(Former President of India APJ Abdul Kalam at Wharton India Economic
forum , Philadelphia, March 22,2008)
Question: Could you give an example, from your own experience, of how
leaders should manage failure?
Kalam: Let me tell you about my experience. In 1973 I became the
project director of India's satellite launch vehicle program, commonly
called the SLV-3. Our goal was to put India's "Rohini" satellite into
orbit by 1980. I was given funds and human resources -- but was told
clearly that by 1980 we had to launch the satellite into space.
Thousands of people worked together in scientific and technical teams
towards that goal.
By 1979 -- I think the month was August -- we thought we were ready. As
the project director, I went to the control center for the launch. At
four minutes before the satellite launch, the computer began to go
through the checklist of items that needed to be checked. One minute
later, the computer program put the launch on hold; the display showed
that some control components were not in order. My experts -- I had four
or five of them with me -- told me not to worry; they had done their
calculations and there was enough reserve fuel. So I bypassed the
computer, switched to manual mode, and launched the rocket. In the first
stage, everything worked fine. In the second stage, a problem developed.
Instead of the satellite going into orbit, the whole rocket system
plunged into the Bay of Bengal. It was a big failure.
That day, the chairman of the Indian Space Research Organization, Prof.
Satish Dhawan, had called a press conference. The launch was at 7:00 am,
and the press conference -- where journalists from around the world were
present -- was at 7:45 am at ISRO's satellite launch range in
Sriharikota [in Andhra Pradesh in southern India]. Prof. Dhawan, the
leader of the organization, conducted the press conference himself. He
took responsibility for the failure -- he said that the team had worked
very hard, but that it needed more technological support. He assured the
media that in another year, the team would definitely succeed. Now, I
was the project director, and it was my failure, but instead, he took
responsibility for the failure as chairman of the organization.
The next year, in July 1980, we tried again to launch the satellite --
and this time we succeeded. The whole nation was jubilant. Again, there
was a press conference. Prof. Dhawan called me aside and told me, "You
conduct the press conference today."
I learned a very important lesson that day. When failure occurred, the
leader of the organization owned that failure. When success came, he
gave it to his team. The best management lesson I have learned did not
come to me from reading a book; it came from that experience.
NASA was interviewing professionals they were thinking of sending to
Mars.
The touchy part was that only one guy could go and it would be a one-way trip, the guy not ever returning to Earth.
The interviewer asked the first applicant, an American engineer, how much he wanted to be paid for going.
"One million dollars," the engineer answered. "And I want to donate it all
to my alma mater?Rice University."
The next applicant was a Russian doctor, and the interviewer asked him the same question.
"Two millions dollars," the doctor said. "I want to give a million to my family and leave the other million for the advancement of medical research."
The last applicant was an Indian Politician. When asked how much money
he wanted, he whispered in the interviewer's ear, "Three million dollars."
"Why so much more than the others?" the interviewer asked.
The Indian Politician replied, "You give me three million, I'll give you one million, I'll keep a million, and we'll send the American engineer."
An Article Address by Mr. Azim Premji in the "Shaping Young Minds Program" (SYMP) on "My Lessons in Life".
I am very happy to be here with you. It is always wonderful to be with young people. As my hair turned from black, to salt and pepper and finally salt without the pepper, I have begun to realize the importance of youth. At the same time, I have begun to truly appreciate some of the lessons I have learnt along the way. I hope you will find them useful when you plan your own career and life.
First
The first thing I have learnt is that we must always begin with our strengths. There is an imaginary story of a rabbit. The rabbit was enrolled in a rabbit school. Like all rabbits, it could hop very well but could not swim. At the end of the year, the rabbit got high marks in hopping but failed in swimming. The parents were concerned. They said, "Forget about hopping. You are anyway good at it. Concentrate on swimming." They sent the rabbit for tuitions in swimming. And guess what happened? The rabbit forgot how to hop! As for swimming, have you ever seen a rabbit swim? While it is important for us to know what we are not good at, we must also cherish what is good in us. That is because it is only our strengths that can give us the energy to correct our weaknesses.
Second
The second lesson I have learnt is that a rupee earned is of far more value than five found. My friend was sharing me the story of his eight year-old niece. She would always complain about the breakfast. The cook tried everything possible, but the child remained unhappy. Finally, my friend took the child to a supermarket and brought one of those ready-to-cook packets. The child had to cut the packet and pour water in the dish. The child found the food to be absolutely delicious? The difference was that she has cooked it! In my own life, I have found that nothing gives as much satisfaction as earning our rewards. In fact, what is gifted or inherited follows the old rule of come easy, go easy. I guess we only know the value of what we have if we have struggled to earn it.
Third
The third lesson I have learnt is no one bats a hundred every time . Life has many challenges. You win some and lose some. You must enjoy winning. But do not let it go to the head. The moment it does, you are already on your way to failure. And if you do encounter failure along the way, treat it as an equally natural phenomenon. Don't beat yourself for it or any one else for that matter! Accept it, look at your own share in the problem, learn from it and move on. The important thing is, when you lose, do not lose the lesson.
Fourth
The fourth lesson I have learnt is the importance of humility. Sometimes, when you get so much in life, you really start wondering whether you deserve all of it. We have so much to be grateful for. Our parents, our teachers and our seniors have done so much for us that we can never repay them. Many people focus on the shortcomings, because obviously no one can be perfect. But it is important to first acknowledge what we have received. Nothing in life is permanent but when a relationship ends, rather than becoming bitter, we must learn to savor the memory of the good things while they lasted.
Fifth
The fifth lesson I learnt is that we must always strive for excellence. One way of achieving excellence is by looking at those better than ourselves. Keep learning what they do differently. But excellence cannot be imposed from the outside. We must also feel the need from within. It must involve not only our mind but also our heart and soul. Excellence is not an act but a habit. I remember the inspiring lines of a poem, which says that your reach must always exceed your grasp. That is heaven on earth. Ultimately, your only competition is yourself.
Sixth
The sixth lesson I have learnt is never give up in the face of adversity. It comes on you suddenly without warning. Always keep in mind that it is only the test of fire that makes fine steel. A friend of mine shared this incident with me. His eight-year old daughter was struggling away at a jigsaw puzzle. She kept at it for hours but could not succeed. Finally, it went beyond her bedtime. My friend told her, "Look, why don't you just give up? I don't think you will complete it tonight. Look at it another day." The daughter looked with a strange look in her eyes, "But, dad, why should I give up? All the pieces are there! I have just got to put them together!" If we persevere long enough, we can put any problem into its perspective.
Seventh
The seventh lesson I have learnt is that while you must be open to change, do not compromise on your values. Mahatma Gandhiji often said that you must open the windows of your mind, but you must not be swept off your feet by the breeze. Values like honesty, integrity, consideration and humility have survived for generations. At the end of the day, it is values that define a person more than the achievements. Do not be tempted by short cuts. The short cut can make you lose your way and end up becoming the longest way to the destination.
Final
And the final lesson I learnt is that we must have faith in our own ideas even if everyone tells us that we are wrong. There was once a newspaper vendor who had a rude customer. Every morning, the Customer would walk by, refuse to return the greeting, grab the paper off the shelf and throw the money at the vendor. The vendor would pick up the money, smile politely and say, "Thank you, Sir." One day, the vendor's assistant asked him, "Why are you always so polite with him when he is so rude to you? Why don't you throw the newspaper at him when he comes back tomorrow?" The vendor smiled and replied, "He can't help being rude and I can't help being polite. Why should I let his rude behavior dictate my politeness?
I hope you achieve success in whatever way you define it and what gives you the maximum happiness in life.
"Remember, those who win are those who believe they can."
While visiting India, George Bush is invited to tea with Indian
President Abdul Kalam.
He asks Kalam what his leadership philosophy is. He says that,
it is to surround himself with intelligent people.
Bush asks how he knows if they're intelligent.
"I do so by asking them the right questions," says Kalam."Allow
me to demonstrate. "
Bush watches as Kalam phones Manmohan Singh and says, "Mr.
Prime Minister, please answer this question: your mother has a
child, and your father has a child, and this child is not your
brother or sister. Who is it?"
Manmohan immediately responds, "It's me, Sir !"
"Correct. Thank you and good-bye, sir," says Kalam. He hangs up
and says, "Did you get that, Mr. Bush?"
Bush nods: "Yes Mr. President. Thanks a lot. I'll definitely be
using that!"
Bush, upon returning to Washington, decides he'd better put the
Condoleeza Rice to the test. Bush summons her to the White
House and says, "Condoleeza, I wonder if you can answer a
question for me."
"Why, of course, sir. What's on your mind?"
Bush poses the question: "Uhh, your mother has a child, and
your father has a child, and this child is not your brother or
your sister. Who is it?"
Rice was puzzled and finally asks, "Can I think about it and
get back to you?" Bush agrees, and Rice leaves. Rice
immediately calls a meeting of senior senators, and they puzzle
over the question for several hours, but nobody can come up
with an answer. Finally, in desperation, Rice calls Colin
Powell and explains the problem.
"Mr. Powell, your mother has a child, and your father has a
child, and this child is not your brother or your sister. Who
is it?"
Powell answers immediately, "It's me, of course."
Much relieved, Rice rushes back to the White House, finds
George Bush, and exclaims, "I know the answer, sir! I know who
it is! It's our Colin Powell!"
And Bush replies in disgust, "Wrong, its
Manmohan Singh!"
Here is another interesting service from Google.
Want to know, which movie is being showed in which theater at what time?
Just enter your city name. It lists everything. Really.
To help the new wave of outgoing students from India, here are the proper answers to awkward questions asked abroad everyday:
Q. What does that red dot on women's forehead mean?
A. Well, in ancient times, Indian men used to practice archery skills by target practicing by aiming at their wife's red dot. In fact, that is one of the reasons why they had many wives. You see, once they mastered the art of archery and hit the target....
Q. You're from India? I have read so much about the country. All the wonderful places, the forests, the snake charmers, the elephants. Do you still use elephants for transportation?
A. Absolutely. In fact we used to have our own elephant in our house. But later, we started participating in elephant-ride sharing schemes with our neighbors, to save the air. You see elephants have an "emissions" problem.....
Q. Does India have cars?
A. No. We ride elephants to work. The government is trying to encourage ride-sharing schemes.
Q. Does India have TV?
A. No. We only have cable.
Q. Are all Indians vegetarian?
A. Yes. Even tigers are vegetarian in India.
Q. How come you speak English so well?
A. You see when the British were ruling India, they employed Indians as servants. It took too long for the Indians to learn English. So the British isolated an "English-language" gene and infused their servants' babies with it and since then all babies born are born speaking English.
Q. Are you a Hindi?
A. Yes. I am spoken everyday in Northern India.
Q. Do you speak Hindu?
A. Yes, I also speak Jewish, Islam and Christianity.
Q. Is it true that everyone there is very corrupt?
A. Yes, in fact, I had to bribe my parents so that they would let me go to school.
Q. India is very hot, isn't it?
A. It is so hot there that all the water boils spontaneously. That is why tea is such a popular drink in India.
Q. Are there any business companies in India?
A. No. All Indians live on the Gandhian principles of self-sufficiency. We all make our own clothes and grow our own food. That is why you see all these thin skinny Indians -- it is is a lot of hard work.
Q. Indians cannot beef, huh?
A. Cows provide milk which is a very essential part of Indian diet. So eating cows is forbidden. However in order to decrease the population of the country, the government is trying to encourage everyone to eat human meat.
Q. India is such a religious place. Do you meditate regularly?
A. Yes, sometimes I meditate for weeks without food and drink. But it is difficult to keep my job, because I have to miss work when I meditate like that. But the bosses there do the same thing. That is why things are so inefficient there.
Q. I saw on TV that people there walk on burning coals. Why do they do that?
A. We don't have shoes. So we burn the bottom of our feet to make it hard so that we can walk.
