"The master warrior is a man of character, a man of wisdom and insight." # Forrest E. Morgan
'Abhijit, we must complete the order in another 15 days, else..' Said my boss with a gloomy face. It was 12 O'clock in the night and we were walking down the shop floor, inspiring supervisors and workers to put in their best efforts for producing as many finished goods as possible.
To complete a prestigious order, that my boss was talking about, we had to achieve a 150 percent productivity. And that was a near-impossible task by any standard, as 20 years ago, when this scene was unfolding, automation was in fancy in India compared to what it is today.
I being in charge of both production and quality of almost half of the factory and also the accounts manager for that client, boss was completely banking on me.
Before leaving the factory I told him, 'sir, we will do it, I promise!' He gave me a tiring smile and moved away to the parking lot.
Next morning, first thing I did, was to call my team members for a briefing. When all of them gathered around me, I explained the situation - which they already knew - and said, 'guys, give me the next 15 days of your life for achieving this impossible task. I promise, you would cherish this memory through out your life.'
They listened with rapt attention, their faces turning bright, radiating the sign of determination that was gradually building up within. None of them uttered a single word, but their body language revealed everything: I could sense that my team members were fully charged and determined to make that happen.
For next 15 days, we worked round the clock, hardly sleeping for an hour or two everyday, and, finally, completed the order at 11 PM on the 15th day - just an hour before the scheduled time.
Immediately after that, I personally thanked my team members, one by one, asking them to take a day off to make up for lack of sleep and spend some quality time with their family members. Last but not the least, in consultation with my boss, I announced the date of celebrations also.
It took me a few more hours - along with some of my team members - to complete the paper work . At around 5 o'clock in the morning I could get the Release Note ready and went to guest house, wake the client's representative up, and got his approval half-an-hour later.
Then I called up my boss, who had left for home once the last bundle was packed, and congratulated him. He returned the same with a choked voice, thanking me profusely for achieving this near impossible task.
Finally, with the sun rising in the east, I left for my home. With great difficulties, I could barely manage to have my breakfast and straightway hit the bed. I woke up the next morning!
All that happened, when I was just six months old in the company. But, recognizing my efforts, management promoted me to the next grade during next appraisal and I became the youngest manager in the company.Well, more than twenty-five percent of my team member were also promoted, and the rest received a huge incentive for that financial year.
It was an amazing experience of experiencing the truth, that, nothing is impossible in this world if you decide to achieve it through dedication and hard-work. It's that fighting attitude, that can even make an unfavorable destiny change its stand and start dancing in tune with your instruction. Those, who do it, are called the Warriors.
I believe, that all humans are born Warriors. Most of them fail to recognize their qualities, but a few fail to fail. Only difference, that marks the difference between success and failure, is, a true warrior never leave the battle field without winning the fight. Simply because, he never believes in giving up even while facing an impossible task!
That's why, Theodore Roosevelt had said:
"In the battle of life, it is not the critic who counts; nor the one who points out how the strong person stumbled, or where the doer of a deed could have done better.
The credit belongs to the person who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; who does actually strive to do deeds; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotion, spends oneself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement; and who at worst, if he or she fails, at least fails while daring greatly.
Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those timid spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat."
So look within, wake up the Warrior, and bravely face all the challenges that life can ever offer you; I'm sure, you will win the battle.
No comments:
Post a Comment