Good Is the Enemy of GreatНамуна

Opportunity, Priority and Resilience

We scurry about busily getting things done and preparing a plan for each day. Can we be so busy with our work that we do not prepare for what is most important? Success is when preparation meets opportunity. Can we get too busy with trivia and miss out on the important things?

A good leader becomes great when he makes best use of the opportunity, prioritises tasks and targets and builds resilience into the business plans, processes and procedures.

The parable of the ten virgins is interesting. When the bridegroom came, the five who were prepared with extra oil for their lamps entered the banquet hall; the unprepared returned after the celebration began and were not allowed inside.

All ten virgins were presented with the opportunity of going to the wedding banquet with the bridegroom, but only five of them grabbed the opportunity with both hands. This happens often in business. The team or organisation that makes the best use of the opportunities given to them will be benefitted. In our workplace, our preparations must be done above and beyond the normal expectations. Yahoo missed the opportunity to buy Google at a much lower price, and the rest is history. Google went on to be great while Yahoo faded away slowly!

How do we prioritise our business initiatives and tasks? Only five virgins prioritised the arrival of the bridegroom. They were rewarded for it. They also planned for the delay in the bridegroom’s arrival. Many a crisis happens when the world is fast asleep. How prepared are we in terms of business continuity? Our critical business functions should not be impacted in times of disaster.

As a Business Continuity Management (BCM) strategy, during the monsoon season in Mumbai, we keep canned food and sleeping bags available for important personnel to stay back in the office. This extra preparedness has helped us make sure that critical functions are never affected.

Only the five who were deemed to be great with proper acumen, prioritisation and resilience were taken by the bridegroom to the banquet. Clearly, good is the enemy of great.

Father, give us the wisdom to grab opportunities, prioritise our business areas and be prepared with our resiliency plans, always. Amen