Talent Vs Attitude

When we observe excellence, we wish we could be talented like that. However, excellence does not come from talent alone. In fact a major part of excellence has nothing to do with talent. In course of time once you go beyond certain level (which is not too high), ability and talent are two of the least used qualities that matter. It is what you do with that talent which matters and here comes the word ‘attitude’. Talent breeds ego and talent never solves problems beyond a point while attitude does.

Sachin Tendulkar has become synonym of Talent in the world of cricket. In mere age of 14 years, he played 55 days without a break. He practiced for long hours; played the game, slept on the dining table and then played again. Fifty Five days in a row – that can’t be talent rather it is attitude -attitude towards the game. In an interview with a TV channel he said that he is a man of preparation and the match for him begins much earlier than the real start on ground.

But we all think when Sachin was born; nurse picked him up and said, ‘here is Mr Tendulkar and here is his century of centuries’ – which is not the truth. Is it Tendulkar’s talent that produced the greatest cricketer of the century? No, it is his work ethics, attitude and more than anything his passion to perform which counts far more than talent. Talent opens the first door, it might also open second for you but it is never going to open the last.

As per Harsha Bhogle, the famous Cricket Commentator, there are many young cricketers who are extremely talented. But the moment they see roadblock, they don’t know how to proceed because they never struggle for success, they always use their talent to succeed. In his book ‘The Winning Way’ he writes that the victory or defeat of cricket team is decided in the dressing room before the ground. Only by sensing the attitude of the team in dressing room, it can be told if the team is going to win or lose the match.

In army when they build Elite Core team, they look at ones career track record. If one never failed they won’t pick the person because if he did not face any failure earlier; he may not know how to bounce and persevere until the goal is achieved. They pick person who failed and bounced; that is where ones ‘attitude’ comes through.

As per study of William James at Harvard University, “The greatest discovery of this generation is: human beings can alter their lives by altering their attitude.”

In another study it was found that when a person gets a high profile job, 85% of the times it is because of his attitude and only 15% of the times because of smartness or knowledge of facts and figures. Surprisingly, almost 100% of our education expenses and time go to learn facts and figures which account only for 15% in success at work and life.

Truly, attitude defines the altitude and attitude makes all the difference in pursuit of excellence. 

This article is contributed by my friend and fellow Toastmaster Mr Anurag Singh.  If you are enriched by this, please take a moment to say thanks in the comments section below. 

I am proud of Aamir Khan

Once, I was enjoying lunch at an Indian restaurant in Zambia (Africa) with my local friend there, Mr Ronald Mboma. Incidentally a song from one of the Bollywood movies started playing on large flat screen plasma television.

‘He is an Indian actor, Rancho, right?’ Mr Mboma asked with a big smile and excitement on his face. I was amazed and happy to hear this and told that his name is not Rancho, instead it is Aamir Khan.

He further told me that one of his movies ‘3 idiots’ is his wife’s favorite movie. They have watched it multiple times and this character (Rancho which was played by Aamir Khan in the movie) has influenced the couple very much.

I never expected that people from other continents and countries would be influenced so much and admire actors from Indian cinema to this extent. As the Indian Cinema was known for those typical boring love stories which do not have any strong positive message for betterment of the society. I too, never liked them. Now when the change is taking place, this actor is leading the same.  

‘3 idiots’ is certainly one of my most favorite movies and especially I liked the messages of

• Being fearless in our actions
• Chasing excellence instead of success
• Not begging small things from god and
• Studying for knowledge and not for grades

Swami Vivekananda asked a soul searching question to citizens in the nation, ‘Country gives us everything, what do we give to the country?’ The same was rephrased by the famous president of the USA John f Kennedy, ‘Ask not, what the nation can do for me? But ask what can I do for the nation?’

Truly this man is an answer to that call of doing something for the society. Aamir has always been one of the most respected and loved actors in Indian cinema. Yet, movies ‘Taare Zamin Par’ and ‘3 idiots’ followed by television serial ‘Satyamev Jayate’ (Truth Always Prevails) have made him a real hero.

Be it a cricket match of Indian team in World Cup or Anna Hazare fasting in New Delhi to make India a corruption free nation or an appeal from tourism ministry to keep country clean and beautiful, Aamir has always been on the frontier for India. Over the last decade Aamir Khan has saved villagers from an oppressive tax, led a movement against corruption, educated parents about learning disabilities and fought India's flawed education system. Now another fight against a dozen social malpractices with a hope and conviction that truth shall prevail.

Satyamev Jayate was certainly a different avatar of this young leader with no title. All the episodes have spread awareness on different malpractices in society and moved people from inside to take a stand against those. This would certainly help in making India a better country.

I want to let Aamir know that that he is making difference in lives of people beyond boundaries of geographies, languages and cultures.

‘Well done, my friend. You are a real hero, youth icon, social activist and a leader without title. I am proud of you and so are my readers!’

What do you learn from this man of change? Leave a comment.

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.