5 invaluable lessons from India’s Missile Man, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam

November 27, 2016

When asked on the unruly challenges faced while pursuing Entrepreneurship, the young and dynamic co-founder, chairman and CEO of Facebook simply replied, “If you just work on stuff that you like and you’re passionate about, you don’t have to have a master plan with how things will play out.”

Yet the path of entrepreneurship is filled with innumerable risks, breath taking challenges and immeasurable hard work. There will be endless sufferings for the entrepreneur in his road to success. Entrepreneurship is a career that is too demanding and undoubtedly arduous to achieve. Yet however gruelling the challenges are, some succeed in getting past all these and all the way through to success to create a new business venture. Entrepreneurship has become a burning issue in India presently with 48 million small businesses in operation throughout the country with every youth looking towards this career with the hopes of making it large. As a result, India is being increasingly called the land of rising Entrepreneurship.

Even his Excellency, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, the former president of India and one of the world’s most foremost authority on Science; renowned throughout the world as the Missile Man of India for his work on missile development was not at a loss of words on this burning issue: Entrepreneurship. A man with highly knowledgeable words, he has showered some pearls of wisdom on Entrepreneurship. His words of advice for the youth are indeed indispensable and some of them are featured as follows:-

1. Be a leader as well as a dreamer

Throughout his life, Dr. A.P.J Abdul Kalam inspired leadership by example. During the 1980’s, he was triumphant in convincing the then Prime Minister of India, Indira Gandhi for the allocation of funds for the several pending aerospace projects under his directorship despite the relentless opposition of the Cabinet. It was his leadership, that made sure that the funds revived these projects which were further highly functional in the growth of India’s space research program. He once quoted, “Let me define a leader. He must have vision and passion and not be afraid of any problem. Instead, he should know how to defeat it. Most importantly, he must work with integrity.”

It was a result of the able leadership of Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, that a budget of INR 388 crores was sanctioned for the Integrated Guided Missile Development Program (IGMDP) by the Union Government. As a consequence of this program, India developed and test fired the Prithvi ballistic missile in 1988 and Agni in the year 1989. Many countries, closely tracking the development of the missile program in India, alarmed at its rising prowess, restricted the access of technology critical to the survival of India’s Missile program. Yet it was Dr. Kalam who relentlessly pursued his dreams to successfully develop critical technology ingenuously. He believed, True entrepreneurs dream big and then work towards turning their dreams into reality. “You have to dream before your dreams can come true.”

Also Read: 12 Invaluable Leadership lessons from Google’s Doyen Larry Page

2. Keep Fit

In order to reach the gates of success, it is quite essential that people realize the importance of a healthy body and a healthy mind. They know that the two are inextricably inter-linked and imperative for their smooth functioning. It is vital that they follow a strict regime of healthy habits which include right eating, adherence to meal times, a holistic exercise plan that suits one’s age and a mind full of positivity. All these activities will lead to the smooth and proper functioning of the mind as well as the body whose requirement is indeed indispensable for sailing on the boat of Entrepreneurship.

3. Defeat the problem and Succeed

Once his professor remarked,” If you’re on a new mission or a complex task, you should also expect to experience equally challenging problems. You should not allow the problem to become your captain. You should become the captain of the problem, defeat the problem and succeed.” Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam followed this advice of his revered teacher throughout his life. In entrepreneurship, there arise complications associated with decision making process, venture capital acquisition, equipment procurement, commissioning equipment, paying back large loans, acquisition of human resource, training of human resource, marketing of products. Will power is what it takes, what matters the most to make a stand against these challenges and make a profit in your Business venture.

Also Read: 20 Inspiring Life and Business lessons to learn from Richard Branson

4. Competition and the law of Development

”Competitiveness is the common driving factors between the two types of nations,” mentioned Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam. This existing competitiveness between the developed and the developing countries has three aspects: Cost effectiveness, quality of the product delivered and to ensure that the product has arrived in the global market just in time. The superiority in the global market is the fine line that distinguishes between developed and developing countries. This is the dynamics of the global world that coexists between countries. Law of development relates to this dynamics: the competitiveness between countries to market their products all over the world.

For any country or enterprise, the competitiveness in the global market is a direct consequence of its competency. Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam strongly believed that profit combined with integrity results in sustained growth.

He quoted, ”When you are inspired by some great purpose, some extraordinary project, all your thoughts break their bounds, your mind transcends limitations, your consciousness expands in every direction, you will find in a new great and wonderful world. Dormant forces, faculties and talents become alive and you discover yourself to be a greater person by far than you ever dreamed yourself to be.”

5. Importance of Hard work:

Even during his last day, Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam never even backed out an inch to grace everyone with his words of immense wisdom. “The whole universe is friendly to us and conspires only to give the best to those who dream and work.” Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam believed sincerely that with utter dedication and hard work, one can achieve anything and everything he/she ever aspires for. An entrepreneur’s Ideas, ambitions can be fulfilled by sailing on the boat namely hard work.

These sagely words of advice from one of the greatest Pioneers of Science and the beloved Missile Man of the country undoubtedly prove to be the ultimate light of guidance for entrepreneurs.

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