It is easy to take health for granted when
you are young. But when you enter the 24 by 7 schedule of your work, it is
important not to succumb to time pressure and sacrifice the time needed for
physical fitness. I have found that exercise not only improves the quality of
time but also reduces the time you need for sleep. The truth is that stress
will only increase in a global world. You must have your own mechanism to deal
with it. There is enough literature to support the finding that exercise
effectively reduces stress. That is another benefit of remaining physically
active.
Do not compromise:
Mahatma Gandhiji often said that you must
open the windows of your mind, but you must not be swept off your feet by the
breeze. One must define what you stand for. This is not difficult.
But Values lie, not in the words used to
describe them, as much as in the simple acts. And that is the hard part. Like
someone said, “I could not hear what you said because what you did was coming
out far too loud”.
Play to win:
Playing to win does not mean playing
dirty. Playing to win brings out the best in us and in our teams. It brings out
the desire to stretch, to achieve that which seems beyond our grasp. It is
about aiming for the maximum, a passion to do our best and having the hunger to
be the best. However, it is not about winning at any cost. It is not about
winning every time. It is not about winning at the expense of others. It is
about innovating all the time. It is a continuous endeavour to do better than
last time. It is the Spirit of fortitude, the Spirit of never letting go -
ever.
Give back to society:
I mentioned in the beginning that while
India has made tremendous progress, we also have significant challenges. All of
us have a collective social responsibility towards doing our bit to address
them. Of all the challenges, the key to me is education. We have a paradoxical
situation, where on the one hand we have jobs chasing scarce talent and on the
other, rampant unemployment and poverty. The only way to bridge these two ends
of the pole is by providing Quality education that is accessible by all.
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