Fondly called as 'People's President' or 'Missile Man' was one who rose from humble beginnings went on to fuel the Indian space missions with knowledge, leadership and shined as the most favorite President of India before perishing into the vast universe. "The man who ushered India on a new journey has finished his own", he is none other than APJ Abdul Kalam, who has left a legacy that is hard to reach. His life story has been widely spoken after his demise. So let's muse on the unspoken, about take away lessons for SME's from his principles and ideologies.
1. Vision
APJ kept mentioning that "Dream is not that which you see while sleeping, it is something that does not let you sleep". The conceptualization of vision starts from dream, a dream which does not allow a SME to rest, a dream which makes each SME to grow and reach heights while widening the base. The Vision of a SME should be such a dream that keeps the organisation awake.
2. Perseverance
Nothing could stop him in becoming a graduate, scientist, DRDO/ISRO director, National Security adviser and then the President. He ran race after race with a sea of knowledge, an ocean of optimism. All this was possible with his undaunted mindset of everything is possible. He had the right attitude and at the base - Perseverance. "Don't take rest after your first victory, as if you fail in second, more lips are waiting to say that your first victory was luck". The virtue of perseverance can be applicable to all companies and utmost important to SME especially in tougher economic & competitive conditions.3. Resilience
"When we tackle obstacles, we find hidden reserves of courage and resilience we did not know we had. And it is only when we are faced with failure do we realise that these resources were always there within us. We only need to find them and move on with our lives" A self explanatory quote by APJ enlightening the value of resilience. He did have this running throughout his body or else would not have launched Rohini SLV3 successfully in 1980 when its first launch failed in 1979. As humans we ought to fail at times, and as a SME the failure can be deadly but with resilience it is rejuvenation.
4. Humble
He lived modest until his death even though he reached unseen heights by many. A man who rightly fits into humility. Success should not make you feel high as it is never a destination that can be reached, but a stop that can be pass by. APJ knew this very well and did not let success succeed him. If a SME can create a culture of humility among its people, then success will follow suit. We need courage & strength to be humble, so triumph with personal humility is sure shot.
5. Underdog Strategy
None thought that India would become a nuclear power. That too in 1990's when India's doors just opened up for globalization which were shut until then in name of nationalization. Despite the watchful eyes of international agencies like NASA/CNES/Roscosmos/CNSA/CIA/Interpol and many more, APJ mastered the plan & strategy to dodge them and tested the nuclear bomb for India which made the world flabbergast. SME's need to know when to duck / stand / march forward / shoot and plan their strategies dynamically on situation basis. After-all the bigger companies today were underdogs once, so pitch it right to shine bright.
6. Leadership
Acknowledge contribution and protect team, this can also be a manager. However for a SME needs a leader, a one like APJ, like the one he mentioned as "who must have a vision and passion and not be afraid of any problem. Instead, he should know how to defeat it. Most importantly works with integrity" Advancement and growth are zero without vision & passion. To sustain, progress in their business, leaders at SME's are to envision the future in the present and guide the company towards the future by keeping in mind the lessons learnt from the past.
He has left all of us but his valuable principles & ideologies are the assets that he has left behind which can help us survive as well take to the next step into future. May his soul guide many SME's to success. "All birds find shelter during a rain. But eagles avoid rain by flying above the clouds. Problems are common, but attitude make the difference". Take away some of his principles & ideologies as he is HAND-TO-SOME one always.
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