Follow Your Heart to See Success

"Be courageous. I have never seen anything negative happen to people who are courageous." - Jack Welch

A visit to the CEO at the airport and a small conversation during the company ride to the factory location was enough for me to be seen as a young customer quality engineer. A month later, I accepted a promotion to lead eleven purchasers, the majority of whom were close to the retirement age. It was a tough decision for me as the commercial VP had earlier announced that the purchasing department was struggling with a big backlog of demands imposed by two new under developing factories.

Tin was one of the expensive and dense commodities supplied by the team for use in our factories. A question from one of the team members sparked a discovery that something was wrong. They asked why we were paying three times more for Tin Anodes compared to Tin Ingots. My metallurgical background helped me to find the solution, and later, the questioner took responsibility for the project after being granted permission by the production line leader.

The test was successful, and the project outcome resulted in huge cost savings and even better quality work. However, the phone started to ring several times during the trial period as it was difficult for the monopoly vendor to accept the reality. The Vendor tried to prevent switching by calling departments' managers. Nevertheless, as we were confident in the solution, we did not give up until we received final approval from our Engineering Department.

Sometimes, something inside us tells us to continue, even when others do not accompany us. These are the ways in which we believe, and we feel they are correct. So, do not be disappointed, and continue with your heart to see success.

That year was the only year which the purchasing team was rewarded back then, as we accomplished this project among many others.

Please fill free to comment or tell your story about diving into something scary.

PS: I had been attended an MBA Program before the position being suggested to me.