Bridging the Distance to the Goal

There is no such thing as absolute reality, right or wrong, good or evil. It all depends on the way we look at it. Perception depends on the perspective we look at things from. It is the ability to look at things from a unique perspective; to give something a dimension that it has not been seen in before that sets leaders apart.

The complete transition of Rourkela Steel Plant from a non-performing organization, running in red for some time into a model worth admiration is a fascinating process. It was all started by one individual who bothered to question the myth of borrowed rationality and challenged the constructs of what the organization could do. The schemes implemented were an outcome of this process. Employee interaction with the management was enhanced, a sense of belonging for the workplace was developed, and every person was made to feel special and believed that his job was important. All these steps led to the changing of mindsets. A new culture was evolved. The economic benefits just followed.

Many success stories speak about the importance of breaking through bounded rationality. If you look at Chelsea Football Club Under-manager Jose Mourinho. Last year he took charge of a club that had no history. They had not won the premiere league in the last sixty years. Though he had the millions of Roman Ibhamovich to spend in the transfer market, history is witness that apart from love, money can’t even buy you assured success. Real Madrid’s experience illustrates that you can have the best players in the business but at the end of the day it all boils down to building up a team. That is precisely what Mourinho set about to do- build a team and evolve a culture. Chelsea did not have the history which Arsenal, Manchester United or Liverpool boast of. The only way to get the supporters to identify with the club was to have a team that is English at its very core. He did bring in players of other nationalities but a player like Essien was brought only after he tried his best to bring Gerrad on board. The rules of the game were set from the beginning. The team comes first; and there is no place for individual egos. Even if the likes of a Carvalho finds a problem with the selection policies he finds himself out of the team sheet. The camaraderie in the team was evident in the “rocking the baby” goal celebrations that marked the birth of Lampard’s child.

If success had a fixed recipe then everyone in the world would be successful. The process towards success is that one should think beyond the available processes. The secret lies in challenging the limits.

www.foolonahill.com