12. A Leader Should Know How to Manage Failure

(Former President of India APJ Abdul Kalam at Wharton India Economic forum, Philadelphia, March 22, 2008)

Question: Could you give an example, from your own experience, of how leaders should manage failure?

Kalam:  Let me tell you about my experience. In 1973 I became the project   director  of  India's  satellite  launch  vehicle  program, commonly  called  the  SLV 3.  Our  goal  was to put India's "Rohini" satellite  into  orbit by 1980. I was given funds and human resources --  but  was told clearly that by 1980 we had to launch the satellite into  space.  Thousands  of  people worked together in scientific and technical teams towards that goal.

By  1979 -- I think the month was August -- we thought we were ready. As the project director, I went to the control center for the launch. At four minutes before the satellite launch, the computer began to go through  the checklist of items that needed to be checked. One minute later,  the  computer  program  put  the  launch on hold; the display showed  that some control components were not in order. My experts -- I  had four or five of them with me -- told me not to worry; they had done  their  calculations  and  there  was  enough reserve fuel. So I
bypassed  the  computer,  switched  to  manual mode, and launched the rocket.  In  the  first  stage, everything worked fine. In the second stage,  a  problem  developed.  Instead  of  the satellite going into orbit, the whole rocket system plunged into the Bay of Bengal. It was a big failure.

That  day,  the  chairman  of the Indian Space Research Organization, Prof. Satish Dhawan, had called a press conference. The launch was at 7:00  am,  and  the press conference -- where journalists from around the  world  were present -- was at 7:45 am at ISRO's satellite launch range  in  Sriharikota  [in  Andhra Pradesh in southern India].

Prof. Dhawan,   the   leader  of  the  organization,  conducted  the  press conference himself. He took responsibility for the failure -- he said that  the  team  had  worked  very  hard,  but  that  it  needed more technological support. He assured the media that in another year, the team  would  definitely succeed. Now, I was the project director, and it  was  my  failure,  but  instead,  he  took responsibility for the failure as chairman of the organization.

The next year, in July 1980, we tried again to launch the satellite -- and this time we succeeded. The hole nation was jubilant. Again, there was a press conference. Prof. Dhawan called me aside and told me, "You conduct the press conference today." I learned a very important lesson that day. When failure occurred, the leader of the organization owned that failure. When success came, he gave it to his team. The best management lesson I have learned did not come to me from reading a book; it came from that experience.

12. Asking the right Question

Jack and Max are walking from religious service. Jack wonders whether it would be all right to smoke while praying.

Max replies, "Why don't you ask the Priest?"

So Jack goes up to the Priest and asks, "Father, may I smoke while I pray?"

The Priest replies, "No, my son, you may not! That's utter disrespect to our religion."

Jack goes back to his friend and tells him what the good Priest told him.

Max says, "I'm not surprised. You asked the wrong question. Let me try."

And so Max goes up to the Priest and asks, "Father, may I pray while I smoke?"

To which the Priest eagerly replies, "By all means, my son. By all means. You can always pray whenever you want to."

**********

Moral of the story is... The reply you get depends on the question you ask.

13. Life of Warren Buffet

Listen to his words....what he has to say.

"I am careful not to confuse excellence with perfection. "
Excellence,. ....... I can reach for. " Perfection is God's Business"............ ....WB.

14. Warren Buffet
There was a one hour interview on CNBC recently with Warren Buffet, the second richest man who has donated $31 billion to charity. Here are some very interesting aspects of his life:

1. He bought his first share aged 11, and he now regrets that he started too late!

2.. He bought a small farm aged 14, with savings from delivering newspapers.

3.. He still lives in the same small 3-bedroom house in mid-town Omaha that he bought after he got married 50 years ago. He says that he has everything he needs in that house. Out side of His house does not have a wall or a fence.

4 . He drives his own car, everywhere and does not have a driver or security people around him.

5. He never travels by private jet, although he owns the world's largest private jet company.

6.. His company," Berkshire Hathaway", owns 63 companies. He writes only one letter each year to the CEOs of these companies, giving them goals for the year. He never holds meetings or calls them on a regular basis. He has given his CEO's only two rules.
Rule number 1:" Do not lose any of your shareholder's money".
Rule number 2:" Do not forget-The rule number 1".

7. He does not socialize with the high society crowd. His pass time after he gets home is to make himself some pop corn and watch TV.

8. Bill Gates, the world's richest man met him for the first time only 5 years ago. Bill Gates did not think he had anything in common with Warren Buffet. So he had scheduled his meeting only for "half hour"..
But when Gates met him, the meeting lasted for "Ten hours" and Bill Gates became a devotee of Warren Buffet.

9. Warren Buffet does not carry a 'cell phone', nor has a computer on his desk.

His advice to young people:

"Stay away from credit cards and invest in yourself and Remember: -

A. Money doesn't create a man; it is the Man who created money.

B. Live your life as simple as you are.

C. Don't do what others say, just listen to them. But," Do what you feel good."

D. Don't go for a brand name; just wear those things in which you feel
comfortable.

E. Don't waste your money on unnecessary things; Just spend on "Those who really are in need".

F. After all it's your life..., so why give the chance to others to rule your life."

15. A Wise Camel

A mother and a baby camel were lazing around and suddenly the baby camel asked…

Baby: Mother, mother may I ask you some questions?

Mother: Sure! Why son is there something bothering you?

Baby: Why do camels have humps?

Mother: Well, son, we are desert animals, we need the humps to store water and we are known to survive without water

Baby: Okay, then why are our legs long and our feet rounded?

Mother: Son, obviously they are meant for walking in the desert, you know with these legs I can move around the desert better than anyone does! Said the mother proudly

Baby: Okay, then why are our eyelashes long? Sometimes it bother my sight

Mother: My son, those long thick eyelashes are your protective cover. They help to protect your eyes from the desert sand and wind. Said mother camel with eyes rimming with pride…….

Baby: I see. So the hump is to store water when we are in the desert, the legs are for walking through the desert and these eyelashes protect my eyes from the desert. Then what the hell are we doing here in the zzzoooooooo!

MORAL OF THE STORY IS:

“Skills, knowledge, abilities and experiences are only useful if you are at the right place”