I am proud of Sunil Bharti Mittal

This July, I made a trip to Zambia in Africa. I landed in this country with lot of curiosity and lucid expressions on my face. The airport welcomed with a large and beautiful hoarding saying ‘Welcome to the best country in Africa.’ I was happy to be in the best country of a continent which is a terrain for 54 countries.

While waiting for my turn at Immigration, I read a series of instructions – ‘be bold, be brave, be brilliant, be caring, be cool, be creative, be daring, be amazing, be awesome, be great, be all that you can, .....be Zambitious’. This beautiful campaign inspires everyone to reach his/her potential in life at the same time it provokes them to get back to their roots. I loved it. The messages were from none other than my most favorite & loved brand – Airtel. Zambitious is a term coined by Airtel’s Advertizing & Marketing and is theme of all its campaigns. I did explore, the brand not only claims big things for the people it serves but also believes and is committed to make a difference in their lives. It is the leading Telecom Operator in Zambia. Other than being a leader in India Airtel established so well as if it is there for decades in many Anglo & Franco African countries.

Founder of Airtel – Mr Sunil Bharti Mittal has been one of my role models for almost a dozen years. 

Mr Mittal decided to take the road travelled less in very young age. He borrowed $400 to start business - a very humble beginning of the journey for becoming a genius. Today, he heads a truly international conglomerate which not only makes revenue in billions but touches hearts of millions of people on the globe. Mr Mittal has become an inspiration for budding entrepreneurs today. After seeing so many happy customers (they call it so many smiles) across the world; I feel proud of Mr Mittal.

Reading and reflecting on the success & leadership of this tycoon offers following key learning to any entrepreneur who aspires to reach higher:

·   Have a vision and deep faith in yourself; these will take you a long way.

·   Given a choice between perfection and speed; choose speed, perfection will follow. Airtel kept it double to the change in market.

·   Ability to think big and execute it flawlessly makes all the difference. This is the secret of all the innovations.

·   Empower people to think big and do big so that the team is at pace with you.

·   The only measurement of your leadership influence is – to what degree do you achieve your goals?

·   Surround yourself with people of mettle. Tie up with big & the best (IBM, SingTel, Vodafone, Ericsson, Apple, Nokia, Wal-Mart and many others).    

·   Passion for the products you make, humility for the people you work with and love for the customers you serve – this trio has super power to take you to the heights in this time of fierce competition.

·   Develop your people to the level that they do not need you to guide them. Airtel’s management team is a great example of developed and empowered people. They take full ownership of their roles and run their divisions like a start up. I have been fortunate enough to meet some members of management and impressed with their ‘Commitment to Excellence’.

·   Give back to society. It not only fuels the growth but also makes you feel satisfied and happy, which is actually the aim of life. The schools, universities and other non-government organizations run by Bharti Foundation are adding to the motto of the group – ‘bringing smiles on more faces’.

Of course, my trip to this country was full of fun, excitement & learning. I loved being in Africa and it has given me motivation to explore the continent more. I can bet, this is better than you think.

The trip also made me feel proud on an Indian who rose from an ordinary to extraordinary level. The world needs more people like Sunil and I am sure few of my readers definitely have that mettle & courage. I wish you all the best for your journey to excellence in whatever you do. May you reach the pinnacle!

Eliminate two things from your life...

You must have heard the story of pouring tea in a filled cup and you can also imagine the result, of course. The cup will overflow; tea will spill over and spoil the floor. Instead if you make some space in the cup and then pour some fresh tea, you can enjoy the sips. In today’s blog I want to make a suggestion - stop doing two things which you think, are not adding much value to your life and you still have been doing them. Free sometime in your life for something new, for creativity and doing things what you love.  You will have better priorities in life and of course will sharpen your focus on worthy things which in turn will get better results to enlarge your life.  It is like solving a multiple choice question. Once you eliminate the options which for sure, are not the answers; you are left with more clarity and higher chances of getting it right. Eliminate two things/habits you should not be doing now and start investing that time in the things which matter to you most. So, which two habits / things are you going to stop today? Choose any two of the below which are taking your time without getting any fulfilling results. You can resolve to stop any two of the below:

·   Chaos and acting without plan

·   Not including quality down time

·   Forgetting to take breaks and relax

·   Not arranging uninterrupted work time

·   Putting small (and significant) things off

·   Failing to schedule your week in advance

·   Not taking proper sleep, exercise or meals

·   Making commitments which are not important to me

·   Accommodating someone else’s priorities in your days

·   Spending more than 10 minutes per day on social media sites

·   Not drinking enough water in the day to invigorate your body & mind

·   Reaching office late in the morning or reaching home late in the evening

·   Smoking too many of cigarettes or may be consuming too much of alcohol

·   Drinking so much coffee and reduce to one cup per morning / increase water intake

·   Checking email first thing in the morning before I exercise and get to the office / arrive

·   Working straight through the day and not finding even 15 minutes for a walk in fresh oxygen to refresh myself

Or maybe you can think of your own points and take action. It will help you making your life more fulfilling and rewarding.

Seven Classic Ways to Top Achievement

“Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve”, said Napoleon Hill, the legendary personal-development expert and author. For most of his life, Hill lived with the conviction that every failure carried with it the seed of equivalent advantage. Here are seven of his principles for extraordinary achievement:

1.     Definiteness of Purpose. Definiteness of purpose is the starting point of all achievement. Without a purpose and a plan, people drift aimlessly through life.

2.       Mastermind Alliance. The Mastermind principle consists of an alliance of two or more minds working in perfect harmony for the attainment of a common definite objective. Success does not come without the cooperation of others. People skills have never been so important in the human history.

3.       Applied Faith. Faith is a state of mind through which your aims, desires, plans and purposes may be translated into their physical or financial equivalents.

4.      Pleasing Personality. Personality is the sum of one’s mental, spiritual and physical traits and habits that distinguish one from all others. It is the factor that determines whether one is liked or disliked by others.

5.       Personal Initiative. Personal initiative is the power that inspires the completion of that which one begins. It is the power that starts all action. No person is free until he learns to do his own thinking and gains the courage to act on his own.

6.       Positive Mental Attitude. Positive mental attitude is the right mental attitude in all circumstances. Success attracts more success, while failure attracts more failure. Another famous author Rhonda Byrne says it in other words, ‘All that you are grateful for will be given more to you and the things which you are not grateful for will be taken back.’

7.        Enthusiasm. Enthusiasm is faith in action. It is the intense emotion known as burning desire. It comes from within, although it radiates outwardly in the expression of one’s voice and countenance. Ralph Waldo Emerson said it this way, ‘Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.’

For more you might like to read Napoleon Hill’s bestselling book ‘Think & Grow Rich’. It is one of my all time favorites and has helped millions to realize their dreams.