Making sense of the world.
Posts tagged Success Secrets
Beyond Blindness
Sep 3rd
I lay frightfully awake past midnight, gripped by a sudden fear of the possibility of going blind. What
had brought on this fear? I don’t know. Maybe an imagination on overdrive, or the awareness of growing age and deteriorating health. The fear was very real and not nice. It took me to the edge of darkness. I could not see myself coping with blindness. So how did those who had actually lost their sight manage? I remembered seeing blind men with sticks boarding Mumbai local trains. I thought of Helen Keller. Yet, the suffocating fear took time to recede.
Two days later I came across Kanchan’s story.
Blind at Eight
Kanchan woke up and rubbed her eyes. She could hear familiar morning sounds, but could see nothing. As she turned her head around, she saw only darkness. She felt her father’s arms around her as he asked, “Did you dream?” That’s when she screamed out in horror, at the realization that she could not see. “I felt the world closing up around me, as if someone had cut the breath of life,” says Kanchan. Initially, her parents could not believe what had happened to their eight-year-old. They took her to specialists in Chennai, who confirmed the diagnosis that Kanchan had a detached retina; the light-sensitive layer of tissue at the back of the eyeball that sent image signals to the brain had failed. She had become permanently blind.
Tiger in the Woods
Dec 28th
As the curtain drops down on 2009, the tigers of the world find themselves in deep waters. The four-footed ones are in danger of losing more than just their stripes. And a two-footed one risks losing his reputation and substantial earnings. It may be a while before this tiger gets out of the woods.
Both high performing animals preside right on top of the food chain, in the jungles and on the golf course. Great performance, yet facing a bleak future. What got left out of the equation? My guess is character. Lack of it leads to eventual self destruction and hurting others. Like the physical law of gravity, the spiritual law of integrity operates inexorably. Violation can only bring grief to oneself and others. A consequence of the interconnectedness of life as we know it.
And lest we point fingers, for each one who gets caught by his texting habit, there must be dozens who stay hidden and get away. Or think they do. Well, think again. It’s only a matter of time.
India is riding a high performance economy. From a high-growth rate in population and poverty, there is now something of a switch to growing middle class prosperity and consumerism. There are also those who identify another reality: a high-growth rate in corruption. Will a country packed with gurus and religious traditions go over the deep end, or will it develop the character to enable it to soar into the sky?
The answer lies ahead in the decade that follows.
Performance plus character has always been the winning equation.
Wishing you a happy new year filled with great performance and high integrity.
Success Tips from a Great Entertainer
Nov 11th
It’s amazing how many of today’s success stories have had less than promising beginnings. Steve Jobs of Apple is one, Jay Leno is another. A great entertainer, Leno is also a consummate sales professional.
No overnight sensation, Leno began his career as a door-to-door salesman. Today, he engages his persuasive skills in selling his TV program and public speaking engagements. There’s much one can learn from him. Here’s a list:
- Unafraid of Failure. Some of Leno’s early performances were weak. Years went by before he appeared on television. But he kept honing his skills. This prepared him for the breaks that came his way, which led to his current success.
- Work is Fun. Leno spends his free time doing personal appearances that promote his career. He rarely takes vacations, though he is quite generous in giving vacations to his staff. Most people see work as a way to finance their “fun” activities, but Leno sees work as fun in itself.
- Take Risks. Leno sticks his neck out to further his career. When he began appearing on television, he was selected “Best Face to Caricature” by the “American Caricature Association,” an organization he had invented. Yet, this gave his career a big public relations boost.
- Connect with Everyone. Everyone is a potential customer. Leno is in the habit of being accessible. He will wave and smile when people spot him driving one of his rare automobiles. When hired for speeches, he greets and shakes the hands of as many people as possible.
- Give Back. Leno gives time to genuine community service. He has flown at his own expense to Chicago or Detroit to do benefits for the homeless. The spinoff is that people view him as a great guy. That’s image building and great for career progression.
- Be Thankful. When Leno’s article was published, he personally called the publisher and thanked him. He didn’t have to do that, but that’s the way he thinks, and why he’s so successful.
Ten Mantras for Great Teams
Oct 17th
© Fallenangel | Dreamstime.com
“No man is an island, entire of itself” said John Donne a long time ago. Still true today. Even leaders like Barrack Obama, Steve Jobs or Bill Gates need a supportive and enabling team. Similarly, we all have a latent capacity to excel if we function effectively together, but it doesn’t happen automatically. We have to work at it.
Many teams with the potential to excel get mired in mediocrity, hamstrung by internal strife, and barely hold together, leave alone achieving anything. Some teams are even busy doing nothing. As management guru Peter Drucker commented, “There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all.”
Here are ten time-tested mantras to keep that from happening to you and your team.
Be the Change You Want to See
The transformation of a disjointed group of individuals into a well-knit, high performing team is an individual as well as a team effort. In the great Mahatma’s words, each team member must “be the change you want to see.” Then a lot can happen. Think about these mantras, discuss them, practice them. They will launch your team out of its limitations to achieve what you can never achieve alone.
Great team performance is more than the sum of individual effort. It is the result of synergy flowing from a deep sense of togetherness and purpose; twin qualities that have to be developed and continually maintained.
The Elements of Cohesiveness
What makes a team cohesive? What can you do to produce a deep sense of togetherness within the team? Consider the following five.
Develop Personal Integrity
Enron collapsed like a house of cards because of zero integrity. What happens when integrity is absent? Regular disturbances, blame games, negative criticisms, destructive politics, manipulations, inter-personal conflicts, stress, reactions instead of responses, loss of trust, unmet deadlines. Decision making becomes an uphill task.
Integrity is a composite quality. It means you can trust each other, instead of second guessing. It is the absence of hidden agendas and the presence of transparency, with nothing questionable. It is the assurance that each will deliver the best, on time, and be accountable to fellow team members. Integrity reduces problems, creates peace and well being, enhances togetherness, and leads to better decisions and choices.