Friday Reflections

Men are not disturbed by things, but the view they take of things*

 

Point to Ponder:

"Being able to work with people was the most important thing for my success." - Advice from a very successful person and a great entrepreneur.
 
 
Story Line:

The man who gave me the above tip was a master at dealing with all kinds of people and difficult situations. He used to say that if things were easy then they (his employers, clients) would not need him. He saw dealing with difficult people and making them friends and/or customers as fun. He saw what others called "unreasonable people" and "unreasonable demands" as challenges to think outside the box and find creative solutions. Below is one of the many incidences that I have observed and recorded in my storybook about such people.
 
The small company (the supplier) that hired Fred had major issues with one of their European customers, one of the largest companies in the world at that time in the fastest growing area of the electronics market. The customer's head of procurement had flown specifically to the US with his team and summoned supplier personnel at their local facility. Fred was hired to solve customer issues so this was his orientation (Welcome 101). The VP of Sales in his company gave Fred the profile of the customer VP and his troops. "Highly Emotional Culture, Animated, Loud and demanding. Don't expect any manners from the guy. We call him........"
 
Handshakes were the only mannerful thing that happened in the meeting. The more the supplier engineers explained the merits of their product and the theories of root cause with associated  difficulties, more hostile the customer became. The meeting ended with harsh words from the customer VP,  "God gave you guys brains to think. Use it!"  Fred had never encountered these types of meetings or difficult people.
 
Fred reflected on the day's event and the next day asked for some time with the Supplier VP. He was in US for only a few days and had a very busy schedule; one of which could have been to look for an alternate supplier for the next product design. The only time he made available was at SFO, a few hours before his departure.
 
The meeting started with the customer VP asking, "Well, so do you have solution for my problem?" Fred explained to the customer that he understood that the customer's company had put a lot of faith in his company by designing their new system using an application specific specialty chip (I.C.) from Fred's company. Since the customer had no alternate source, his entire product introduction depended on the ability of Fred's company to deliver the chip on schedule.
 
Fred offered a solution that did require redesign of product but a revolutionary approach that would reduce testing and qualification time by 70% and get things back on track. The approach required that instead of each party in the supply chain doing its own testing and qualification, they would combine forces and do it only once, either at one of their facilities or at an independent test lab approved by the customer. Another part of innovative solutions was to do a lot less testing based on historical data and commonality of processes.The customer was delighted and thanked Fred for coming down to the airport. But the solutions required convincing his own engineers and quality personnel at home site to agree to this new methodology.
 
Sequel to the story: Soon after Fred was invited to the customer's production headquarters in Europe. The customer sent a chauffer driven company car to pick him up from the international airport that was 180Km from the customer's facility. His proposal of simplified test and qualification methodology was extremely well received by customer personnel. He was taken for a traditional dinner that took three hours.
 
And when Fred asked if he (supplier) could visit the customer's production plant, his wish was granted. The next morning, the same customer VP picked him up from his hotel. On the way, they took a detour in the country side and gave Fred short tour of the area. When they reached the production plant, the only thing Fred could gather from the conversation between VP and Plant Personnel was some apologetic tone with words, "Traffic Jam".
 
 
Reflection:

Often I have reflected on this story. What I've sensed is that Fred had recognized very quickly during the first meeting that the customer was nervous and disappointed. Anger and hostility were merely outward reactions. The Customer VP was nervous because he had bet his entire new product line on the chip designed by this supplier. Disappointed because instead of living up to his word to find quick solutions, the supplier personnel were busy explaining difficulties. Being in an industry that pushes envelope every day, the customer VP was fully aware of the difficulties and problems. He was looking for assurance that he had put trust in the right people. Fred restored that trust, made a new friend and his company got more designs in the future from the customer.
 
 
* Men are not disturbed by things, but the view they take of things - Epictetus (55-135 A.D.)

Christy Brown

 

POINT TO PONDER
 
Life is not always what one wants it to be, but to make the best of it as it is, is the only way of being happy.  -Jennie Jerome Churchill
 
 
STORYLINE by Rajiv Shah
 
Christy Brown was born with cerebral palsy in Dublin, Ireland. Stricken with the inability to move anything in his body but his left foot, Christy was considered an invalid at an early age. Trapped within his own body and with others believing him to be retarded, Christy grew up an angry and frustrated young man.

At the age of five Christy shocked his family by grabbing a piece of chalk and attempting to write with his one functioning limb, his left foot. His mother believed that Christy was capable of more communication than his condition or doctors suggested and began to teach Christy how to read and write.

Into his teens, Brown began to paint and write with a typewriter, using only his toes to stab at the keyboard in order to express what was lodged in his fertile mind. His first novel, “My Left Foot” was published in 1954 and is based on his experiences with the debilitating disease.

Christy's problems were not solved with the publishing of his novel and critics often observed that Brown's novels were over-written. Partly, that was due to the immense number of hours it took Christy to write a draft of a novel, not to mention to read it and then redraft it using only his foot. Christy persevered and continued to express the pain and sadness he endured.

The criticism continued well into his career and his fourth novel, “Wild Grow the Lillies,” was an escape for Christy. The novel featured a young, good looking writer who had mobility of his own body as its central character. It would be the first novel of its type, as Christy's work was usually about his own impediment. As if living through his own creation, Christy expressed life as he fantasized it in an able bodied man: the attention, the women, and fortunes this type of man must surely could have, a life that he himself did not. The critics crucified it, claiming that this was his first novel lean on language but plentiful in clichés. It was a life Christy didn't know and the critics skewered him for it claiming the work was false and misdirected.

Christy Brown died on September 7th, 1981. Family and friends acknowledge the pain and frustration but also recall that Christy was a happy and gregarious man despite his condition.
 

REFLECTION
 
I used the example of Christy Brown this week because our cultures seeks to justify pain and struggle with the promise of accomplishments and accolades that we hope will follow it. Often, as in Christy's case, struggle always persists, in his condition and the criticism of his work. Often we are trapped within our own minds with doubt, fear, and sadness. Imagine what that must have been like for Brown as he experienced a prison of his body as well. The majority of us are blessed to not have to know this type of obstacle.

How we perceive struggle and our place within it will help to alleviate the hardships that inevitably arrive. Looking to the person next to you and realizing that we all struggle with our own issues will help you turn those disappointments into something positive, even if no one else notices but you.

Today

Point to Ponder
 
One of my former bosses told me about a young new employee whom he met during a seminar about Emotional Intelligence. This person shared with their group how she begins her day. Every morning while getting ready for the day, she looks in the mirror and tells herself, “I am going to have a Great Day."

 

Siem Reap Cambodia (courtesy Analisa and Dave)
 
 
The above story reminded me of a card that was given to me by our daughter 20 years ago. Many wallets later and with some wear and tear, it still resides in my current wallet and gives me inspiration every day. Here it is.
 
 
Story Line: TODAY
 
This is the beginning of a new day.
God (Life) has given me this day to use as I will.
I can waste it…..or use it for good.
But what I do today is important because
I am exchanging a day of my life for it.
When tomorrow comes,
This day will be gone forever.
Leaving in its place
Something that I have traded for it.
I want it to be good and not loss,
Good and not evil.
Success and not Failure.
In order that I shall not regret
The price that I have paid for it

Reflection: And Thus begins her day........
 

Siem Reap Cambodia (courtesy Analisa and Dave)