Just Jump!
In the early 90s, a lovely girl called Monika from a prominent business house was engaged to marry Mahesh (a scion and inheritor of one of India’s biggest business families). Theirs was to be the marriage of the decade.
Monika’s father – Gulshan was the head of the family and managed the joint family business that included his brothers. One of the Gulshan’s younger brothers Sushant was not on good terms with Gulshan and was constantly litigating with him to separate the family assets and split the family fortune. Theirs was a raging bitter battle that had carried on for years.
On the wedding day of Monika and Mahesh, the baraat (a marriage ceremony in which the bridegroom goes to the wedding venue of the bride) had begun proceeding to Monika’s house. Just when Mahesh (the bridegroom) was about ten minutes away from his bride’s building, Sushant (the uncle) did something very dramatic!
He climbed out of his flat window, stood on the ledge and threatened his elder brother Gulshan to agree to split the business failing which he would jump out, kill himself and derail the marriage. Something so horrendous had never happened before and would mar the reputation of Gulshan’s family forever.
Gulshan tried reasoning with Sushant and politely told him to respect the occasion and the family reputation, but Sushant would not yield. The baraat was just two minutes away.
Gulshan then said something that I can never forget. He looked at Sushant, folded his hands and said ‘JUMP’.
Sushant was dumbstruck. He never jumped and climbed back inside. The marriage did go down as the marriage of the century.
The lesson to learn here is to have the courage to say ‘Jump’. To anything in your entrepreneurial or life’s journey that puts you in a corner.
Employees, Colleagues, Clients and Co-Partners.
All of them have individual aspirations. They partner with you since their vision and yours is the same. However, things change and that’s when you have to be unyielding in your conviction as well as in your beliefs.
In each appraisal cycle, we face challenges, when our co-workers expect larger than affordable salaries. You have to have the courage to take the risk of losing them rather than ruining your business. Most of the times when you recommend your colleagues to quit and move on, they stay back.
Clients always test the limit to which you will bend, negotiate and yield and will pretend to not be interested in your proposal. But when you really walk away, trust me, they will come back running.
I still remember a pre-board meeting in which one of my investors asked my CEO to change the business direction fundamentally and present it to the board. He refused. The investor indicated that he would fire the CEO and that he had the support of the other investors if he didn’t do as instructed. My CEO asked him to ‘Jump’. In the board meeting the next month, we went through the usual rigors and my CEO and I were dreading the dismissal motion to come up any moment. It never did. The investors stayed on the ledge and climbed back in.
(Names of people in the marriage example have been changed to protect privacy).
*****
Khalid Shaikh
Alok, this is exactly what I had to say to one of my client today and they have agreed to almost all of my terms / conditions later.
Vijay Khubchandani
Around a decade back, there was a couple who had a Naughty 7 year old Kid.. This Kid had developed a habit of black-mailing his parents to bow down to his requests.. He would keep pushing the limits whenever his wish was not granted.. He would threaten the parents that if they don’t fulfill his demands, he will hurt himself.. He would threaten them by saying that “I will run towards the Traffic if you don’t buy me this and I’ll open the Door of a moving Car if you don’t get me that etc..” (Cars didn’t had a Child lock in those days)
The parents were tensed and worried.. They consulted an Astrologer for a solution to this problem.. To add to their worries, the Astrologer suggested that they should never try to say NO (JUMP) to the Kid as he might end-up actually doing it.. It is that day and today, the Kid has grown up to be Disobedient and Wayward.. It has made matters even worse for the couple.. This is a true real-life story..
Definitely the case here is far more tricky and sensitive, but it is essential to say JUMP..
Anirudh Singhal
Very relevant for a business person. Wonderfully illustrated!!
Puneet Sharma
Today, I actually was in similar situation … confused since morning. And I read this …
Wow !!! feels relaxed. Decision Taken.
Thanks !!! (nice timing)
Alok Rodinhood Kejriwal
Bhai, you won’t believe it. I face this once every 6 months. Today was the cycle 🙂
Akshay 'Backpacker' Chhugani
Alok, i dont know how but your timing is just sooo perfect for me…its like god sends me a problem…..n u inbox me d solution !! great motivation as always 🙂
Digvijay Pandey
Very well said with great example by Alok. I have been through this situation many times in sales and looking forward to jump in entrepreneurship…
Ranjan Bhattacharyya
Instructive and inspirational ! I think that the problem with us entrepreneurs is that we are so enthusiastic and positive by nature that by default we say yes in order to avoid missing an opportunity. As Alok has correctly pointed out here, it is important to learn to say no sometimes. The relief that you feel afterwards is its own reward !
Prathamesh KriSang
Alok.. Your blog seems be an advance level resource for entrepreneurs!
Abhijit Mehta
So here is the thing, please make a distinction between people using suicide as a tool and suicidal people.
The above example is a very tiny minority, it is the exception that makes the rule.
More people die of suicide then cancer, here are some resources on how to deal with a suicidal person.
https://www.suicide.org/wrong-thing-to-say-to-depressed-suicidal.html