Mirza Yawar Baig – Beware the C Word

Mirza Yawar Baig
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AI: Summary ©

The speakers emphasize the importance of definition and sustained heroic effort in actions and character, and stress the need for success in achieving success. They stress the importance of not accepting failure and choosing wisely. The success of Hotmail is attributed to its use of social media and the ability to live with friction. differentiation and uniqueness in leadership and leadership are emphasized, and the success of Hotmail is attributed to its use of social media and the ability to live with friction.

AI: Summary ©

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			Bismillah Alhamdulillah wa Salatu
was Salam ala Rasulillah. My
		
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			brothers and sisters, friends,
this is a follow up on my earlier
		
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			podcast, which was the confusion
with kindness.
		
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			I am completely and totally
committed to quality. And I really
		
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			believe that there is no
alternative.
		
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			So let me begin by one of my
quotes. When I talk about
		
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			extraordinary goals, for example,
sometimes people ask why
		
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			extraordinary?
		
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			I say why extraordinary, because
good enough, never is.
		
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			As you work towards a great goal,
you will become restless and
		
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			irritated and impatient and
inclined to take shortcuts and cut
		
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			corners, all for the excellent
reason,
		
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			or apparently excellent reason
that you want to see the product
		
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			up and started as soon as
possible. But in this urgency,
		
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			there will be a tendency to accept
compromises.
		
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			I'm saying this to warn you of the
biggest danger to success, the C
		
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			word
		
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			and that C word is compromise.
		
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			For to compromise, is to die a
death without honor.
		
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			Those who have the courage to work
for a great goal, understand that
		
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			possible and impossible are terms
that define your own standpoint.
		
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			How you see yourself the point to
who you are not to the goal at
		
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			all.
		
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			Soaring at 30,000 feet is possible
for an eagle
		
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			or for a man with a flying
machine.
		
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			It is not possible or impossible
in itself. All it needs is for you
		
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			to ask, How can I do it? Not? Can
it be done?
		
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			I repeat, all that you need to ask
is How can I do it? Not? Can it be
		
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			done? Because possible and
impossible.
		
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			are a factor of perspective. It
depends on where you stand. That
		
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			will define the view that you see.
		
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			Change your position, the new
changes.
		
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			I submit to you that
differentiation creates brand.
		
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			Brand defines Identity. Identity
enables influence. Influence
		
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			inspires followers and loyalty.
Without differentiation, you are a
		
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			grain of rice in a sec. We're
still rice, but you're wondering
		
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			in a second.
		
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			When you differentiate, you stand
out, you're noticed you make a
		
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			difference.
		
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			That is the choice.
		
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			Excellence is an expression of
self respect. So it's mediocrity.
		
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			We strive for excellence, not
because someone is watching or
		
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			because we are playing to the
gallery. But because excellence is
		
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			about us. How we see ourselves,
what we think of ourselves, how we
		
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			choose to define ourselves.
		
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			We define ourselves and the world
accepts that definition and treats
		
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			us accordingly.
		
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			And that is why Henry Ford
famously said if you say you can
		
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			win or lose, I believe you
		
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			think before you define yourself.
		
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			Every action defines me. Every
word I speak defines me. Every
		
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			decision I take defines me.
Everything I choose to do or not
		
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			to do, defines me. It is my brand
value. It is my character.
		
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			Actions requires sustained heroic
effort. Often in the face of great
		
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			discouragement. Only those who
rebel in the effort can accept the
		
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			adrenaline drives them.
Paradoxically they are goal
		
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			focused, but take pleasure in the
difficulty of reaching the goal.
		
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			For them the journey is the
destination because the excitement
		
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			is only in the chase and ends with
a catch. Mount Everest is a worthy
		
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			goal to strive.
		
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			Strive for because its dimensions
are measured in height.
		
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			The same distance on Earth, which
is eight kilometers on level
		
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			ground, wouldn't be worth talking
about. It is the difficulty of the
		
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			ascent, which adds value to the
goal.
		
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			If you think success is difficult,
try failure to accept mediocrity
		
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			is to accept failure at the start.
Mediocrity ensures that your
		
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			failure is permanent. that drug is
called compromise. I know that
		
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			there are more mediocre people in
the world and those who achieve
		
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			excellence but ask yourself who
you would rather be? Who would you
		
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			like to emulate? Who do you choose
as your role model?
		
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			In 1999, at the turn of the
century, people were running all
		
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			kinds of surveys, one I read about
was done by IBM, to see what the
		
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			percentage was of people who reach
a level of excellence in their
		
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			professions.
		
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			They took the they took an Olympic
gold medal as the benchmark and
		
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			they asked how many people reach
an Olympic gold medal level in
		
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			their profession,
		
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			or endeavor. They started with
their own industry information
		
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			technology, and then they expanded
the survey to include a multitude
		
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			of professions across the
spectrum. They came up with a
		
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			result that across the board, not
more than 2% Not more than 2% of
		
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			people in any field or profession,
reach a level of excellence 98%
		
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			remain mediocre.
		
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			That is the choice that one must
make. You will have company in
		
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			both places. The question is,
Which company do you prefer?
		
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			Because the truth is that you take
on the color of the company you
		
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			keep who you choose, as your role
model.
		
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			Who do you choose to emulate?
Choose wisely? Because your choice
		
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			will change you.
		
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			That is why he was in college. He
said one day in the life of a
		
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			tiger is worth more than 100 years
in the life of a Jaguar ask which
		
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			life would you like to live? For
in the end, both the tiger and the
		
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			jackal die
		
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			compromises to attitude what
cancer is to the body. The body
		
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			doesn't fight cancer but accepts
it because it doesn't recognize
		
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			the threat. It accepts cancer
cells until they kill it.
		
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			Only those who hate mediocrity can
excel not dislike, not be
		
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			irritated by it. Nothing mild.
Only those who pathologically hate
		
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			mediocrity, who cannot target at
any cost. Those who are repelled
		
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			and repulsed by it who find it
disgusting, abhorrent and hateful
		
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			and do anything to get out of it
can pursue excellence passionately
		
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			compromises like cancer destroys
from within.
		
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			But unlike cancer, it is
infectious. One mediocre person
		
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			who is willing to make compromises
will infect the whole team with
		
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			mediocrity
		
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			to win, we need a totally
uncompromising attitude towards
		
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			quality.
		
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			Without that, dreams will be
stillborn.
		
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			Guess what?
		
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			What is the question that I need
to ask and you need to ask when
		
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			you are looking at mediocrity or
excellence in your teams?
		
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			What is the question?
		
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			Believe me, the question is not
which of them is mediocre? The
		
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			question is, am I mediocre or not?
		
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			That is the question.
		
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			Excellence takes effort. If you
make it, failures, painful, nobody
		
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			likes it. mediocrity is the
narcotic, which makes destruction
		
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			seem acceptable. So people settle
for less than what they can be.
		
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			They get distracted by others and
make excuses for their mediocre
		
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			efforts. As if that can change
reality. It can't they imagine
		
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			that if they can find others who
agree with them, then mediocracy
		
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			their mediocrity will be
acceptable. It will not be it will
		
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			be more mediocre person.
		
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			mediocre people will accept
mediocrity, but to those focused
		
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			on X
		
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			sinners, who look not at others,
but at their own potential and
		
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			beyond it. mediocrity is the
speaker. No matter what this guy's
		
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			it comes in.
		
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			To tell the truth, the mediocre
ones also recognize this in the
		
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			dead of the night when they're
alone with themselves. Their
		
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			efforts don't even begin to
approach the boundaries of what
		
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			could have been, if only they had
not compromised.
		
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			Failure is not the enemy of
excellence mediocrity is failure
		
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			is painful and drives effort.
Nobody willingly fails or remains
		
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			in failure. But mediocrity is
emphasized failure is fatal
		
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			because the victim does nothing to
counter it, because he cannot feel
		
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			the pain.
		
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			I remind myself about a basic
principle that I have always
		
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			followed in my own life.
		
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			It is better to fail trying to
achieve an extraordinary goal than
		
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			to settle for a compromise. Why
are you struggling? Because good
		
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			enough, never is.
		
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			When you say good enough, we are
looking at video of you are
		
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			looking at cancer due to it, what
you will do to cancer, cut it out
		
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			or die. The choice is yours.
		
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			The important thing for us to
remember is never to compromise.
		
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			No matter how difficult it seems.
Remember that when you're weighing
		
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			in a balance and the weighing
scale, it is only the last few
		
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			grains which tip the balance.
Until then you won't see any
		
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			difference, or any change in the
level of events.
		
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			And that teaches us two
fundamental laws.
		
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			The first law, the balance will
not tip until the last few grains
		
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			fall into the bank.
		
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			I repeat, the balance will not
take until the last few grains
		
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			fall into the pack. The second
law, the last few grains will
		
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			always will always tip the
balance. The last few grains will
		
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			always tip the balance. Both laws
are equally to
		
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			remember that if we compromise for
anything less than what we dreamed
		
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			off, then in the evening of our
days, we too will be forced to
		
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			look back on our lives and say, If
only I had not sold my dream so
		
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			cheaply.
		
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			That is why I say that if only if
only is the most tragic phrase in
		
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			any language, because it means
that the opportunity has passed to
		
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			have forever.
		
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			All that remains is to shed bitter
tears of regret.
		
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			I remind myself in you that a door
opens in the life of every man and
		
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			woman where they have the
opportunity to make a difference.
		
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			Those who succeed are those who
anticipated that opening and
		
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			crossed the threshold.
		
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			I'll give you a case study I
caught from MIT Technology Review.
		
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			Severe Amartya
		
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			arrived in the United States from
Bangalore at age 19. Now
		
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			in his 30s he is a web
gazillionaire
		
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			with his friend and co worker Jack
Smith, Bhatia founded Hotmail the
		
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			first free web based email
service. This concept was a
		
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			radical departure from the dial up
services that required a period
		
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			account, heartbeat in contrast to
be accessed via a web browser from
		
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			any computer connected to the net.
The idea found a market niche may
		
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			get a cabin.
		
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			After two and a half years,
Hotmail had 25 million active
		
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			email accounts. Now more than 50
million
		
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			venture capital from venture
capital firm Draper Fisher
		
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			Jurvetson, invested $200,000 In
Hotmail, and hotmail was launched
		
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			on July 4 1996. Just 18 months
later, Microsoft bought the
		
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			company for $400 million worth of
Microsoft stock
		
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			in 1996, and before the
opportunity to create a web based
		
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			email service was available
anywhere in the world
		
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			except that it was serving motya
		
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			went through the door.
		
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			Social change happens when a small
group of dedicated people who
		
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			believe in their system, their
culture, their way of life, live
		
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			it and practice it with confidence
and differentiate on that basis.
		
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			They live their way assertively,
not aggressively, but never
		
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			compromise or change their system
to suit the majority culture.
		
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			To give you an example, the
British colonized the world.
		
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			But they never wore turbans and
shimmers, and eagles and visualise
		
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			and sherwanis, or any of the
gorgeous and beautiful clothing of
		
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			Asia, Middle East or Africa. So
the world started wearing pants
		
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			and ties and hats.
		
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			That's only one example. There are
as many others as you have the
		
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			curiosity to look for. The
question is, what do you want to
		
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			do?
		
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			The greatest damage to a cause is
done by those who perhaps in a
		
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			well meaning way, soften stances
regarding principles. When that
		
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			happens, the clarity of
differentiation is lost, and the
		
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			message loses significance. There
are two key things to learn in
		
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			this context. Number one, how to
disagree without being
		
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			disagreeable. How to present your
viewpoint in a way that it's
		
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			clear, but not necessarily
confrontative or belligerent, how
		
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			to show people what's in it for
them, because that is the station
		
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			that everyone listens to with
great interest, and it's called W
		
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			III FM. What's in it for me.
		
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			The second key thing to understand
is and learn is to live with
		
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			friction. To be comfortable with
not being the most popular person
		
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			on the block.
		
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			Read the life of any great leader
and without exception, you will
		
00:17:04 --> 00:17:09
			find that they were very
unpopular, at least to start with.
		
00:17:10 --> 00:17:14
			In many cases, they remain
unpopular with the masses. Yet
		
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			they change the world and are
remembered with honor centuries,
		
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			in some cases even millennia after
the passing.
		
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			That is the choice must be ask
yourself, what is the legacy that
		
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			I want to leave behind.
		
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			For a leader,
		
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			the most critical thing is to
understand
		
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			that he must differentiate from
the REST based on their message.
		
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			Differentiate based on the message
if a leader compromises his or her
		
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			message for the sake of
popularity, or material gain or
		
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			followership, or anything else,
the uniqueness of the message will
		
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			be lost, and it will lose its
value as a clear standard on which
		
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			to model all actions. This is
naturally not easy to do. As there
		
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			are a lot of societal and other
pressures to confirm the existing
		
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			norms and values and customs.
Chris stand out as different
		
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			especially when this means to go
directly against the existing
		
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			system is not easy. But it is an
essential criterion that
		
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			distinguishes the reader
		
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			for people to follow the leader,
his identity, the goal that he is
		
00:18:37 --> 00:18:41
			leading towards and what the
followers will gain because of
		
00:18:41 --> 00:18:47
			following that leader must all be
clear, unambiguous and inspiring.
		
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			A flag is a symbol, but only when
it is flying high, not when it is
		
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			drawing on a clothesline. In
conclusion, I want to say to you
		
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			that it is critical for the leader
not to be seduced with the promise
		
00:19:06 --> 00:19:11
			of followship and never to change
or dilute or modify the message to
		
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			suit anyone in the desire to get
Converse. The message
		
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			distinguishes the leader. If he
compromises that message, then he
		
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			has lost everything. This is the
biggest argument in favor of
		
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			differentiation against
assimilation and losing one's
		
00:19:28 --> 00:19:33
			identity that I can print for you.
Someone who does not have the
		
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			confidence to differentiate and is
content with being one sheep in a
		
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			flock is completely unfit to be a
leader. Being a leader means to
		
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			take hard decisions and getting
used to being lonely.
		
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			Because remember, the tiger walks
alone sheep
		
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			plenty of company
		
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			for in the end
		
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			We will not be asked what happened
we will be asked what do you do
		
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			thank you