CV1-I2-10-Management Lessons
Scares Resource…
Once there was a man who did not make it to university. He joined school as a teacher but due to the lack of experience, he was squashed by the students in less than a week. When he returned home, his wife dried his tears. She comforted him with these words, “probably there is a more suitable job waiting for you out there”. He went for several jobs but never stayed long in those jobs. His wife would always comfort him and never for once, she was disappointed or resentful. He was in his thirties, when he acquired a flair in languages. He became a counsellor in a school for the deaf and mute. Later, he opened a school for the disabled. A few years later, he set up chain stores in different cities and provinces selling apparatus & equipment for the disabled. He became a multi-millionaire. He was John Doe!
One day he asked his wife. 'When I was looking bleak at my own future, what's the reason that you have so much faith in me?' His wife gave him a very simple reply. She said, 'When a piece of land is not suitable for planting wheat, we could try planting beans. If the beans are not growing well, we could try planting fruits or gourds. If the vegetation is not economical, we can instead scatter buckwheat seeds. These seeds will one-day bloom into flowers. On this land itself, there will be one seed that will germinate and grow.' In this regards its worth recalling a Sanskrit sloka:
अमंत्रमक्षरं नास्ति नास्ति मूलमनौषधम् । अयोग्यः पुरुषो नास्ति योजकस्तत्र दुर्लभः॥
Meaning, there is no letter in the alphabet that cannot be used as a 'Mantra', and there exists no root, which cannot be used as a medicine. Likewise, there is no incompetent or useless person. Scarce is only a person, who knows how to make good use of all these.
Energise yourself ….
The Japanese have always loved fresh fish. But the water close to Japan has not held many fish for decades. So, to feed the Japanese population, fishing boats got bigger and went farther than ever.
The further the fishermen went, the longer it took to bring the fish. If the return trip took more time, the fish were not fresh. To solve this problem, fish companies installed freezers on their boats.
They would catch the fish and freeze them at sea. However, the Japanese could taste the difference between fresh and frozen fish and they did not like the taste of frozen fish. The frozen fish brought a lower price.
So, fishing companies installed fish tanks. They would catch the fish and stuff them in the tanks, fin to fin. After a little thrashing around, they were tired, dull, and lost their fresh-fish taste. The fishing industry faced an impending crisis! But today, they get fresh-tasting fish to Japan. How did they manage...?
To keep the fish tasting fresh, the Japanese fishing companies still put the fish in the tanks but with a small shark. The fish are challenged and hence are constantly on the move.
The challenge they face keeps them alive and fresh!
Have you realized that some of us are also living in a pond but most of the time tired and dull...?
Basically, in our lives, sharks are new challenges to keep us active. If you are steadily conquering challenges, you are happy. Your challenges keep you energized.
Don’t create Success and revel in it in a state of inertia. You have the resources, skills and abilities to make a difference.
Put a shark in your tank this year and see how far you can really go....
Wish you all a magnificent 2018 ahead!
Dr A Jagan Mohan Reddy, is Professor of Human Resource Management and Ethics at Symbiosis Institute of Business Management, Hyderabad. He has more than 2 decades of Industry experience and for the last 16 years he is in the teaching-cum-research line. He is a Life Member of National Institute of Personnel Management and NHRD.