COMMIT to your SUMMIT

In my previous post “Converting problems into opportunities”, I mentioned how an Innovator converts the problems into opportunities. Seeing a problem and realizing there lies an opportunity is just the beginning. Innovators /problem solvers they never miss this so-called “opportunity”, they visualize at a very early stage and then they give their full “commitment” to this opportunity and this “commitment” is for the “resolution”. They commit to the “summit”, no matter what it takes.

Summit, here I mean is the highest attainable level of achievement. It is the gap which the problem solver/Innovator sees in the problem and identifies the same as an opportunity with his/her mindset.

The difference in the approach of Innovators Vs Slackers:

Being proactive does not guarantee success, even having a “to-do list” is also not sufficient; also we might be busy every day in our routine work/schedule, but still, we are not achieving anything? Why?

The answer is the “mindset” - the difference in the mindset between the Innovator(problem solver) and Slacker. For an Innovator/problem solver, it is not the quantum/number of activities he has done, but how many “resolutions” he has delivered with “most impact” and that too with least energy and effort.

Develop/Identify and Retain Your Summit:

Developing /identification of Summit i.e. “what is the highest level of achievement one aims/wishes” is a very important aspect of a person’s life. After identification, strong personal commitment with the level to overcome all obstacles is a must. There might be technical distractions, complexity, tiredness, fatigue, frustrating comment from peers/seniors/society -all these nature of obstacles can be resolved if our own personal commitment to the summit is strong.

Even the intermediate goals may alter the path, or the path may involve detours, but the Innovators strong personal commitment to the identified opportunity remains the same. If the circumstances, by sheer hard luck, makes the opportunity impossible, then Innovators, won’t waste any time further, and they immediately switch to the new arena or to a new project and there also they will exhibit the same level of personal commitment.

Prashant Kumar Pathak(PKP) -Creator of Delcure Life Sciences

As a modern-day adventurer into the territories of Indian Pharmaceutical industry, an industry known for VUCA business environment, Prashant Kumar Pathak, (MD & CEO -Delcure Life Sciences) recipient of Asia’s Best Brand, in my opinion, is the epitome of Innovative mindset. Far from his technical sophistication and expertise, with clear and distinct differentiation strategies, his journey very firmly stands out for an underlying commitment to the business domain.

The journey for PKP was certainly not an easy one, starting his career with a Medical Representative with a very small unknown company that time (Sun Pharma was an unknown company in the early 80’s, although today it is the largest Indian Pharma company) from a small town of Bihar were not favoring him to his summit, but his strong grit and determination helped him to scale up esp. few initial incidents of life, mainly from Doctors probably helped him to develop his vision and shape his Summit. PKP very fondly recalls that his life is full of adventures and adversaries, but with his resolute and firm mindset, he was able to achieve this. Very proudly he claims that he has never worked in any MNC, but the working environment of his own company, with flexibility, high learning atmosphere, and with 3 core-ness Values - Happiness, Helpfulness, Truthfulness, makes his company a truly Innovative Indian MNC.

He fondly remembers how from a small town of Bihar he began his career and through his sheer determination he scaled up to become the CEO of an Indian Pharma company.

Leaving the CEO job of a coveted business group RPG and starting his own venture in the mid 50’s of age certainly needs strength and courage, as during this stage of life social and family responsibilities are around the corner, peers invariably discourage with negative gestures and feelers, even close friends also give a cold shoulder. To haunt further, industry image itself was getting tarnished, regulatory pressures by Indian government were mounting, price caps were increasing on the formulations, mergers and acquisitions started becoming growth strategies for the companies, and on the top of it, VUCA business environment; PKP still counting on his own personal strength and commitment identified the opportunity. Giving a personal commitment to this opportunity certainly needs a focused mindset. But probably PKP very clearly visualized the “gap” (which is a problem for every other person), the gap of - affordability, availability, and quality of drugs. PKP identified them and converted this gap into his business strategy with his 3 core-ness value and launched Delcure with this philosophy.

Attracting venture capitalist and getting the product manufactured of his own desire-able quality and standards and that too in the desirable small quantity was again a big challenge, but with his persistent approach and perseverance, he could manage to settle down the deal with AKUMS. Today in Indian Pharmaceutical industry Delcure has managed to create its own niche by a launching an innovative campaign, which has a unique and high emotional appeal - Honor Your Doctor, where the violence against the Doctors is increasing and all Human rights people are observing silence, Delcure has taken a stand to respect the Doctors and trust their medical practice and ethics and spread the word of kindness towards this noble medical profession. Today Delcure is one of the fastest growing Indian Pharmaceutical company with two Distinct business verticals -Winspire and Delvoice

Winning signs of Innovators

How the innovators stick to their personal commitment may be difficult for a layman to identify but if we observe certain signs/actions/body language of these innovators, then probably it can help us to infer.

For innovators, success begins in the mind. It starts with a wild dream, righteous anger, restlessness, a sense of discomfort or pure inspiration. These Innovators like PKP, take that impulse, process it, weigh its risks and returns and then finally, make a decision – and this decision is the “first step” towards the journey.

In 2011-12, PKP studied that Indian Pharma industry needs these three values-affordability, availability and quality to be served. Where Indian government was feeling helpless and product margins were eroding, PKP took the courage with quality products and with not so competitive therapeutic categories- Pediatrics, ENT and Chest, and successfully launched Delcure with its first division Winspire.

While launching this business category PKP has two criteria:

• the products had to be something with customer value and
• it had to have some unique mechanism of action with excellent field force services.

 He made this commitment and as he says always to his team-mates that “once you make the commitment to solve the problems with values in mind, you hear the quiet voice of “determination” guiding you. Your own heart will tell you and you will recognize this by its tone of genuineness and authority. Its authenticity will be beyond question. Even in the events of setbacks and failures, you will always be determined to stand up again and again”. “You will need to tone your mind to cultivate mental toughness to reject rejection, accept self-doubt and keep putting one foot in front of the other”.

Even though with the three product therapeutic categories, people told him he will never get success in the industry, they rated his business plan as a non-profit with very low commercial gains, but it is his own personal commitment to the Summit kept his hopes alive. His consistency and perseverance helped him to raise several million rupees from the venture capitalist.

PKP is an ardent follower of MATSUSHITA LEADERSHIP, I have heard him reciting these lines at various business forums and social media citing – “Youth means the temperamental predominance of courage over timidity, of the appetite for adventure over the love of ease. This often exists in a man of sixty more than a boy of twenty. Nobody grows old by a number of years. We grow old by deserting our ideals”

PKP tries to stay clear-eyed and focused.

He says that inspiration is the easy part, but the most difficult part is the discipline of working through many ideas and to identify among the many choose the best few ones. His motto is -Work hard, have fun and make history.

I strongly feel that we all individuals can have a Summit, the only thing we need is to listen our own voice quietly and give the strong personal commitment to it. If the need be, renew it, redefine it and explore the opportunities how to climb the summit in the time frame in order to deliver it.

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