Turning Impossible into Possible

Have you ever encountered situations where you were tasked with a responsibility, and your initial thought was, "this seems impossible to accomplish"? There are various reasons behind such a thought:

• The fear of taking on the responsibility, driven by the apprehension that things might go wrong.
• A lack of confidence, especially when it's the first time you've been entrusted with a task of this nature.
• Insufficient subject knowledge or details necessary for effective execution.

During the early stages of my professional journey, the tasks assigned to me were often clear and straightforward, making me feel quite at ease. However, as I progressed in my career, I had to adapt to working in more ambiguous and uncertain areas.

I distinctly recall a pivotal moment when the Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of my previous organization assigned me the challenging task of developing a Cloud Strategy for our products. I did not have a strong background in infrastructure, but my firm belief that "nothing is impossible" compelled me to take up this challenge. Through extensive discussions with experts, tremendous effort in analysing data, and focused learning, I succeeded in this endeavour. This experience marked just the beginning, as I subsequently tackled numerous similar assignments. I am deeply thankful to the CTO for instilling confidence in me and helping me reinforce my belief that the impossible can be achieved.

There was another instance when I was assigned to a completely unfamiliar domain. Despite my track record of success in diverse domains, the stakeholder was not confident about my abilities since I was stepping in as a replacement for experienced team members who had recently left. In every meeting during the initial period, I faced skepticism and resistance, coupled with constant appeals to communicate with senior management that I was unable to handle the project due to lack of domain knowledge. However, I refused to give in. Setting a strict deadline for myself, I dedicatedly immersed in learning the domain and the product. It was an intense process involving extended work hours, recording and reviewing sessions, compiling detailed notes and with unwavering support from the team, I acquired the necessary domain and product knowledge within a time frame of 1 month. The outcome was a successful project with no deviations from the committed plan, high-quality deliverables with no issues found in User Acceptance Testing, a large-scale rollout and a positive shift in the stakeholder’s perspective. This experience reinforces the notion that the right attitude can transform the seemingly impossible into reality.

Therefore, I always prioritize attitude over domain expertise or experience. There may be instances when we encounter unexpected obstacles during the execution of our plans. In such situations, the ideal approach is to explore alternative routes or optimize the existing one. Never entertain the thought that it's the end of the road.

In both of these examples, my guiding mantras were "there is nothing impossible" and the practice of "positive visualization." Being a dreamer, I frequently visualize myself achieving my goals. Positive visualization serves as a powerful tool in realizing dreams and objectives by leveraging the following mechanisms:

• Motivation and Inspiration: When you picture yourself succeeding, it makes you more motivated and determined to make your dreams come true.
• Confidence Building: Consistently visualizing success enhances self-confidence, empowering individuals to step out of their comfort zones and take calculated risks.
• Fear and Anxiety Reduction: Visualization helps ease the fear and anxiety associated with pursuing ambitious goals, preparing individuals to tackle challenges confidently.
• Alignment of the Subconscious Mind: Visualization helps your inner mind get in sync with your goals and makes it more likely that your actions will match what you want to achieve.

As leaders, it is our responsibility to nurture talent by providing the right opportunities, instilling self-belief in our teams, encouraging a positive attitude in tackling problems, and maintaining an open-minded approach to give individuals the chance to prove themselves.