When I started my practice as independent
practice couple of years ago , I
approached my relatives , friends and associates
in that order to introduce
them to my new activity and to seek
their support.
My consultancy in work simplification and systems
redesign has been off the
beaten track and a lot of curiosity
was generated. People had queries and
question and I am excited to talk about my
activities.
As I look back - some of these people have
taken my consultancy , some have
not . Some have lauded my attempt , some have
denounced it and some have
been neutral . But behind this picture , another
picture unfolds . If I were
to classify my audience as winners or losers
, based on certain broad or
generally accepted criteria , like career
advancement , turbulence
associated in career , educational qualifications
, utilization of available
potential , potential development , and then
correlate it with the questions
asked by people in each category I see
the following differences.
The winners had abundant curiosity . But it
was not idle curiosity . They
needed in depth answers . Their attitude was
" There may be something in it
for me and I need to find it , and find it
quickly ." They were ready to
experiment . They sought me out . They made
changes to their schedules to
accommodate me . They went the whole way before
coming to any conclusion .
The losers had curiosity of the bystander .
The attitude was " Convince me
if you can !" They did not want to go out
of their way to understand the
idea and they did not want to try out . They
knew it all , had seen it all
and had already been there .
It is not that all winners took my advice
many did not - but they tested it
out . They were ready for change . The flexibility
was of high order . They
saw it as a possible opportunity and did not
let it pas by before in depth
scrutiny . They gave it a try .
I believe that one of the reasons why they
are where they are today .They
kept their eyes , ears and noses open , saw
, heard or sniffed out
opportunities and gave these a try . They
may have succeed a few times ,
failed a few times but they got up and gave
it a try - they always came out
wiser . All the while the losers kept giving
various excuses for not giving
it a try .
GIVE IT A TRY !