SCIENTIST and former president of India, APJ Abdul Kalam said: “To succeed in your mission, you must have single-minded devotion to your goal”.
In my work, this philosophy is abundantly demonstrated by successful entrepreneurs as well as executives.
The people who achieve the most success, I realise, are the ones who work on their objectives with a definite resolve.
They have a sense of doggedness in the pursuit of their goals.
About 15 years ago, when I first started my management consulting firm, I was hired by a young business owner. He had taken over a successful but small business from his parents.
When I started working for him, my task was to help him manage his burgeoning human capital team. He was expanding the business rapidly and needed people to join him so that he could grow.
While I worked with him on staff recruitment and retention, I also managed to get an insider’s view on how he grew his business. Within a short span, he developed the RM2 million-a-year business that his folks left him into a commercial enterprise with an annual turnover of RM50 million.
His success was due to a combination of being able to read market demands, negotiate favourable trade-deals, create shrewd marketing campaigns, and by surrounding himself with a loyal core team.
But, most of all, I attribute his success to determination.
He would think of an idea; discuss it with his advisers; recalibrate; and then fix it as an objective. Once he did that, he would persevere and have the drive to overcome every problem that came his way. He would never take “no” for an answer. And every time he hit a seemingly insurmountable wall, he’d would knuckle down, use every resource he had at his disposal, and figure out ways to overcome the obstructions.
This was really the secret to his success. And, history is peppered with people who exemplify this philosophy of being resolute in achieving their goals.
Alex Ferguson, the legendary Manchester United manager, once said of footballer David Beckham — “David is Britain’s finest football striker not because of God-given talent, but because he practises with a relentless application that the vast majority of less gifted players wouldn’t contemplate”.
It is unwavering determination that gets you results.
This week I am writing my column in the beautiful “stube” or living room, at my wife Susanna Santhiram-Hofherr’s ancestral home. It is nestled in the village of Lermoos, high up in the Tyrolean Alps in Austria.
In thinking about single-mindedness, I am inspired by my wife’s journey through life.
Susanna is the archetype of someone with resolute strength of mind.
She qualified as a veterinarian from the University of Veterinary Medicine in Vienna and is a member of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons in London.
After practising conventional veterinary medicine for over 10 years, she decided to chart a different path.
Driven by her love for animals, the need to offer real solutions for veterinary problems and by possibly a distrust of the Big Pharma industries, she opted out of conventional veterinary medicine, and ventured into holistic and alternative remedies.
But as ever, she wanted to be qualified, rather than just being an anecdotal practitioner. Hence, she enrolled with the International Veterinary Acupuncture Society, and over a period two years, attended courses in Australia and Hong Kong, and obtained a certificate in veterinary acupuncture.
Having achieved quite some measure of success in her profession, she has now embarked on a new project. She is training to become a human doctor of naturopathy through the Indian Board of Alternative Medicine. In another two years, Susanna will be uniquely placed to treat both pets and their owners.
Her persistence in wanting to make a real difference, medically, for both animal and humans has yielded tremendous results.
Years ago, as a teenager, when she first broached the subject of wanting to become a doctor, she was firmly rebuked.
Much akin to many traditional families in Asia, hers was very patriarchal. When she declared her intention of wanting to become a doctor, she was told to choose a career path most suited to her station in life, as a girl. Her uncle, the patriarch of the family, asked her to focus on becoming a nurse, instead. This, caused a tectonic resolve in Susanna.
She was determined to prove him and everyone wrong.
She dug deep, endured many financial and emotional hardships, and succeeded in becoming a veterinarian.
She then went on to pursue several specialisations, which continues to date. She achieved this result only because of her single-mindedness.
When you lead a life filled with purpose, you will find that your attitude towards everything becomes focused. This in turn, will support you with the requisite personal leadership that will produce the results you desire.
Are you steadfast in the pursuit of the results you want in life?
Shankar R. Santhiram is managing consultant and executive leadership coach at EQTD Consulting. He is also the author of the national bestseller “So, You Want To Get Promoted?”