“There’s no such thing as
overnight success. That’s my concern with a show like American Idol. It
encourages the false belief that there’s a kind of magic, that you can be
'discovered.' That may be the way television works, but it’s not the way the
world works. Rising to the top of any field requires an enormous amount of
dedication, focus, drive, talent, and 99 factors that they don’t show on
television. It’s not simply about being picked. Which, by the way, is why very
few of the anointed winners on American Idol have gone on to true success. Most
have flamed out and gone away. That should tell us something.” ― Malcolm
Gladwell
When I was travelling in the
month of December 2017, a person asked me a question, ‘Why do some celebrities
fade away?’ and ‘Why do only a few celebrities succeed?’. I have posted
articles about reinventing and branding globally. Here are some ideas and
insights about this trigger:
When you look at most film
stars and celebrities they fade away. We find only a few of them maintaining
celebrity status and building their brands consistently. When you look at
Bollywood hero, Amitabh Bachchan, he continued to be on the top in spite of
crossing 75 years of age. Of course, he had a bad period but regained his
position by reinventing from an ‘angry young man’ to a ‘humble personality.’
There are innumerable reasons for some celebrities for maintaining their lead
consistently in their areas. This chapter highlights some of the reasons and
the ways to be on top of the race forever.
- Be dedicated in your
area of interest. Some celebrities take success for granted and lose their
focus and dedication. For some celebrities, success goes to their heads.
In fact, achieving success is hard and retaining your success is harder.
Hence, you must be dedicated in your area and add value consistently.
- Emphasize growth
mindset, not fixed mindset. Fixed mindset does ordinary activities while
the growth mindset does extraordinary activities. Fixed mindset revolves
in comfort zone while growth mindset revolves in an effective zone with
agility and vitality. Fixed mindset emphasizes issues and individuals
while the growth mindset explores ideas.
- Be a lifelong learner.
Reinvent regularly. What worked in the past may not work now and what
worked now may not work in the future. Hence, observe new trends and adopt
new technologies to stay relevant, competent and successful. Remember to
learn, unlearn and relearn.
- Don’t bother for setbacks
and failures. Life is full of peaks and valleys. All human beings have
their own share of failures and setbacks for some period in life. Hence,
keep adding value to your area and profession irrespective of the
outcomes.
- Be emotionally
intelligent. Get along with all people without hurting them. Take
criticism in your stride. Learn lessons from your failures. When your time
is bad, lie low for a while to bounce back with a bang. Remember, every
dark cloud has a silver lining.
- Don’t indulge in personal
attacks to kick up controversies because controversies give a temporary
fame but end with a permanent shame.
- Work for satisfaction,
not for recognition. When you work for recognition, you lose your momentum
and motivation because you don’t get recognition for all the activities
that you do. It may lead to self-doubt thus losing your self-confidence.
Hence, work with focus and dedication emphasizing excellence.
- Participate in
philanthropic activities. Add value to the society. Money comes and goes.
Popularity is a passing cloud. Life is great when you truly add value to
others. When you look at India’s megastar, Chiranjeevi, he adds value to
society through philanthropic activities through ‘Chiranjeevi Blood Bank’.
Additionally, acquire soft
skills to get along with people in the industry. Avoid controversies. Don’t
badmouth people and carry forward information. Don’t interfere into others’ personal
affairs and activities. Be careful what
you speak and write. Above all, be a professional to excel as a leader.
Conclusion
“Success is just a war of
attrition. Sure, there’s an element of talent you should probably possess. But
if you just stick around long enough, eventually something is going to happen.”
— Dax Shepard
I have come across some of my
friends who are international management thinkers and leadership gurus becoming
irrelevant. It is because they failed to do further research in their core
areas. They failed to author books, publish research papers and articles. They
failed to adapt to rapid changing times and technologies. Hence, work harder
and smarter and contribute consistently to remain on top of the race; and add
value to the society through philanthropic activities to provide meaning to
your life.
“Do not follow where the path
may lead. Go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” ― Muriel Strode
Note: It has been adapted from my book “School Leadership: Faculty First, Students Second, And Institutions Third” URL: https://www.amazon.in/School-Leadership-Faculty-Students-Institutions/dp/9387799093 Dedicated this book to Chiranjeevi who wrote foreword for this book.
Note: It has been adapted from my book “School Leadership: Faculty First, Students Second, And Institutions Third” URL: https://www.amazon.in/School-Leadership-Faculty-Students-Institutions/dp/9387799093 Dedicated this book to Chiranjeevi who wrote foreword for this book.
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