Optimism in Difficult Situations
To be very honest with you people keep talking about Positive Attitude and how to stay positive in all situations.
As we travel further towards comprehending the various alphabets that make up the word ‘ACTOR’ let us focus upon the letter, ‘O’ and this letter or alphabet represents the word Optimism. To be very honest with you people keep talking about Positive Attitude and how to stay positive in all situations.
However what I firmly believe is that more than being positive it is about being OPTIMISTIC which is rather more pertinent and practical than becoming simply ‘POSITIVE’
It is said that an optimistic person is one who develops the attitude to search for ‘Opportunities’ in every Difficulty and a pessimistic person is he or she who searches for Difficulties in every Opportunity! We therefore have a choice between being an optimist or a pessimist. I wish share a very practical example related to the word Optimism.
A Biscuit making company in India was doing extremely well. Its sales had increase multifold and therefore it was making huge profits. For many years this was going on and the company had become one of the most successful ones not
just in India but almost in the entire region of Asia.
However things began to change especially after the government decided to allow organizations from other countries to sell their products in the Indian markets.
It was as though the gates to India had been opened up and with the entry of a multitude of various companies entering India and offering their products to the Indian Consumer the Indian biscuit making company started facing extremely stiff competition.
Due to this the consumers were now being given the choice to buy biscuits of other international brands as well and this began negatively affecting the Indian biscuit company’s sales and thereby its overall profits.
The company was in confusion as it was not used to this kind of competition especially the ‘International competition’.
It was a Friday afternoon and as usual the weekly review meeting between all the Heads of Department was going on. The Managing Director was also in that meeting.
He normally wouldn’t attend these meetings but under the circumstances he felt it extremely essential to be there.
The Marketing and Sales heads of departments respectively made their presentations and indicated to the audience about the shocking drop in ‘sales’ of more than 30 percent.
Looking specifically at the Managing Director the General Manager Sales spoke in a nervous tone, “Sir, we have not only seen sales drop by 30 percent but more shocking is the fact that we have lost a significant ‘Market Share’ especially due to the international brands which have entered our markets.
At the rate at which we are going I am not sure if we can reach the levels of sales and success like before” Saying this he almost slumped to his chair with a morose expression.
It was almost as though all the Heads of Departments were depressed about the state of affairs of the company.
However, there was one person in that room who did not seem depressed or disappointed at all. He was Avinesh, or fondly known as Avi, the person who had been in the room to serve tea, coffee and sandwiches. In fact while the meeting was going Avi was keenly listening to all the presentations being made by the various heads of departments, but the presentation that truly made him most attentive to was the one made by the Marketing head and the Sales head.
However, rather than getting upset about the drop in sales and market share Avi began thinking about it but not in a negative way.
Avi was an intelligent person but more than that he was an OPTIMIST about everything. It was in his nature to look at everything in a positive manner.
Unfortunately due to certain financial constraints Avi was unable to complete his education and ended up as an assistant in the company’s canteen.
“Can we have some tea and sandwiches for everyone” the Managing Director politely requested Avi. Immediately Avi got into the act and started preparing the tea and sandwiches along with the coffee.
Within minutes he began serving the tea and coffee to everyone seated in the room. As the Managing Director had his first sip he looked immediately towards Avi with an expression of ‘SURPRISE’.
“What is this?” He exclaimed to Avi and before Avi could react the Managing Director continued, “This tea is out of the world.
Very different. What you have you done to this tea Avi? It is tasting very amazing and I love it” Avi responded with a very relieved expression, “Sir, the tea is the same that I offer you and others every day. However, today I decided to do something else with the same tea.
Make a difference
While you were waiting for me to make the tea. I asked one my colleagues to get me some cardamom sticks as well as some special herbs that I normally use for adding flavors in specific juices.
Dear Sir, I thought this time I will serve you the ‘SAME’ tea, but with a difference.
I took a calculated risk because I wanted to make a difference. Sir, we could do the same with our biscuits. If we can add some new or additional flavor or ingredient to the biscuit I believe it could make our biscuits totally unique and different from even the international brands.
I would say this is an opportunity to give to our local customers something new and Differently Tasty.
By doing this we can increase our sales as well as market share. We could at least give it a ‘go’. No harm in trying!” These words from Avi got almost everyone pleasantly stunned. It seemd as though the Managing Director was completely energized and moreover, ‘OPTIMISTIC’.
The meeting got extended and there was a strategy made to create a differentiation in the biscuits. A ‘Creative and Ideas’ group was immediately created and this group was entrusted with the task of developing new and creative Biscuits.
The Marketing team was asked to make different and positive Marketing Strategies that would be completely unique.
The atmosphere was now positively charged up and there was a feeling of excitement and enthusiasm. The meeting concluded with the Managing Director saying the famous words, “LET’s DO IT”
As everyone stood up and were about to leave the conference room the Managing Director requested all of them to stay where they were and then asked Avi to also wait. He then began speaking to him.
“Dear Avi, I have learnt something very special today and I have learnt it from you. I have learnt that in the most difficult times it is the only attitude of OPTIMISM that can help us to create positive solutions. While all of us were down and out you stood thinking about ‘solutions’ and not the problems.
The tea was amazing only because you took the risk of making it differently. We are going to the same thing with our biscuits. More than thanking you for changing our attitude from pessimism to ‘OPTIMISM’ I wish to do something more. I want to move you from being in the canteen and place you in the Marketing group and especially in their Creative & Ideas special team.
The entire room was clapping and applauding Avi. I would say they all were clapping and applauding not just Avi but his ATTITUDE of OPTIMISM!
I am sure we too can learn something from Avi and that ‘something’ is OPTIMISM in DIFFICULT SITUATIONS’