Top 5 things to learn from The TATA group

Top 5 things to learn from The TATA group

We all have complicated lives and we're all trying to make it better in our ways. Life teaches us awesome things but at the cost of throwing punches on us. The other day, I was reading about the TATA group and its history. I was amazed by the similarities a company can possess to the human life. The failures, the successes, the hopes, the creativity; this company has gone through everything a human does in life. It was only because the company was blessed with great leaders who took the right decisions in wrong times and the employees who poured their blood, sweat, and tears to make their visions turn into a reality. Let's see the top 5 things we can learn from this company to live a better life…

1. Things don't always go our way, accept it and move on 

Air India which was formerly known as "TATA Airlines" was formed in 1932. It was liked by the customers for its incredibly great service. J.R.D. Tata personally saw that the services offered by the Airlines are up to the mark. From the quality of wines served on the flight to the hairstyle of air hostesses, he wanted everything perfect. TATA Airlines enjoyed an excellent reputation. In 1953, the Airline was nationalized under the Air Corporations Act. J.R.D. Tata was hurt by this decision because he was worried that it might affect the quality of service offered by the airlines. He expressed his regret to his friend Prime Minister Nehru but never spoke about it to the media. But he never let that affect him, he worked on many projects after that and made them a huge success. TCS and Titan are just two of those many projects.

In life, there are moments when things go wrong unexpectedly. You give your best at something but you lose everything the next moment. You can't control everything but yourself. You can control how you react to tough times. Something may go the other way and you might feel that you're off the well-worn path! Well, it may be messy at the moment but if you keep persisting in the long run, it'll always be great. It's okay if things go wrong, life's a marathon. You'll always finish it if you keep on running, life's beautiful!

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2. Don't react, act!

Back in the days when the British ruled India, many British hotels allowed only Europeans to be their guests. It is said that when Jamsetji Tata (The founder of the TATA group of companies) was denied entry in Watson's hotel (Bombay), he decided to start a hotel that would attract tourists from all over the world and where everyone would be welcomed. It was also because the hotels in Bombay offered inferior service and he saw it as an opportunity to explore. It is said that Jamsetji Tata had traveled to places like London, Paris, Berlin, and Düsseldorf to arrange for materials and pieces of art, furniture, and other interior decors for his hotel, which is quite amazing. His brilliant vision and ability to follow through has made what we know as the TATA group of hotels.

You'll face a lot of humiliation in your journey of achieving goals. Maybe it's because someone told you that you don't deserve something or you realized the fact that you lack at it, see that you never react at that moment. If it's someone close to you, you can peacefully talk about it later. But if it was something that allows you to improve yourself, you should work on it. If the negative voices are making you feel bad about yourself, use it as a fuel to work towards your goals without affecting your mental health. Your attitude and way of reacting to things greatly influence your well being. Keep your head down and keep on working. Don't expect everyone to believe in you unless you prove yourself. I firmly believe that you can do it for yourself!

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3. Prove yourself

Every leader in the Tata company had to prove himself to acquire the trust of all the people working there. I mean, of course! a great leader is essential for any organization!

Ratan Tata had to prove himself to all the doubters who had major positions in the company that he was more than capable of handling the company which was into a vast array of businesses. He was given the charge of NELCO, a tech company that was doing badly at that time. He turned the situation around for the company making him the successor of J.R.D. Tata in 1991. His cumulative smart and bold decisions for the company have made the TATA group innovative than it'd ever been. He was the visionary behind India's first indigenous car "Indica". He was the one who shifted the company's priority to innovation and execution making it enter and dominate various fields. He's always true to what he'd once said,

"I don't believe in taking right decisions, I take the decisions and then make them right."

You might not have the responsibilities of a company but you surely have full control and responsibility over your time and life. You may have a vision that may be doubted by closed ones. You may have a dream which might be ridiculed by many around you. Don't let it affect you, people are reluctant to change. And they expect you to do things the orthodox way. This was okay back in those days when we used to live in tribes and you were supposed to do things the known way. These days, you have a lot of opportunities to prove yourself. Work on yourself, associate with positive people which might help you achieve your dreams regardless of the negative voices. It's not about proving something to others, it's about proving yourself that you can achieve everything you can imagine. It's about creating something great out of an idea. It's not just about something monetary, this applies to every aspect of your life.

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4. Believe in unbelievable

Before 1998, India wasn't into making truly indigenous passenger cars. There were some Indian cars in the market with the collaboration of some foreign motor companies. TATA's decision of making the first indigenous car was gutsy for many experts. They were expecting the car to fail in India because the company had no experience of making indigenous passenger cars and there were a lot of companies in the market already. At last, "Indica" was launched at a grand car expo in 1998 with an Italian design. People were excited about the car but there were some initial problems to the car's success. The car was found to have some minor problems regarding mileage and horsepower which needed to be sorted if it had to be a reliable car. With a lot of hard work and improvement in the manufacturing process, they launched "Indica V2" which was superior to the previous model and came with all the issues fixed. Talking of 2020, TATA Motors is the largest car manufacturer in India. This is an incredible milestone for the company. This was only possible because they had a vision that seemed impossible to achieve but was achieved because of the company's willingness to improve and to deliver the best product to the consumers.

We all have dreams, something which we would want to accomplish in life. But most people stop thinking about it after a while cause they think that the dream is too far-fetched. But in reality, we all got nothing to lose. The only thing a person can lose is the self-respect for himself by not acting on his ideas. You don't need to be a business tycoon to turn your vision into a reality. You got your vision and your will to work on it, and that's enough! Execute on your dreams, it's okay to live the greatest life you possibly can.

Go do your thing, you only live once. Your life's a gift, it's your duty to give your best at what you believe and like.

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5. Always be kind

Most of us already know about the culture that is bred in the TATA group of companies. In TATA Sons, 66% of the equity is held by the philanthropic funds. Whether it is the COVID-19 or the Australian wildfires, the trust has donated generously for all the causes. In this era of capitalism where companies are doing everything to keep themselves alive, 66% is not a small amount to be donated. The leaders have always displayed their simplicity and humble nature in their lives as well. During the days when the Bus services were stopped because of a strike, J.R.D. Tata used to offer lifts to the people on his way home. No one would believe that they sat in the car of J.R.D. Tata as he would treat all the people with kindness. This quality of genuineness and kindness has been deeply rooted in the culture of the company because of great leaders like him. If you have all the other qualities but not this, it won't take you far. You have to be a kind person to create or sustain something incredible. No matter how small or big you are, you shouldn't ever look down on someone. You should always be compassionate about the people around you. I know you are already, but just make sure that this never changes regardless of how successful you become in life.

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These were the top 5 things that the Company and its leaders portrayed over these years and have set an example. No matter where you are right now, problems are a part of our life. It all comes down to how to solve them and take decisions in the long run. We all are going through a rough patch right now, life's kinda messed up. But it's not just us, it's the same for all the people. Most of the companies have suffered a huge amount of losses these days. And that's fine! You can sprint at the starting line and get exhausted if you're unable to see the finish line or you can keep on running at a constant speed like a marathoner.

You can use every set-back to your advantage and I wish this for all of us.

I want you all to succeed in your respective ways. But wherever life takes you,

Don't forget the starting line and the track that got you there…