People have come up with various 'enablers' of success - hardwork, talent, luck, the list goes on. My views on luck are amply and widely known, therefore let me exclude it from the discussion here. I honestly feel that success boils down to just one over-arching statement: How well you can relate to the person sitting in front of you.
In the case of a sub-ordinate, noone will deny that being on good terms with your boss beyond just work definitely speeds up the promotion process. In the case of entrepreneur, his ability to relate to the PE or VC folks beyond just the text in the pitchbook helps establish that 'chemistry', (which is undefinable even today). In the case of the B2B, the manager's ability to conduct small talk with his customers aids him/ her in getting the foot in the door, as well as possibly the sale itself. Job opportunities open up because people like 'hanging out with each other' (a live example presents itself in IIM B). My views on this with regards to the spouse need not be emphasized again. The list goes on...
The caveat to this statement is this: How well you can relate to the person sitting in front of you (let us call this person A) means you know everything about A's business, you know everything about A's interests to carry on a conversation beyond the regular talk, you know your strengths inside out and weaknesses inside out to phrase it in appropriately in A's language . It means you get down the nitty-gritty engineering details if required, by your customer, you present a particular aspect more emphatically than others to the PE ,you find out if there any new developments in the manager's life (e.g. birth of a son/ daughter), you read up on a TV Series your spouse enjoys just so that you're conversational on it, and once again, the list goes on...
Most people understand the need for an excellent 'product' - be it themselves for the job interview, or a durable for the consumer. Very few people remember to put in a personal touch in the relationship. This key element is often forgotten and people wonder what happened then...
In the case of a sub-ordinate, noone will deny that being on good terms with your boss beyond just work definitely speeds up the promotion process. In the case of entrepreneur, his ability to relate to the PE or VC folks beyond just the text in the pitchbook helps establish that 'chemistry', (which is undefinable even today). In the case of the B2B, the manager's ability to conduct small talk with his customers aids him/ her in getting the foot in the door, as well as possibly the sale itself. Job opportunities open up because people like 'hanging out with each other' (a live example presents itself in IIM B). My views on this with regards to the spouse need not be emphasized again. The list goes on...
The caveat to this statement is this: How well you can relate to the person sitting in front of you (let us call this person A) means you know everything about A's business, you know everything about A's interests to carry on a conversation beyond the regular talk, you know your strengths inside out and weaknesses inside out to phrase it in appropriately in A's language . It means you get down the nitty-gritty engineering details if required, by your customer, you present a particular aspect more emphatically than others to the PE ,you find out if there any new developments in the manager's life (e.g. birth of a son/ daughter), you read up on a TV Series your spouse enjoys just so that you're conversational on it, and once again, the list goes on...
Most people understand the need for an excellent 'product' - be it themselves for the job interview, or a durable for the consumer. Very few people remember to put in a personal touch in the relationship. This key element is often forgotten and people wonder what happened then...
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