Mantras of Success

“To gain the world but lose our family in the process is not success at all.”

If you visit any book store and go to the life section, you will find numerous books providing the 7 or 10 steps to success. If you just follow these simple rules you will enjoy a life of success and prosperity. People must buy the books because book stores continue to display and stock them. I’m not one to really put much faith though in what they have to say. I’d rather hear from people who have had the experience and learning to provide the advice and counsel instead.

I just returned from a trip to India. I was there to meet with the Indian Institute of Management-Ahmadabad and the India School of Business-Hyderabad to discuss implementing a joint MBA/CMA program like we have with so many Canadian universities. My predecessor David Hipgrave sowed the seed at these leading academic institutions and after three years of watering that seed I was pleased to finally confirm that we have a pilot group of IIM-Ahmadabad students enrolled in the CMA program (we will call them the fruit of our labour!!). In addition, the ISB is seriously considering the same program for their students. We were also able to develop relationships so that we share our research products, which will eventually be provided to all the CMA Ontario members through our PDI website. I must admit, I was pleased with the success after so much effort.

Once back at my hotel, I sat and read the local newspaper. Inside was a special feature honouring business leaders for the success they enjoyed. Each leader was asked to reveal their “mantra of success.” I found their expressions very interesting. Here are a few of the quotations:

It’s all because.... “My success which has been recognized by The Time Group, is all because of my family, my sons, and also my highly dedicated staff without whose hard work I would not have been here to receive this honour.” BS Sandu, WWICS Group, Mohali

We need a global sight… “The most challenging thing an Indian entrepreneur has to face is integrating family with the business. That is an exception, which is not found anywhere else in the world. We need to think globally and have a global sight. We also need to have more training programmes to generate good people to work for us.” Neerja Saluja, SEL

Honouring commitments…“I believe that my success lies in the values imbibed in us as children. We owe our knowledge and skill to our father and are grateful to have learnt early in life how to take our venture to greater heights. Having higher aspirations and honouring commitments to achieve them.” Sanjeev Kalra, Deepak Fasteners, Ludhiana

Strong will and positive thought…“To be successful I think that one needs very basic qualities. Strong will, positive thought, determination to succeed through hard work and support of family are the main factors that help an individual explore his/her skills. There are no shortcuts to success.” Pawan Goyal, Chemical Resources, Panchkula

Start building a dream from scratch…“Family support is most important in life. When aiming to reach such heights and start from scratch, one has to be very careful and consider the whole family’s opinion. It is a privilege to have such an opportunity in India where family values and ties still hold key importance in any venture.” SK Punj, Sri Sai 
University, Palampur

Be passionate…“An achiever has to be persistent with his dream, along with the support from his/her family, it’s a good team that makes your venture successful.” Rajan Pratap Singh, Sunrise Immigration, Chandigarh

Success is not money… “Money is not the measure of success. I had at a point earned enough money for me and my family and later realized that greater success lies in using that money to make everyone around you grow along with you. It is my family who has supported me all throughout.” IS Brar, Zanders Engineers, Mohali

And there were more:
A vision for the future…
Do it differently…
The target should be very clear…
It’s about firm belief…
The ability to take risks…
Professionalism…
I took my failures as my stepping stones to success…
Strong will and positive thought…
No short cut to success…
Success means happiness…
Futuristic approach…
Drive the dream…
Spirituality is the key…
Faith in humanity and God…

I was challenged to stop and think about what I would write if were to be asked the same question. What would you write?

As I read the article again I noticed a common word in most of the quotations. It was “family”. Many of those quoted recognized the influence family had on their success and with great success it was important not to lose focus on family. That caused me to take my phone and call home just to let my family know that in the middle of some contained celebration, I had not forgotten about what is really the most important focus in my life and that is my family.

On February 21, 2011, let’s celebrate family. Whether they are near or far, alive or departed, let’s be forgiving and thankful and recognize that “to gain the world but lose our family in the process is not success at all.”