Forgiving Success

Maltastar

Sometimes I get caught into problems that I can’t understand.   Can’t understand why people behave the way they do which seems irrational and self-defeating but still causes problems to honest fellow citizens.

“Enthusiasm is the yeast that makes your hopes rise to the stars. Enthusiasm is the sparkle in your eye, it is the swing in your gait, the grip of your hand..”

Then quite often when I am reading something as if by pure magic there lies the answer, black on white.    I was reading a report in the Financial Times of Thursday 11^th April 2002 which carried a service about the commercial success of Ferrari, the only current bright commercial spot in the FIAT group.   

Luca di Montezemolo refused an offer to join the cabinet of Berlusconi to keep his post at the helm of Ferrari and is planning to float the company’s shares and to  take more mileage from franchising the company’s  brand which is one of the 10 most  recognized brands in the world,  and this without really trying.

Obviously the success on the Formula Uno track, which took perseverance, patience and hard work to keep the team together and keep enthusiasm at high pitch even when the results on the circuit were not coming in, is now generating enhanced revenue flows and fat bottom lines.

They have a 30 months long order book for the exclusive sports cars which carry many features of the racing car, and the annual production has been capped at 4400 units to preserve the scarcity value of the product.

“In working towards Labour’s great victory at the next general election the Party has to be capable to acknowledge and reward success and at the same time to withstand those that will not forgive it its own success”

Montezemolo is not afraid of sounding corny. Every employee who joins Ferrari receives from the chairman a poem printed on a card sporting the familiar Ferrari horse logo. "The real secret of success is enthusiasm," it starts. "Enthusiasm is the yeast that makes your hopes rise to the stars. Enthusiasm is the sparkle in your eye,it is the swing in your gait, the grip of your hand . . ."it goes on. "Enthusiasm is at the bottom of all progress. With it there is accomplishment. Without it there are only alibis," it ends

Oh I said t myself, this is just the way I work.   Wherever I go I  bring enthusiasm and commitment and I  instil them in all those around me.   Without general enthusiasm for the work and for the final objective and without an across the board commitment, from the chairman to the janitor, results will just not come.

I did it when I was a junior clerk at the bank, I did it when I set up my private management consultancy and helped businesses  like Tumas Group undertake single-handedly such mega project as  Portomaso , I did it at Mid-Med Bank when I went back as Chairman and recently I had the privilege to do it again during my 30 odd month assignment as Chairman at Super One.

But is enthusiasm and commitment enough?   And as I was pondering this point there was the answer ready for the reading.

Quote

“When you have won everything you only risk losing”, (said Montezemolo) adding that “Enzo Ferrari (the company’s late founder) once told me that everywhere, particularly in Italy, everybody will forgive you everything except success.  It is a lesson I will not forget.  So I try to do my best, with passion, but sometimes I feel tired” Montezemolo admits.

Unquote

How true.   Everyone will forgive you anything but success.   I repeated it to myself a hundred time that night and it was the explanation for people’s irrational behaviour purely because I happen to be good at doing my job.   It explains why I often have to quit certain jobs right when the results start to show.     Nobody comes forward for the hard work but  there are many sharers for the glory.   While failure and hard work are generally children in orphanage, success has many fathers.

Real success however demand being able to withstand those that cannot stomach your own success and keep working for further achievements leaving behind running on the spot those who waste their energies in putting obstacles rather then in being creative in devising new achievements.

In working towards Labour’s great  victory at the next general election the Party has to be capable to acknowledge and reward success and at the same time to withstand those that will not forgive it its own success.

1998 must be a lesson we learn from and move on to higher platforms.