Breaking Out of the Cocoon - Leadership thoughts
Sunder Poovananathan
Henry Ford was the son of Irish immigrants William and Mary Ford. After an initial hard phase, his parents started doing well in America and they settled on a farm in Dearborn. This meant young Ford did not need to struggle like his parents. He could settle comfortably in his father's farm, but Ford chose a tougher path.
When he was 16 (1879), he left the farm and proceeded to Detroit, where after much struggle he found work as a mechanic's apprentice. Soon, he got a break as an engineer at Edison Illuminating Company. Within a few years, he was promoted to chief engineer. Ford could have again settled down in his comfort zone. But he decided to break the mould again. He realised that there was a huge opportunity if he could build a car that the American masses could afford — in the 1890s, a car was a luxury reserved for the rich class. He set his eyes on building such a car and toiled relentlessly towards it in a shed at the backyard of his family home.
Most people, including his idol Thomas Alva Edison, thought that Ford should settle down in his job instead of wasting his time. But Ford was determined not to contain himself within his comfort zone. Instead he focused on the opportunity that he had carved for himself. Leaders like Ford are almost always defined by a continuous search for new opportunities. They are constantly striving to redefine the status quo.
But this is easier said than done. Almost always, people are so happy with their lives that they definitely do not want to disturb it. Even the most adventurous sailor feels at home in a particular attitude and lifestyle. People build comfort zones for themselves in their lives and work places. They populate these comfort zones with known events and known people. Their minds feel secure, cocooned in mundane familiarity and predictability. Breaking out would mean a certain amount of physical and emotional pain. Embracing a new situation would mean loss of these comfort zones. And to avoid any disruption, they end up ignoring opportunities around them, though they recognise them as important.
Potential leaders normally ignore valuable opportunities for these reasons:
Doubt in self: As people are faced with opportunities, they start doubting their capabilities and resources. They feel that somebody else is more equipped to take charge and end up losing opportunities for ever.
Doubt in the opportunity: Every opportunity brings with it risks and insecurities. The bigger the opportunity, higher the risks associated with it. Many times people are so insecure about the risks surrounding the opportunity that they remain in their comfort zone.
Doubt in the moment: People like to wait for better moments tomorrow than taking charge of opportunities today. They would like to think that the next day they would be better prepared and equipped. They want the risks and uncertainties surrounding the opportunities to clear up, so that they could feel more comfortable and confident. But almost always, that tomorrow never comes. As they wait for a better tomorrow, more fears would grip them and they would withdraw eventually.
The lost opportunities have a high impact on potential leaders and their organisations.
They never come back: The more people utilise the opportunities that come their way, the more they would have them. But the less they use them, the less they would end up with. As people miss out on existing opportunities, they would see less and less of them around.
They shrivel confidence: As people choose to ignore opportunities, their confidence levels start dipping. They start feeling pessimistic about events around them, doubting their abilities and that of the people around them.
They shrink vision: With dipping confidence levels, people stand the risk of mistaking opportunities for threats, avoiding them and losing out more than ever.
Thalabathi
Yours
Thalabathi.........
On Mar 21, 11:48 am, "Sunder Poovananathan"
<sunder.poovananat...@googlemail.com> wrote:
> Dear Pencilers,
>
> Wonderful article on Leadership. Leadership thoughts to digest ;-)
>
> Henry Ford was the son of Irish immigrants William and Mary Ford. After an
> initial hard phase, his parents started doing well in America and they
> settled on a farm in Dearborn. This meant young Ford did not need to
> struggle like his parents. He could settle comfortably in his father's farm,
> but Ford chose a tougher path.
>
> When he was 16 (1879), he left the farm and proceeded to Detroit, where
> after much struggle he found work as a mechanic's apprentice. Soon, he got a
> break as an engineer at Edison Illuminating Company. Within a few years, he
> was promoted to chief engineer. Ford could have again settled down in his
> comfort zone. But he decided to break the mould again. He realised that
> there was a huge opportunity if he could build a car that the American
> masses could afford - in the 1890s, a car was a luxury reserved for the rich
> class. He set his eyes on building such a car and toiled relentlessly
> towards it in a shed at the backyard of his family home.
>
> Most people, including his idol Thomas Alva Edison, thought that Ford should
> settle down in his job instead of wasting his time. But Ford was determined
> not to contain himself within his comfort zone. Instead he focused on the
> opportunity that he had carved for himself. Leaders like Ford are almost
> always defined by a continuous search for new opportunities. They are
> constantly striving to redefine the status quo.
>
> But this is easier said than done. Almost always, people are so happy with
> their lives that they definitely do not want to disturb it. Even the most
> adventurous sailor feels at home in a particular attitude and lifestyle.
> People build comfort zones for themselves in their lives and work places.
> They populate these comfort zones with known events and known people. Their
> minds feel secure, cocooned in mundane familiarity and predictability.
> Breaking out would mean a certain amount of physical and emotional pain.
> Embracing a new situation would mean loss of these comfort zones. And to
> avoid any disruption, they end up ignoring opportunities around them, though
> they recognise them as important.
>
> Potential leaders normally ignore valuable opportunities for these reasons:
>
> *Doubt in self:* As people are faced with opportunities, they start doubting
> their capabilities and resources. They feel that somebody else is more
> equipped to take charge and end up losing opportunities for ever.
>
> *Doubt in the opportunity:* Every opportunity brings with it risks and
> insecurities. The bigger the opportunity, higher the risks associated with
> it. Many times people are so insecure about the risks surrounding the
> opportunity that they remain in their comfort zone.
>
> *Doubt in the moment:* People like to wait for better moments tomorrow than
> taking charge of opportunities today. They would like to think that the next
> day they would be better prepared and equipped. They want the risks and
> uncertainties surrounding the opportunities to clear up, so that they could
> feel more comfortable and confident. But almost always, that tomorrow never
> comes. As they wait for a better tomorrow, more fears would grip them and
> they would withdraw eventually.
>
> The lost opportunities have a high impact on potential leaders and their
> organisations.
>
> *They never come back:* The more people utilise the opportunities that come
> their way, the more they would have them. But the less they use them, the
> less they would end up with. As people miss out on existing opportunities,
> they would see less and less of them around.
>
> *They shrivel confidence:* As people choose to ignore opportunities, their
> confidence levels start dipping. They start feeling pessimistic about events
> around them, doubting their abilities and that of the people around them.
>
> *They shrink vision:* With dipping confidence levels, people stand the risk