Friday Reflections

To Those Who Knock

                                                                                                            Photo credit: Vincent Van Der Pas (www.archetypefotografie.nl)

POINT TO PONDER

"Perseverance, secret of all triumphs." 

                                - Victor Hugo

 

STORY LINE by Paulo Coelho 

Success does not come from having one’s work recognized by others. It is the fruit of the seed that you lovingly planted.

When harvest time arrives, you can say to yourself: ‘I succeeded.’

You succeeded in gaining respect for your work because you did not work only to survive, but to demonstrate your love for others.

You managed to finish what you began, even though you did not foresee all the traps along the way. 
And when your enthusiasm waned because of the difficulties you encountered, you reached for discipline. 
And when discipline seemed about to disappear because you were tired, you used your moments of repose to think about what steps you needed to take in the future.

You were not paralyzed by the defeats that are inevitable in the lives of those who take risks.
You didn’t sit agonising over what you lost when you had an idea that didn’t work.
You didn’t stop when you experienced moments of glory, because you had not yet reached your goal.

And when you have to ask for help, you did not feel humiliated. And when you learned that someone needed help, you showed them all that you had learned, without fearing that you might be revealing secrets or being used by others.

To him who knocks, the door will open.
He who asks will receive.
He who consoles knows that he will be consoled.

(Taken from “Manuscript found in Accra”)

A Clear Path?

 

POINT TO PONDER

"My message, especially to young people is to have courage to think differently, courage to invent, to travel the unexplored path, courage to discover the impossible and to conquer the problems and succeed."

                                    - A. P. J. Abdul Kalam

 

STORY LINE by Rajiv Shah

A couple of weeks ago I was asked to speak to the film and theatre students at UC Berkeley. The focus of my visit was to share the writing process in creating the feature film, "Run the Tide." It was an honor for me as I myself wasn't a very good student, inconsistent at best, and up until recently I wasn't sure what I could make out of my passion for writing and filmmaking. 

    As I sat in front of all these students who had come looking for some advice or more directly, answers to making their own films, I wasn't sure if I had anything of value that they could really take away as I didn't feel much different from them. The question that came up the most from the students was how I did it, how I was able to take an idea, make it into something tangible and then get it made. Over and over again I kept getting that same question, and it was clear that the students had a desire for a formula, some quantifiable data that could be mapped out that would lead to the fulfillment of their goals. 

    So here's the problem I had. I didn't much know the answer. I didn't have a path or a formula. I never followed one. Really, I wandered from acting to writing. I just read scripts, loved movies, and wanted to tell stories. So I wrote the best way I knew how. By making mistakes, learning from them, and getting back to work. 

    But this didn't seem to quell the desire for an answer as the same questions kept materializing in different forms. How did it get done? Did I anticipate the market? What's the secret to getting a movie made? What steps need to be taken to write something that will sell? The best answer I could give was that I had a story I was passionate about, I worked hard to realize it into a script, I reworked the script every chance I got, and then I took the risk to send it out to anyone I thought it might be right for. I took rejection after rejection, had my heartbroken when the film was almost made in 2009 but ultimately wasn't, and I kept writing and sending it out in spite of that fact that I was turned down or not responded to 90% of the time. By any formula that's not winning. However, in spite of the obstacles, I always believed in myself and what I was doing. 

    So, naturally, I was asked if I had just gotten lucky. I have thought about that a lot and there is an element of luck. I was lucky to meet the director of the film and then we were lucky to meet the agents and producers that we did. We were incredibly lucky to have all these great people rally around us to make the film. So yes, I believe there was a certain serendipity involved. But leading up to serendipity was eight years of hard but incredibly rewarding work, no concrete promise of any success, and doubt constantly by my side. And in spite of that, we persevered because we believed in what we were doing and other people could see that. If you ask me, that isn't luck. 

    So through the experience, I've come to this as my answer: Work hard. Don't be afraid to risk. Get rejected. Believe. And more than anything, be kind to yourself. Always be kind to yourself. Because it's certainly a long road ahead. 

 

The Best Teachers Teach From the Heart, Not From the Book

 

POINT TO PONDER

"One looks back with appreciation to the brilliant teachers, but with gratitude to those who touched our human feelings.  The curriculum is so much necessary raw material, but warmth is the vital element for the growing plant and for the soul..."  - Carl Jung.

 

STORY LINE by George Samuel

I want to talk about a true life story which exemplifies true leadership to me. The context of this story is in an educational institution, but its implication can be in any business environment wherever there are leaders and employees.

The story is about a girl, Sarah, who in 1985 was attending a Parent / Teacher meeting with her parents in her elementary school during her 1st grade.  Her teacher, Ms. Solomon was a very strict person who taught English and other subjects. When Sarah’s parents approached the teacher, she took them aside and said emphatically "Your daughter is very slow in class, she sits back of the class (as she was tall in her class), and is scared to answer questions when I ask her. Add to that, she gets sick quite often. She needs 1:1 coaching and a lot of prayers to get to the next grade". Imagine how sorry her parents felt after the meeting. Since then, they focused on pushing Sarah to be more outgoing, spend time with her class work, and allow less time for play. But somehow all their efforts were not delivering results.

Every year at the end of the class term, they would be very nervous to see whether Sarah has progressed to the next grade. As her school bus would reach their bus stop and Sarah would come down, the first thing was to check her report card ... and then heave a sigh of relief that she barely made the cut to the next grade. Things continued like this for the next 3 years, until one day as she was preparing to go to school to pick up her end term report, she said "Mommy, I am excited to go to get my grades. I think I will get 5 As this time". Her Mom smiled and thought it was her childish mind wishing for the stars - whereas in reality it would be a miracle for her to just move on to the next grade, as always.

A few hours later, her school bus arrived, we saw Sarah coming down the steps and falling over her Mom’s outstretched arms. She said  "Did I not tell you that I will get 5 A’s. Here, see my report!".  As her Mom opened the report card, she started crying in joy! She had never seen so many A’s in her report card and not a single F. How did this miracle take place?

As it happens, in the 4th grade, Sarah had a teacher Ms. Sheila, who for some unknown reason wanted to talk more with the shy girl. She would ask questions like "What do you like to do, what makes you happy?" and would patiently wait for Sarah to respond slowly. She mentioned that she would go to church and Sunday school regularly and learn new songs. Her teacher asked her to sing these songs to her. Seeing a talent in her, the teacher took a chance.  She asked her school headmistress, "Every afternoon, before the school is dismissed, you say a short prayer. Is it possible that after that, Sarah can sing a small song as well?" The headmistress thought for a moment, and then approved it. Sarah loved it and did a good job. She got another chance soon and within no time, Sarah was regularly singing in front of others for other events.

Now, Sarah was no longer an unknown student, as other kids and other teachers started recognizing her for her talent. Sarah started feeling confident. Right at this time, her teacher said "Just like you are good in your singing, you can be excellent in your academics if you want. You just need to work hard and I will help you". That was all Sarah needed. Since then, she started putting focus in her studies, wanting to do well in her exams. That confidence garnered through singing was now been seen in her attentiveness and results in her tests culminating to that winter day when she came home with 5 As in her report card.

Since then, Sarah has not looked back. She continued singing in her church and with her strong work ethic, stood first in her high school exams and then a few years later, got admission to a reputed medical school.  After doing exceedingly well there, she is now completing her residency at a top US hospital. All of this would not have been possible, if the 4th grade teacher did not believe that Sarah had the potential to do well. How do I know Sarah?  She happens to be my younger sister and so I was able to see all of this in front of my eyes.

 

REFLECTION

Every leader in an organization has the opportunity to develop talents in their employees. It takes time and effort but will only start if you look at each individual and try to find their passions and blend that to the company needs. If you have someone who believed in you, feel free to share your story to others.