It's so rewarding to be positive!

Every business model offers you many choices. How do you build your business - reflects your vision and choice. Sometimes, it may be easier to follow short cuts to increase sales and earn profits but in the long run, creating a positive brand is probably the only feasible option.

This belief of ours got validated again this year. At PT Universe, we follow certain practices and keep on observing trends of the market. One such observation threw light on some interesting facts.

This is related with PT Education. We have always tried to build up the brand around many positive features such as updated course ware, dedicated faculty, technology driven process engine, the spirit of Kar Ke Dikhayenge!, online doubt solving service etc. It is our policy never to comment about our competitors. When any enquiry asks about any competitor, we never talk negative. We just say, "We can only tell you about our offering. We are very sure that it will help you."

At different locations we face different competitors. One such local player put up very strong competition in at least two of our locations. Their strategy was simple. They tried to create anti PT market. Their entire game plan was negative. They tried to convert our every positive into negative. They spread rumours against us. Whenever any student visited them for counselling, their first sentence would be, "PT people are great marketers. They just zap you. Their entire focus is on convincing you to join them. If you go to meet them, they will definitely convince you." Sometimes they would say, "PT people are inhuman. If you are late by one minute, they would not allow you in the classroom." On one such occasion, their CEO told in the classroom, "PT people know some black magic!"

One very specific feature of teaching field is that many of the prospects are young boys and girls. A very high level of maturity may not always be expected from them. It is not impossible for crafty players to make use of this in their favour. It happened in this case also. With the passage of time, this competitor of ours started gaining some ground. Although they could never match our strengths and quality of delivery, they were able to capture nearly 30% of the market share in a duopoly market. The loss of market share was not very painful considering the continuous increase of market size. Still it was hurting our geometric growth targets.

Watching this negativity gaining some ground had been very disheartening. Some moments of introspection and policy review did occur, but ultimately we were able to stick to our policy of creating our brand by showcasing our positives only. On the other hand, our local competitor also stuck to his game plan and earned some quick profits by irrigating this anti PT constituency.

This year we saw entry of some new players in these two particular locations. And lo! In no time, this local competitor of ours lost nearly all of his business! And these new competitors hardly had any effect on us! When we analysed the situation, our faith and belief in creating a positive brand became stronger. We came to know that getting business by showing negatives of the competitors never helps in the long run. If player Y develops anti X market, it is not a pro Y market. And hence, entry of player Z will immediately hurt player Y, but not player X.

Yes! Ethical policies do make great business sense! It's always better to create Brand Equity by showcasing the positives! Some things never change and they should never change either.

Let us retain our positivity - in all circumstances!

Something very fundamental

I conducted a seminar on the theme 'Power of Positive Habits' this Sunday. "What are the three qualities that summarize the essential qualities of a corporate professional today?" I was asked by one of the students after the seminar.

This was an open question. There can be many possible answers. Many would be correct and suitable too. My immediate answer was activity, efficiency and effectiveness. Let us define them :

Activity : The ability to devote your time and energy to the job at hand. The more the time and energy devoted, the more active you are.

Efficiency: The relative pace and productivity of working i.e. output achieved divided by inputs applied. To put in very simple terms, it can be work divided by time.

Effectiveness: The results produced show the effectiveness i.e. the final output of the active efficiency.

This much is simple. But now the more important question : is there a choice between these? No. In fact, they always go together. When we are more active i.e. we work more, our efficiency also goes up. We tend to work faster when we practise more. Similarly, with greater devotion and speed, the possibility of getting positive end results also goes up!

How simple and interesting! The more we work, the more results we produce at a faster rate.

Time to tie up the lace?

Life is bigger than this! And more enjoyable too!!

Sometimes we try a lot to achieve something and hence ignore many other things. After failing to achieve the particular thing, we divert our attention towards the other things that have just left having knocked our door unsuccessfully many times, and to our horror, we discover that this was the thing we had been trying to achieve!

Sometimes we pursue a cause so passionately that it occupies all our energy and attention. Despite working so hard, it keeps slipping away. The more we miss it, the greater is the desire to have it. The more we desire for it, the greater is its propensity to give us a slip. And the vicious circle continues!

Sounds familiar. Isn't it?

The world has its own ways to teach us and to reward us. And lucky are those who learn these ways early in life. Others pick up these only after facing a lot of hardships. Let me share with you one such principle today. You may choose to call it a pearl of wisdom or just one observation. But please don't commit the mistake of calling it sheer pessimism and rejecting it. I had done the same when i was nearly twenty and it took me another twenty years to understand the same!

To put the things straight, this can be expressed in these many words, "Scarcity creates value!" or "Either you chase it or it chases you!" or "It's okay to be focused but it's better to keep enjoying the journey!"

Yes! All three expressions tell us the same lesson.

One can read the Economist with a feeling of determination to top the next quiz. And one can just read it with a sense of duty. And one can just read it to enjoy the interesting turn of events of the world and be fascinated about it. Who do you think stands the best chance to win the prize?

When one enters the mesmerizing world of marketing and concept selling, one faces the same dilemma again. One can make sure to have maximum calls per prospect and try one's best to get the word from the prospect's mouth before others. Or one can just analyse the actual need of the prospect, make him notice clearly that the product in question satisfies the need really well, leave one's business card and then proceed to the next prospect. Who do you think stands a better chance to get the order?

When one chases some target or a mission, it is an interesting scene for those who watch from the fence. They are also able to analyse the moves very well. You might have observed that when two people play Chess and the third one watches them, it's mostly the third one who thinks the best moves! Why is it so?

Now, the obvious answers. The one who enjoys reading is most likely to retain the facts and to win, of course! Similarly, the one who has clearly proved the value of his offering tends to get maximum orders. And yes, when you watch from a distance, you get a clearer picture!

Is it very difficult to set up a goal, proceed towards it and yet be detached? No, it's not. Just remind yourself that life is very big. Much bigger than this. And this too shall pass.

Let's enjoy the journey. Don't worry too much about the destination. Just make sure that the road is the right one. And keep travelling and keep enjoying. Just live life and be happy! Stay positive! Someone has rightly said that life is too serious to be taken seriously.

Eureka!

I was in class 5 when i first discovered the art of killing two birds with one stone. And who taught me this? My father.

My father, a trainer and mentor of insurance salespeople, had a very large family to support. And that too, within limited means. And he always wanted to break the glass ceiling. If not possible for himself, he desperately wanted his children to live differently. And he tried to use every opportunity to fulfil this purpose.

So, when i was in class 5, one day at my school, i came to know that new chappals make you feel comfortable and also make you look smarter. A new pair of chappals also helps you winning new friends and influencing people! To be precise, one boy wore new chappals on a particular day, and everybody was impressed. In our Sarkari Hindi medium school populated mostly by children coming from underprivileged families, this was not very common. I too was impressed and decided to test my fortunes.

When i reached home that day, my father was at home for lunch. Possibly, he was waiting for the same and so was engrossed in reading a newspaper just to kill time. I reached him and demanded in an assertive voice, " Papa! I want a new pair of chappals for myself!" He took his face out of the newspaper, stared at my face and retorted, " Jao! Padhai karo. Kitab mein se chappalen nikalengi!" I was taken aback. "How is it possible?" "Because I am saying so. Don't argue and open your books" came the reply.



Very soon, it became a trend. When i demanded a bicycle for commuting to my new school which was 4 km away from home, i got the same answer / suggestion. " Padhai karo, kitabo se hi cycle bhi nikalegi!" And, of course, the same reply was given to me whenever i demanded a new dress or something like that.



He did kill two birds with a stone. He put me in an undefendable position. One can't carry on any discussion or demand after hearing this. And he also ensured that as soon as the discussion ended, i went to study and opened my books.



Today, i know he was right. Books and, for that purpose, the right knowledge, are really the source of all material growth. We are really living in a knowledge economy. Knowledge is the power today. Knowledge is a fully convertible currency. You can convert it into money any time. And the magic! After giving you the money, it continues to stay with you!! It is very much unlike that proverbial golden egg producing hen. Even if you kill it to get all the golden eggs, it continues to be alive and keeps on giving one golden egg daily!

Yes! My father was right. Kitabon se sab kuchh nikalta hai. Apart from the material things such as chappals, dresses, bicycles, cars and houses, books give you dreams as well as the capacity to realize them!

Know thyself! Should we? or can we?

Oh! I got one more opportunity to interact with a young mind yesterday. This is the greatest benefit i have as a teacher. So many young brains - energetic, courageous, innovative and of course, unpolluted to a large extent - are always available to be explored. Interaction with them is always refreshing and full of new ideas. But for this, some steps have to be followed. First, pierce their defence. Motivate / force them to be their own selves. Make them speak their mind. And then second, listen with an open mind. Don't allow your teacher to interrupt in between. Just facilitate the discussion with leading questions and enjoy the bliss!

I know that many teachers know all these tricks. They also replenish their bank of ideas following this process. I am also sure that it greatly benefits the young minds as well. They speak up, feel relaxed and in the end, they tend to know themselves better. A perfect win-win situation, isn't it?

Last evening, i travelled with a young mind. She is preparing for CAT. She also happens to be a full time working executive at a professionally managed and fast growing education group. After four or five aborted attempts, finally, i was able to make her speak up.

She began with the central idea first. "I don't know what will happen in future with me. I just follow the advice of the most trusted person around." I noted that the words 'most trusted' were preceding 'person' and not 'advice'. She continuously referred her daddyji to be the most trusted person in her life. I raised the question about the placement of the adjectives. And she gave me the most shining idea of the evening, albeit unknowingly, " How do you know the trustworthiness of an idea unless you try that out?" I tried to reason. But she was not in a mood to relent. " Sir! Aap hi to kahte hain na ki everything is changing. We can never predict the next thirty years of life and existence." I preferred to listen.

Yes, it may be true. We human beings are students of the most important discipline of study i.e. How to live life? We are ever evolving. Then, is it feasible or even possible to know ourselves? Doesn't knowing one's true self imply one's being a static fellow? Should i try to know myself as an individual or should i believe that every moment i can choose to be whatever i like to be. Should i know how hardworking i am or should i decide to be as much hardworking as i can be at a given situation? If someone tells me that i lose temper quite often, he probably means that i did lose my temper in his or her presence more than i should or need. Period.

Yes! We need not know ourselves. We just need to decide how we choose to be!