Recipe for Success

(Published in Banking Services Chronicle April 2003)

The world is a complex place. And most of us find it difficult to steer our way through. Do you know why? Because we shy away from the exercise of analysing things. We are so biased that objectivity eludes us at every step. As a result, things become inexplicable. If the assumptions themselves are flawed, the theories you develop on their basis will not work beyond a certain extent.

Therefore, strong analytical skills are a prerequisite for success. And certainly so in order to make your success sustainable. In fact, success is basically problem-solving. Every person is problem-ridden. In comes a Smart Guy, shoots the problem and emerges successful. The degree of his success depends on the scale of the problem he has gotten rid of.

Now, how does one solve a problem? Most importantly, by analysing it. Because analysis reduces a big problem to smaller and simpler ones. Often, we find the journey of life to be an uphill task. But split it to one day at a time and decades later you will find you have been a happy person all your life.

Many a person with analytical skills has been found, however, to have spent their lives on a dusty desk. In a remote corner of the world. In sheer oblivion. Why so? Because it is not enough that you are a troubleshooter. You should also be an effective communicator. You may have the smartest PC in the world. But the world will not benefit from your PC unless you also have an Internet connection.

Communication skills therefore play a key role in success. Gone are the days of Emerson when people would “wend” their way to a great man even if he resided in seclusion. In a competitive world you can’t wait for people to come. It is you who have to reach them.

Besides, most of the success stories today are a team effort. The era of individual geniuses is over. The orchestra has triumphed over the solo singer. Even a Sachin Tendulkar can’t ensure an India win unless others too chip in with their contributions. In such a scenario it is important to be a good manager rather than being merely a good worker.

A dynamic manager requires both analytical and communication skills. But he needs more than that. He needs to strike an emotional chord with his team members. Inasmuch as he understands the problems of his team members and motivates them to hit the bull’s eye.

Effective managerial skills too have their limitations, however. Because a manager works within a limited, given framework. It is like batting second. If the team batting first sets a target of 200 runs, you can’t score more than 205, no matter how good a team you are.
If you want to set the target for others, you need to bat first. In other words, you have to be a leader. Paradigm shift is the domain of the leader. It is said that leaders are born, not made. But they can also be made. All you have to do is to think beyond the ordinary. This is much like the 8 per cent growth target set for India — difficult, but not impossible.

Whether you are a worker, manager or leader, stick to a few basics, namely professionalism and strong values. Professionalism implies commitment to one’s work. Non-serious work hardly pays. And even if it does in the short run, it ultimately leads to stagnation. Besides, one should not put one’s egg into an unmanageable number of baskets.

Values are important because they are the rules of the game. A game doesn’t make sense if you violate the rules. You may win a match if you buy the umpire. But you certainly won’t cherish such a victory.

After all, complexities are meant to be tackled. Therein lies the savour of victory.