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From ‘Achiever’ to ‘High Achiever’: The Great Leap Forward
View(s):(Excerpts from the speech made by Chairman Orient Finance PLC Dr Dayanath Jayasuriya P.C. at Orient Finance PLC High Achievers Awards Night at Taj Samudra Hotel, January 2013)
For Orient Finance PLC last year was an exceptionally good one- in a sense it is a watershed in the short history of the company. For the first time in its ten years of existence, we made the highest ever profit, the new management having acquired in 2009 a loss making leasing company. We became a fully fledged finance company and secured a listing on the Colombo Stock Exchange. It is perhaps one of the few companies whose shares have been generally trading at or above the introductory price. We have expanded into new business lines such as Fixed Deposits and Pawning and extended our branch network to reach areas that we felt had unmet needs. Despite these impressive gains, we still cannot afford to rest on our laurels.
Today’s event acquires special significance for the reason that it is the first time that this company is organizing a High Achievers Awards Night.
In the corporate world, companies apply different indicators to assess those who deserve to be recognized for having achieved or exceeded certain targets and goals. Internet websites are replete with thousands of articles on how to be a high achiever or what factors would enable one to make the transition from an achiever to a high achiever. What I thought might be useful this evening is to underline what I consider to be ten important traits of high achievers in the context of the financial services industry.
Have a Clear Focus and Vision
It is important to always remain focused on what you want in life and in your job. You need to be clear as to how you can go from Point A to Point B if the latter is your final destination.
Be passionate about your job and the goals you seek to achieve
With every passing day you must develop a greater liking for your job. Step-by-step then you can easily achieve your goals. Your plans must be realistic and those that will help further the company’s objectives. There is no job which will not be without problems and challenges but you need to have sufficient courage and strength of character to overcome them over time.
Must have sheer Determination to achieve what you need, come what may
Last year was designated by the Government of India as the National Mathematics Year. It was also a sort of mathematics year for us here in Sri Lanka with the ‘Z score’ saga!
The Indian Government celebrated the 125th birth anniversary of Srinivasan Ramanujuan, who was born to a very low income family in India in 1887. From the time he went to the village school he developed a remarkable ability to solve mathematics problems. He finished all the sums in every mathematics book available in the school.
Then he walked several miles to the closest town and from the public library he would borrow mathematics books and from dusk to dawn would sit under a street lamp and copy every sum and solve them.
Dr.Dayanath Jayasuriya - Chairman
He excelled in mathematics but neglected his other studies and even though he won scholarships to better schools he never completed his school education. With the greatest difficulty he found a job as a clerk. After office hours he would continue to solve problems that had baffled the world’s best known mathematicians for centuries.
One day, Ramanujuan decided to send his note books to a leading mathematician at the University of Cambridge. The learned maths professors at Cambridge could not simply believe that these notes represented the work of a single human being unless he was ‘exceptionally gifted’ and they had yet to come across anyone who was so gifted. Cambridge University then extended an invitation to Ramanujuan to come and work with the University mathematicians.
He stayed there for four years- life was difficult because of failing health compounded by the fact that he was a vegetarian and was not used to severe winter conditions. He became the first Indian to be elected as a Fellow of Trinity College Cambridge and the second Indian to be elected a Fellow of the Royal Society. Apart from his own significant output he also co-authored several leading articles with his Cambridge colleagues and to this date his contribution to mathematics in terms of resolving some of the mysteries remains unsurpassed.
He died shortly after he returned to India at the young age of 32 years. A Hollywood film director has commenced the production of a movie with the title ‘The Man Who Knew Infinity’. There are two plays about him- ‘A First Class Man’ and ‘A Disappearing Number’ and a work of fiction based on his life story entitled ‘The Indian Clerk’.
Not hesitate to seek Help or give Advice
Everyone has to go through a steep learning curve. You must know when to seek the right advice from the right person. You must believe in the importance of not only learning but also of sharing what you know with others.
If you have good ideas to improve the company’s business or to improve its brand image you need to share these ideas with your superiors. Your Board members and the senior management will always be receptive to worthwhile proposals- after all those in the field, in particular, have much better insight than others as to what would work best in a particular context.
Learn from failures and disappointment
Every dark cloud has a silver lining. Non-achievers soon become depressed, do the minimum that is expected or throw in the towel. The high achievers will remain resilient, they will bounce back, re-energize their effort and will find creative ways to overcome each setback.
A few months ago I had the pleasure of receiving an autographed autobiography of a gentleman who had studied at St. Thomas College, Mt. Lavinia, ‘the school by the sea’ as some Royalists call it.
He had excelled in studies and sports, having captained the College in both Cricket and Hockey. I met him for the first time in the mid-1990s when I came down to Sri Lanka for a SAARC Law Conference where we were both speakers.
What I did not know until recently is that he had lost both parents when he was a small child and it is his relatives and the College Warden who had helped him to get through his schooling. Despite his impressive record and a certificate from the Warden where he has been described as the ‘Best Ever Head Prefect’ he simply could not get a job commensurate with his education and social standing.
He took the first job that was offered to him, did his best and went to achieve great heights. Despite having a young family of 4 kids he was bold enough to launch a new business with the financial and managerial help of friends and colleagues. In early 2001 when I assumed duties as the C.E.O. of a regulatory body I had the good fortune to see him again.
As the representative of the industry he had frequent meetings and we were able to develop a robust regulatory system within a short span of time due to the guidance he and some of his colleagues provided.
It was ‘guidance’ in the best sense of the word- vested interests of the firms did not influence the policy-making process. That remarkable gentleman is Mr. Chandra Schafter and the company that he set up from scratch with 32 employees and which is now one of the giants in the insurance sector is Janashakthi Insurance PLC.
Even though somewhat belatedly the coveted ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ was conferred on him in November 2012 at the 16th Asian Insurance Industry awards ceremony in Malayasia. On a personal note I might mention that I consider it as my good fortune to be the chairman of a company where two of Chandra’s sons- both of whom share his best qualities- serve as co-directors.
The title of his book is “My Sixty Years in Insurance” and I would certainly commend all of you to read that book. It is a book that tells you that despite the worst possible adversity you can still make it to the top if you want to- it is your call.
Realize that luck does not always come in search of you.
You must expand your knowledge, learn new skills and apply what you have learned to improve your own performance. It is that extra minute, that extra inch that counts. According to an African sportsman who won many Olympic gold medals, he spent 30 minutes extra every day than his team mates to practice.
He was too poor to buy running shoes but that not deter him. Chris Evert who won the Wimbledon women’s tennis title has described how she started practising tennis at the tender age of 4 and even after going to school used to spend many hours practising with her father. Behind every major success story is a story of hard work, perseverance and endurance
Must be a risk taker and should not be afraid of uncertainty
This does not mean that you must behave like a ‘Bull in a China Shop’. You must take ‘calculated risks’; experiment with new things. Employers must encourage a thousand flowers to blossom.
Remain well disciplined with a Balanced Physical, Emotional and Mental State
You must stick to a proper work plan and time table. Invariably there will be problems at the workplace- this is a fact of life. You should not let stressful situations linger for ever- find the right solution and go for it. Studies done in countries such as Japan and the Republic of Korea that have become economic superpowers within a short span of time show that developing a unique ‘work ethic’ is important. There are Japanese multinational firms where a mandatory break of 5 to 10 minutes is observed twice a day- this provides a window of opportunity to review what you have done up to that point of time and to list what remains to be done. Procrastination is the worst enemy of success.
Be a good Team member and Delegate to others when required
It has often been said that after all Rome was not built overnight by just one person. You need to be a respectful team member recognizing the strengths and weaknesses of your other members. No person is perfect but there is scope for addressing imperfections with diplomacy, tact and patience. You must cooperate with co-workers and enlist their support by delegating and appreciating the good things that they have done, whilst not trying to gloss over mistakes and things that could have been done better or effectively.
Consider the Company you work for as your own Company
You must see opportunity and prospects when others see problems and impediments. You must be the company’s ambassador- good verbal and written skills, efficiency, a good working knowledge, a pleasant disposition, diplomacy, tact, courtesy and kindness are some of the qualities you need to develop to help Orient Finance PLC build its brand name and take us to new heights in this competitive world.
Let me conclude my remarks by stating that it is my hope that come next January we will see most of you as ‘Super Achievers’ and the rest as ‘High Achievers’! – Dr Dayanath Jayasuriya P.C.
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