You never know unless you try!

You cannot discover new oceans unless you have the courage to leave the shore.

Storyline: You never know unless you try - three real life stories.

1. During my college days in the 1970s, I met this fellow who was studying for a degree in Pharmaceutical Engineering. After graduating, I left for the USA and he stayed home and started a business. The first product he introduced was an insect repellent cream. Irony of fate or what, but the formula he used created an opposite effect: i.e. instead of repelling insects it was attracting them. This young entrepreneur became the laughing stock of the town.

Later that year, when I was visiting back home, I asked him how he is handling such an embarrassment. He told me, "Well, at least I tried, and now I know what ingredients don't work! I'll try something different next time." I lost touch with him since then - until two weeks ago. I was talking to a childhood friend, and found out that fellow is now the owner of a large pharmaceutical company, employing thousands of people, with branches in India, Germany, England and China, and the Middle East.

2. Last week, I ran into this Chinese couple that I knew years ago. In the mid 1990s, they founded a company to develop a unique Integrated Circuit product. Every time I met them during those early days, the wife used to tell me, "We are going to make it. We are going to be very big." One day I asked the husband, the designer of the product, "Your idea is good, but it seems that your circuit is very complicated to make. How do you know it will work?" He replied, "Well, the only way to find out is to make it."  Today, their company employs over 5000 people worldwide. During the recession of early the 2000s, theirs was the fastest growing company in the industry, and today it is the leader in their market segment.

3. At the age of 28, Vince Paplae was working as a bartender in a small town in Pennsylvania. From childhood, He had passion for sports and decided to try out for professional football, something unimaginable for a person of that age, and more so because he had not even played college football. At the age of 30 he became the oldest rookie to have played in National Football league. He played as a wide receiver for Philadelphia Eagles from 1976 to 1978. In 2006, Disney released a movie "Invincible" based on Papale's life.

Reflection:

We often hear people complaining why something won't work: Too much bureaucracy, It won't fly by this person, too difficult, he is too high level for me to approach, that is how it is always done in this company etc.

Just give it a try instead of speculating or imagining. Even if it does not work, what's the downside?  Status Quo for a while until you try again!

Comments

[Yaoguang]

Nice and inspiring stories! Thanks for the sharing!

[Great Wall (friend from China)]

Anand, I really like this one. We sometimes are refrain from taking necessary risks to get to next level. Is that why some company is stagnating for so long? Thanks Anand for keeping writing for us. How are you and how is Neil?

[Right on the Mark]

This was so appropriate for me this morning, Thank you. Have a great weekend.

[CEO in making]

Excellent and right timing!

[Note from a reader (SJ) Posted by Anand]

When I was an undergraduate, I knew a guy call Tim Martin pretty well. Though he studied Law & I studied EE, he and I both played for the University rugby team for a number of years together. On the day he received his Law degree, he was in a pub with a few friends and, instead of being happy, he appeared miserable. When his brother (also in the University rugby team) asked him why he wasn’t happy, he said he didn’t want to be a lawyer. “Well what do you want to do?” his brother asked. “I want to buy and manage this pub” he said. Thirty plus years on, he owns a few pubs (>700, to be precise):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J_D_Wetherspoon OR

http://www.ucl.ac.uk/~ccaajpa/pubs-spoons.html OR

http://www.hrmagazine.co.uk/news/1005497/Interview-Tim-Martin-founder-pub-chain-Wetherspoon/

[Sam]

For me taking risks is another way for lifelong learning. Typically when I know something very well, then I do not need to learn. When I am uncertain about something, it motivates me to start learning something new in order to be successful.