Michael - The Next Maverick : Ready To Shape The Future

The Next Maverick. Copyright 2013 Aji R. Michael.

All rights reserved.

Published by:

Head Affairs Publishing

A division of Head Affairs Coaching Ltd

Designing Solutions with Leaders in MindTM

Web: www.headaffairs.com

Design & Print: www.thevinemedia.co.uk

This book is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information with regards to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the Publisher is not engaged in rendering Legal, Accounting, or other professional services. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the service of a competent professional person should be sought.

While the Publisher, the Author, the Editor or their respective employees or agents have used their best efforts in preparing this book, they make no representations with respect to the accuracy or completeness of the contents of this book and specifically disclaim any implied warranties of the merchandise or the fitness of the contents for a particular purpose. The advice and strategies contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. You should consult a professional where appropriate. Neither the Publisher, the Author, the Editor nor their respective employees or agents shall be liable for any loss of profit or any other commercial damages including, but not limited to, special, incidental, consequential or other damages.

ISBN: 978-0-9927142-0-8

Printed in the United Kingdom

"What I know for sure is that if

you want to have success,

you can't make success your

goal. The key is not to worry

about being successful but to

instead work towards being

significant and the success

will naturally follow.

-Oprah Winfrey.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to thank my friends and families who gave generously of their time and wisdom via e-mail, phone as well as face to face.

Additionally, I thank my brother Moses, the best business partner anyone could wish for. His support and guidance are beyond words themselves. I do hope you remember my text message where I said Done is better than Perfect.

Most of all, I thank my husband Michael. His steadfast love, support and guidance changed my life. Thank you for taking time out to go through my work, correcting my grammar, asking for clarifications and giving me the confidence that the work is good to go.

Above all, I appreciate the Holy Spirit without whose partnership none of this would have been possible.

PREFACE

The man who grasps principles

can successfully select his own

methods.

The man who tries methods,

ignoring principles,

is sure to have trouble.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

L ike any entrepreneur, I have a fascination with success. I love reading stories of successful entrepreneurs, especially those who change the way the various industries operate. When I read these stories, I ponder on how they happened. I ask myself numerous questions, for instance, What are those things they did or do which enabled them to get the grip to be exceptional? Some of them may seem obvious until you consider the multifaceted processes they have to put together to maintain high rates of successful business enterprises. I figured out it is not luck nor coincidences but rather, something more than these two are involved. Although luck or coincidences do occur, they do not provide a sustainable successful future.

Since you are reading this book, there is no doubt you desire to be successful as well as influence the world in some way. So the question is, how do you do it? I have no doubt that the answer is Be different from the crowd." This book introduces twelve invaluable distinctive laws that I believe will enable any individual to become one of the most influential persons in the world- irrespective of your chosen career. Some aspects of this book such as the emphasis on value and faith, I learnt from my father. He exemplified much of what is central to us as a family: the value of hard work, integrity, humility and a lifelong dedication to learning. The most important source of research, however, was down to my own reading and study. Shortly after I became a Christian, I developed two strong passions. The first was to build a functional library. The second was to identify and understand the principles that lead to prosperity and societal growth. I always look for an opportunity to serve and help humanity. During my research, I concluded that the two passions are intimately related.

As a science student, I understood the natural world operated according to fixed laws. Through my research, I came to realise that there were, likewise, laws that govern human beings and prosperity. It seemed to me that these laws are fundamental not only to the well-being of societies, but also to the tiny communities of businesses. Indeed, that is what I discovered when I began to apply the laws systematically to my personal life. I have stumbled, succeeded and continued to grow and change. My values and conducts have evolved, and I expect them to continue to do so in the future.

My own journey as an entrepreneur was more of a roller coaster ride than a smooth drive down a freeway. I have delved into various businesses in the past. In some of these businesses, I achieved a 40% increase in profit over 3 years. In some years it was over 100% and in others it was negative 40%. One of the things I now recognise is that I had no structure against which to measure or manage success, despite being very well qualified academically in business. Yes, I had business plans, strategic plans and so forth but they were based on where I saw the opportunities or threats. What I did not see was the whole picture - I did not see how my day to day activities were connected to the whole universe. As they say, 'If only I knew then what I know now!'. On reflection I recognise that few entrepreneurs are successful by chance. You have to engineer success into your personal life, your business and by having an intimate understanding of what drives success as well as how to manage and multiply it.

From my research and my many conversations with successful entrepreneurs and exceptional individuals, I have a much better view of how success occurs and what you have to do to sustain it. In addition to that, I have been fortunate to sit in on many meetings with highly distinguished professionals and entrepreneurs and have had the opportunity of evaluating many independent contractors and businesses. It is obvious from those experiences that the 12 laws outlined in this book are invaluable and have allowed me to identify success obstacles and opportunities in business and the world at large.

In writing 'The Next Maverick', I have had two audiences in mind. The first group is the broad professionals. The book is intended to help them develop the rare traits of that exceptional employee who is sought after by employers, regardless of industry. The second audience I have in mind is broader and consists of business readers in particular, entrepreneurs. 'The Next Maverick' is not just another list of qualities of a successful entrepreneurs so common in today's management literature. It is a path for entrepreneurs to create a harmony of interest with society. For any entrepreneur to survive and prosper, he/she must create real long-term value in society and see them through. I believe nothing less than the application of all of the known universal laws can help in most instances.