Smart Outlook

by Shriram
(Bangalore, India)

While in the lobby of a marketing firm, waiting to be called in for an interview, a man asked a young lady sitting next to him rehearsing and rechecking, “Why are you so under confident?”

The lady smiled and said, “I am not under confident. I am just making sure that I do not miss out on anything.” Smiling back, the man said, “So, you are a perfectionist. I am a cool-headed guy who takes life as it comes.”

An elderly woman who seemed a bit worked up, came and sat beside them. “Are you alright? Do you need any help?” asked the man. “No. I am just worried about the interview”, she said.

Another young man with his shirt half tucked walked in, wearing one shoe and carrying the other. Everyone looked up at him and laughed. “See how he has come for the interview!” exclaimed the young lady.

Tucking his shirt in, the man sat beside them to wear his other shoe and dropped his file strewing certificates all over. He put his shoe aside and went around picking them. The other 3 interviewees also helped him. With a sigh of relief the man said, “Thank you. I had gone to sleep forgetting to set the alarm last night.”

Soon, one by one they were called in for the interview. This last-minute case was called in first. He pushed open the door and saw the boss, a hefty man with a big moustache, accompanied by the Human Resource Manager, a broad-shouldered man sitting there. He greeted them.

Twisting his moustache, the boss said in a rough voice, “Sit down.” The man hastily pulled a chair making a creaky sound and sat down. Frowning in disgust, the manger asked for his resume.

The man took out his file and found his certificates messed up. “Just a minute, Sir”, he said in a shaky voice, searching through the mess. The boss could not tolerate this anymore. “Do not waste my time”, he shouted. “Ok sir, Ok Sir, just a minute”, the man said pushing down a vase while taking his file. “Get out from here”, screamed the boss. The man opened the door and walked out.

The elderly woman was called in. Looking at her certificates, the boss asked, “So, you have done your MBA.”

“Yes. Yes Sir”, the woman answered nervously. "Hmm. Why do you think you are suitable for the post of a marketing executive?” asked the manager. "Uh I”, stammered the lady. A bit irritated, the boss interrupted, “How do you think you can convince our clients and fix a deal?”

"I. I will”, started the lady. “Sorry, you are not suitable for the job,” shouted the boss throwing her certificates on the table.

The elderly woman walked out and it was the turn of the cool-headed man. He shook hands with the boss & the manager and took his seat. Looking at his profile the boss asked, “So, what made you choose marketing as your career?” The man replied, “I am a very creative person and can give new ideas to promote any product or service. I know many marketing techniques.“

Sensing a feeling of ego in his talk, the boss asked, “Suppose you are marketing a product under your supervision and your team members come up with an idea that they feel will work out better than the one you had originally thought of, will you take their suggestion or stick to your idea?”

The man said, “Sir, when I am a marketing supervisor having more knowledge and experience in the line than the ones working under me, why should I take their suggestion? I will definitely stick to my ideas.”

The boss said, “But our client’s satisfaction is more important for us than your ideas. You may go.”

The man walked out and the young lady was called in. She greeted the boss & the manager and introduced herself. Impressed by her attitude, they asked her to sit down. Looking at her profile, the manager asked, “When there are so many companies offering marketing jobs, what made you choose this one?"

The lady replied, “You are among the Top 5 marketing agencies in the world having customer satisfaction as your primary objective.” The boss asked, “Suppose you become the marketing executive of this company and while campaigning a project, a fresher in your team comes with an idea that will increase your client’s sales, will it be wise to consider his idea?“

“Yes, of course. Any step we take in satisfying our clients will also help in the growth of our company. If we satisfy one client he will tell another and this will create a network of satisfied clients. Hence, a satisfied client is the best ambassador who can help in promoting the brand name of a company,” said the lady and she was selected for the job.

Hence, a smart person is not one who knows the most but one who is willing to know more. Apart from the way we carry ourselves, it is our optimism, attitude and openness to learning that adds to our personality. We must be confident about what we know and still be open to learning. Over confidence not only stops us from updating ourselves but also obstructs our progress along the path of success. If we are pessimistic, we cannot prove ourselves though we have the potential.