The Spirit of Entrepreneurship

--  Amit Luthra
When I saw the caricature of Henry Ford down on his knees, begging Iacocca to rejoin his organisation, I wondered as to what was it this guy had that I didn't. Grey matter? No way, I had plenty of that. The required experience? Was that important enough? Don't think so. The necessary qualifications? Certainly not. But, there was definitely something missing, and I had to figure it out if I wanted to make it 'big in life'.

When Andy Grove detected the 'Floating Point Flaw' in the Pentium processor way back in 1995 he was faced with the grave decision of whether to ship back all the dispatched consignments of the chip or to seriously compromise in the brand quality of Intel by selling the faulty chips. He chose the former and need I say anything more about Intel as it stands now. 

When Steve Jobs and John Sculley started Apple they conceived it to be an epitome of quality and service. But due to the crumbling of the vertical structure of the entire PC industry they had to make a choice. Whether to stick to the vertical structure of Apple and keep manufacturing all the necessary components of the 'Mac' on their own or they could probably adapt the horizontal structure and in consequence lose their quality branding. They chose the former.

One thing common in the above situations, and in fact, to all crisis situations is that you have a two-pronged path and you have to make a CHOICE as to which is the one that you wanna tread on. Such crisis situations are called 'Strategic Inflection Points' in business jargon, but the term is just about as aptly applicable to one's daily life as well. So almost everything boils down to making the right decision. 

There is no school of learning that can teach you to make such decisions in the right manner. But, does that mean that there is no way of preparing yourself for such situations. If I say 'no' then it wouldn't be entirely correct. Yes, you do have scientific ways of actually foreseeing such Inflection Points that might arise, but the ones that actually have a permanent impact on your life and business are the ones that you really can't prepare yourself for- and those are the ones that are the most dangerous.

The next question that arises in the logical sequence of thoughts is -  what makes the above mentioned fellows better equipped than me to make the right decision at the right time?

To tell you frankly, I really don't know. You could possibly attribute it to good business acumen, instincts, but most importantly - ‘The Right Attitude!’ This is the most important ingredient for success in life - be it in the work front or the personal front. 

The next question in the chain of thoughts would be - ‘What is this right attitude that we are talking about and how to inculcate it'. Well the right attitude stems from self-confidence and belief in oneself. The will to succeed and the determination to work hard for it are important ingredients of the right attitude. 

All of us dream but there are very few of us who are actually ready to work for it. Those are the few who are remembered for their invaluable and irreplaceable contributions to humankind. 

Gandhi fostered a dream, Hitler had one too, and both these great men worked towards the fulfillment of the dream cherished. Though each one had an approach radically different from the other's. But more than the path followed, it’s the grit and the fire in the belly that’s more important. 

The idea is to develop the will to succeed. Muster the courage to dream and retain the ability to work for it. Then there can be no stopping you.....