Olympian heights
Through antiquity Olympians have been the heroes of sport. Their passion, belief in themselves, ability to take huge risks and the desire to constantly raise the bar, are the stuff that goes into making real champions.
In many ways these are all traits shared by entrepreneurs who are similarly driven and have the vision to chase what seem like impossible dreams.
As the torchbearers of Indian entrepreneurship in the new millennium, they are like the athletes who carry the hopes and aspirations of millions when they go to the Olympics. And like every athlete who comes to the games, each entrepreneur is unique. His or her success represents a new breakthrough for mankind, however humble his creation. Every product and every service adds something by way of advancement for the world at large.
And yet behind the success of every Olympian is a lifetime of sacrifice and sweat and tears. Hard work, perseverance and indomitable spirit separate those who play for fun and those who play because it is their life. And it is the same with every entrepreneur.
From exploration to emergence
Imagine a beautiful butterfly being born; or an intergalactic space bird moving from a metaphoric cocoon to a chrysalis as they open their wings ready to embark on an exciting new winged journey. In the exploration, the bird discovers its own capabilities and then soars with confidence into outer space, creating a shining path in its wake.
Esoteric though it sounds, this emergence, captures the life of an entrepreneur as he rides on an idea and then takes winds on the proverbial 'smile and a shoeshine'. In the process he goes through a sense of discovery, of challenges taken up, paths being blazed, territories being explored and above all, raw courage in the face of adversity.
This lifecycle symbolizes the entrepreneur's idea as it takes root, grows, expands, finds its place in the scheme of things and then flourishes and succeeds. From idea to a flourishing tree, from exploration to emergence - it is the lifecycle of every entrepreneur however big or small he or she might be.
And finally in the realization of the idea, the parent of the idea discovers a sense of exhilaration which is the culmination, the climax of hundreds of hours spent in exploration, discovery and journeying into the unknown, uncharted courses of business, the hurdle-ridden paths of achievement. For the entrepreneurs who won, this reflects their inner joy, their sense of achievement, their spirit of celebration.
Brilliant moves
Entrepreneurs can be likened to grandmasters in a heightened game of chess: Unless they make their moves deftly in the game of entrepreneurship, they will not be winners. The first rule is that, like a Vishwanath Anand who prepares much in advance of a game, entrepreneurs too have to do their homework well.
Further, winning in the game of chess is also often a result of brinkmanship, experience, learning from past mistakes and focus. You will notice that successful entrepreneurs have many of these attributes. It is never an easy journey, a testimony that will be given by a Raghav Behl, Rahul Bajaj or Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw.
The journey of a cosmic explorer
At a time when the world was still reeling from the horrors of 9/11 and an economic meltdown, it was perhaps appropriate that the metaphor we chose was that of the entrepreneur as the cosmic explorer. The creative metaphor likened entrepreneurship to steering the famed 'Starship Enterprise'. In the process the entrepreneur, much like Captain Kirk, set out to explore the galaxy fearlessly and with a vision that transcended existing barriers.
Boldly going where no man or woman has ever gone before, braving unknown hazards and adversities to follow the call of the wild was a leitmotif that lent itself well to the men and women who were among the honorees for that year.
None more so than N.R. Narayana Murthy, who won the coveted Entrepreneur Of The Year title for defying all odds as he steered Infosys through its difficult early years to become the leader in India. In doing so Narayana Murthy did what all explorers through the centuries have done - he opened up entirely new horizons and carved out a path through the jungle that others were happy to emulate.
The same spirit of adventure marked the other winners. There was something of the devil-may-care attitude about each of them and in their refusal to accept the given order of things.
Navigating high seas
Entrepreneurs are leaders first, whether born or made. They guide their men and machines often through choppy seas using a combination of instinct and acumen. Which is why the theme, the Captain, a navigator of the high seas, was the central metaphor. Just as the Captain of a vessel maneuvers rough seas and stormy weather, so does the entrepreneur in the 'entrepreneurial high seas'.
On the way, he needs to display in ample measure a combination of passion, courage, creativity and the determination to win over the elements. But as the master of his ship, he is always confident of steering the ship and his team to where he envisions is his destination.
The sun
For all human beings, the sun is truly the center of our universe. Each day begins with the rising of the sun. It is the life giver, the auspicious harbinger of life and the source of life and enlightenment. It is omnipotent, the primal source of life. In the Indian context the sun is symbolic of all that is good and positive and every one pays obeisance to it, irrespective of caste, creed or religion.
The parallel between entrepreneurs and this source of light and life is easy to draw. Entrepreneurs too light up the business firmament, brightening the lives of many, giving economic 'sustenance', and showing the way for others to follow.
The visionary entrepreneur emerges from the 'darkness' of night, with courage and tenaciousness, no matter what the business 'climate'. Like the sun, an entrepreneur is constant, willing to 'battle' the elements and still shine. Once in a while he or she is 'eclipsed' only to emerge again, with renewed energy.
The torch-bearers
A year in which Asafa Powell ran the 100 meters in a world record time of 9.77 seconds seemed appropriate for a theme which focused on drawing a metaphor between trailblazing business leaders and sportspersons. Both classes comprise achievers who constantly 'raise the bar' and create a spirit of achievement, through competition. In the process they set new benchmarks of excellence.
The guiding principles for both sets of achievers are courage, passion, adventure, taking risks, the will to win and succeed. The price for success in both professions is enormous - a great athlete literally sweats blood on the track pushing his body and often his mind to achieve heights never achieved before. And that's what a entrepreneur has to do as well.
The architect of a rich future
The dictionary and the Thesaurus define an architect as one who plans, builds, creates: an inventor, an originator. Much like an architect, an entrepreneur is also a builder. Both alter landscapes, often of entire countries. Both shape the future, providing 'shelter' for whole communities, encouraging 'satellite' life and activity to come up around their creation.
There is also something of the artist in the architect as he gives form, shape and a sense of aesthetics to even the humblest municipality park. So does an entrepreneur no matter what product he makes or the service he offers.
Orchestrating a winning legacy
The four graph bars of the world's business award stand side by side, much like the keys on a grand piano, together symbolic of creating great harmonies. The entrepreneurial conductor orchestrates a rich future, a grand tomorrow.
Much like a music conductor, the entrepreneur originality, risk-taking, dedication, a lifetime of hard work, teamwork, enrichment of all those involved in the process and accomplishment on a global scale. Both have a profound effect on the communities around them.
And ultimately, both create a symphony by bringing together all the parts into a glorious whole. That moment, when the fusion of all the senses takes place the conductor alone knows what supreme bliss it is.
Similarly, after all the hard work, the marketing smarts, the ideation and the pain, when the idea flies in the face of critics and competitors alike, an entrepreneur achieves his personal nirvana.
That's when all the money made or the profits earned, even the units sold, lose their meaning. It is the sublime ecstasy of knowing that what you have created cannot be taken away from you. The world will trill to its sound.
