Why I agree with Jeff Bezos and his 3-step model
I came across an article about Jeff Bezos and his three step formula. Of all the steps, I believe that the third step is the most critical one. But before I tell you more about it, I want to share a short story.
The C.A. results were announced last week. I think every Indian knows about this prestigious yet dreaded degree and the number of attempts it takes to get one. I have a bunch of friends who have been attempting this exam - some Einsteins who cleared it in the first attempt and some who have been still trying.
In fact a friend of mine, who was a C.A. aspirant shared a joke with me that said, there are three things that you should never ask :
- A Man's Salary
- A Woman's Age and
- A C.A.'s number of attempts
Jokes apart, clearing an exam that has a 5% success rate is no mean task. Kudos to those who do it! And I would like to share a story of my friend who would definitely be an inspiration to many.
So 'X' was my childhood friend and her father being a C.A. - she always aspired to be one. She had an average academic record and everyone including her family always mocked her decision of pursuing this course. She was sort of the ''written off'' child in the family.
So 'X' gave her CA entrance (an exam which is apparently quite easy and cleared by majority of the aspirants in the first attempt). Unfortunately she failed. Not once, not twice but thrice. She barely cleared the entrance in her fourth attempt (something that people do in one!).
Being a close friend of X, I always supported her and thought maybe she would cross the next hurdles in the C.A. relay with fewer attempts.
Then began her tryst with IPCC (or Inter CA). She would study diligently day in and day out, while managing her articleship (read: Internship in an audit firm). We were confident that she would probably clear her IPCC in one or two attempts.
X gave her Inter CA exams in November. Once again she couldn't clear. X appeared for the exam again in June - unfortunately with the same results. Possibly 4-5 attempts of IPCC and over 4 years had passed, and X had managed to clear just the Inter CA. This was a time when most of us were working and X still had the devil (Final CA) waiting for her.
X gave her final CA exams for the first time in 2015. And her string of failures continued. Every time her parents met us at a social gathering, her father would tell her in front of us as to how CA isn't an easy course and she should possibly consider simpler courses like an MBA or so. He would tell her that some courses require lot of talent and C.A. was one such course.
I also remember some people mocking her for still living off her parents money, but X would just smile meekly and continue attempting CA. I met her last month when I told her that she should just give up and find a job - after all one can't keep trying for eternity!Some things are not meant to be and I thought she could still find a decent job with the experience that she had. She had to agree since her parents had retired and they couldn't keep funding her forever. X promised me that she would wait for the November 2018 results and if she wasn't able to clear, she would start her job search. I thought to myself, that she shouldn't waste her time and just start the job search right away. But at the risk of not hurting her, I remained silent.
Day before yesterday I saw the news of the "C.A. results being declared" flashing on the Internet. And as a routine I usually call X to inquire about her results. I am accustomed to a sad voice telling me "Next November/June dena padega". But this time I knew there's no November and I didn't call X - thinking that I shouldn't rub into her wounds.
I was on the railway station when I suddenly felt my phone vibrating - and it was X's missed call. Thinking maybe she would be a little down, I decided to ring and cheer her up once I reached home.
I was in the bus on my way back - tired and bored, when I logged into Instagram. X had a story that said "Finally C.A. X's Name: 2010-2019". And before I could even realize, a drop of tear fell from my eye. X had accomplished something that was so difficult. Seemingly impossible! The 'written off' child had written a record.
I could relate it to something that Jeff Bezos said during a press conference:
"Achieving something great isn't easy. I came under fire for decades when Amazon didn't turn make profit. But I didn't really care, because I knew that it would take time to achieve goals as lofty as the ones I had set--goals like fundamentally changing the way people shop"
Or, what he calls the key step towards being successful in his 'Three step model' :
"Thinking long term and not sacrificing long-term value for short-term results"
I believe there are millions of talented people in this world, but most of us give up our long term goals for short term gains. X didn't - she believed in herself. For 9 long years! And that too when nobody else did. And I know a successful future awaits her. X would always be an inspiration for me - not because she worked hard, but because she believed in herself and her capabilities.
Talent might open the first door, possibly the second one too. But attitude and self-belief would open the last door. Success only belongs to those who follow their dreams with self-belief - for whatever time it might take.
After all be it Amazon or Rome, both weren't built in a day!
