When the Sunday Times invited me to pen some thoughts the youngsters of toady I thought of looking back at my career of fifteen years and highlighting some experiences that really moved me emotionally. What I discovered was that it was not the awards that I had won or the positions held in society or the share of media that was memorable to me but the opportunities that I got to shape some one else's career and life. Let me pen some of them.

Past failures
I remember once a particular youngster who came into a lecture that I was doing for the Chartered Institute of Marketing (CIM) examination and said 'Sir, I have failed my A' levels but I did do well in my sports and prefectship duties". The only advice I gave him was that past failures have no link to the future. What is important was to focus and study, get involved in the group discussions in class and read the business sections of the print and electronic media daily. The youngster went on to win the Sri Lanka prize that I taught and then, joined Unilever and today he is on an overseas brand management job in Pakistan.

The learning: Past failures do not determine your future success. It's all about the sacrifices you make to master your chosen discipline and career.

Overcome deficiencies
When Michael Phelps won his 1st gold at the Beijing Olympics I can yet remember how he went and hugged his mother. It was later that the truth emerged that, at the age of 9 years Michel was diagnosed with an attention deficit disorder that weakens the power of concentration. Through years of training by the mother (as she was a single parent), the deficiency was overcome and he went to become one of the greatest athletes of the modern Olympics.

In Sri Lanka too, I experienced a Michael Phelps. In a subject I taught for CIM called Marketing in Practice a student had a very strong stammer that hindered ability of interacting with the others during group work. But with practice he overcame this limitation and went on to get an 'A grade' and today, he a Senior Brand Manager handling one of the top 10 brands in the country.

The learning: If you focus on a deficiency that needs correction, you can overcome it, provided one is ruthlessly focused to the task.

English is not a barrier
In one of the multinational company's I worked for, I was on an interview panel to select a medical representative for the company. A youngster from Matara came and spoke in Sinhala saying 'My dream is to join a multinational company and wear a tie'. We gave him a chance. He learnt English, studied for the post graduate diploma from CIM, read for his MBA and went on to become a brand manager for a global brand and then became the Category Manager of Elephant House and today he is heading a Business Development in a leading brewery.

The learning: Language is not a barrier for ones development. You can learn English as you move on in your career. All that is required is the passion to learn.

Leaders fall too
I was after a lecture that I had delivered to a group of MBA graduates, and a top student came to me for advice as he had been asked to take a cross posting internally to work as a Area Sales Manager which he felt was unfair as he had got good performance ratings in Brand management. I asked him to take the challenge and perform and then argue it out at the next appraisal. Within 6 months he had made his area within the top 2 regions in the country and he went on become the head of marketing and today is a General Manager of a large apparel company.

The learning: Leaders also get in to murky ground in ones career but, the difference is that they get up and run and prove to the world the spirit of fighting in their character. In fact these experiences make success sweeter.

Honesty
Once there was this youngster who came up to me and said that he had resigned from a company, as he did not want to get involved in unethical practices that were of a financial nature. I was proud of him but was angry that he had thrown a job out of the window, without having another in its hand. I organized a few interviews and he went to earn a job in the banking industry as a Brand Manager and to day, heads one of its operations overseas.

The learning: Never be scared to be honest. There can be peer pressure but in the long run it pays off. Think of the long term and not the short term benefits.

Girls can win too
At a Chartered Institute of Marketing stage two lecture, I came across a student who was very conservative in dress and behaviour. At one time I wondered if she would make it in the world marketing as she was more a back office driven personality that I felt was based on the parental up bringing than her personality. She went on to win the Sri Lanka prize that I taught and I got her a break at a global research agency where she earned herself a top position within two years and now she heads global brand for a premium multinational whilst also being on a regional team for new product development.
The learning: In today's competitive business world, one is recognized on performance and not on how one is dressed or if one is a male or female. Just get out there and perform should be ones ethos.

Imperfect home
We live in a world where values have changed drastically and now there are many families which a single parent driven. Once I came across a youngster who used to miss lectures quite often and when asked I discovered that he came from a single parent household. I went out of my way to get a break for the youngster and today he is a Brand Manager in a leading bank in Sri Lanka and in the 1st year he was rated to win the Chairman's performance award and in the 2nd year he received an exceptional performance award. Today he is on a MBA programme in one of the best universities in Sri Lanka whilst he continues to manage this leading brand in the country.

The learning: Family imperfections should not be a deterrent for ones performance. It's all about being committed and disciplined.

The above experiences are just some of inspirational encounters that I have witnessed in my tenure of lecturing and mentoring youngsters. They may not be a memorable as the 'Olympic Moments' but are real life situations based on ordinary human quest to become the best. I once read a maxim "You become what you take time to become!" and how true it is.