Paradigm shift
What happens when you have a paradigm shift? You become a whole new being altogether and when you look back, you will smile at your old self and feel better that you have evolved into a better being. However don’t get me wrong, I don’t despise my past as my past are the sum of my experiences that make me a better person now.
I realize that whenever I go through a rough patch in life, I will start evolving and start transforming to a new person, a better one to be specific. My good “buddy” commented that I had changed so much over the years and it always happen after I have gone through some challenges in life. Here I have to say sorry to her as she seem disturbed and sad that she doesn’t understand who I am anymore. If you are reading this blog, do understand that every time that James changes, it will be for the better so that he can be strong and protect those he cares for when the need arises. People will only start not knowing anyone when they don’t bother to and all my good buddy will always know how James has evolved as I will keep these treasured buddies updated =).
Back to the blog proper, I had a couple of paradigm shift that are crucial in my life and below are just some of them
- When I was in the Army and began more humble and able to control my temper
- In NUS, when I realize that education has a broader sense than just what the government say it is and started my path to business
- In the first year of my business where I realize that some things that are not yours anymore should not be kept and learn to let go
And this paradigm shifts begin to happen more and more frequently recently as I start to go through more challenges in business and life. The most recent paradigm shift is something that people might not find that it is a good thing to learn but seriously it really works in business. The new thing learnt is an attitude, the attitude of arrogance. How can this be a good thing to learn as having attitude is obviously bad, as you might be thinking? However nothing in this world is good or bad, it is only how you use it that makes a difference.
So what is the value in arrogance that has made me a better person? As mentioned in the previous post, the master in interactive has taught my team how to execute arrogance that makes your business life easier and make your client happier. He told me that there are 2 instances that he has displayed his arrogance, once when he is in a pitch for a MNC and after 5mins into the pitch, he stands up and tell the client that they are not pitching anymore, “apologize” in being in the wrong pitch and start to walk off with his team. The second instance, he took a chair and threw it on the conference table during a meeting with another MNC.
Guess what, he managed to win the respect of the 2 companies, one decided to listen to his proposal with more zest instead of being arrogant when they started the presentation and the other decided to give them the deal. I am not trying to say that we should be so dramatic while exercising “arrogance”, however this is a good case study of what is called letting your client learn to respect you by displaying some attitude. After 3 years in business, I realize that being nice just make your client more demanding and nastier. As I learnt not to be nice to them just a little, my relationship and business life with them become easier. And recently after listening to the master, I execute great arrogance in one of the pitch. The client was belittling my company and was treating us like a small company, giving little respect in his tone over the phone.
When I went to his office, I sat down and listen to him. After he explained his brief, he asked for the price and I asked him what is his budget? He said $xxxx amount and I immediately tell him that we can’t do the job as the company cannot sustain with such low budget. Quoted him $xxxx X 3 and told him that we can’t value add much as we usually create website with marketing strategy. Told him that perhaps a free lancer or another company can design the site at the price. In the end, he told me budget is not a problem. I replied telling him that I still have to look through the site before giving him an actual price. I went back to office and email him a price of $xxxx X 5 and he accepted. This is a good example of “arrogance” being displayed with the right magnitude, industry knowledge and increased confidence.
Tried the same thing with the subsequent clients that we are ready to let go as the budget is not acceptable and most works, and the company begins its quest to increasing its brand equity. Equipped with the proper level of arrogance, we start transforming the company to a higher class design company separating ourselves from the pack.
However I fully understand that arrogance only allows you to go to the higher level, the way to the highest level is to master the highest level of humbleness. If it sounds contradicting, it is not as arrogance is to push your standing up and make people respect you in a new level. Being humble while you are on the high level will attract more respect from people from all levels as you have already proven that you have made it and yet still able to be humble when you have made it. The controversies in life is thus a formula for success as mastering both ends is the key to success, the key difference thus lies in timing.
Hence a concept will only make sense and work when it is the right time to execute the paradigm shift. Hope that I can master this soon and start going to the humble path again as I know I am arrogant when I am young and might stray if I enjoy this arrogance too much! Hence cheers now for arrogance and a new paradigm shift that will push me to a whole new level =)
“Arrogance or humble, use it at the right time and the controversies will align success”
~ James Tan~
I realize that whenever I go through a rough patch in life, I will start evolving and start transforming to a new person, a better one to be specific. My good “buddy” commented that I had changed so much over the years and it always happen after I have gone through some challenges in life. Here I have to say sorry to her as she seem disturbed and sad that she doesn’t understand who I am anymore. If you are reading this blog, do understand that every time that James changes, it will be for the better so that he can be strong and protect those he cares for when the need arises. People will only start not knowing anyone when they don’t bother to and all my good buddy will always know how James has evolved as I will keep these treasured buddies updated =).
Back to the blog proper, I had a couple of paradigm shift that are crucial in my life and below are just some of them
- When I was in the Army and began more humble and able to control my temper
- In NUS, when I realize that education has a broader sense than just what the government say it is and started my path to business
- In the first year of my business where I realize that some things that are not yours anymore should not be kept and learn to let go
And this paradigm shifts begin to happen more and more frequently recently as I start to go through more challenges in business and life. The most recent paradigm shift is something that people might not find that it is a good thing to learn but seriously it really works in business. The new thing learnt is an attitude, the attitude of arrogance. How can this be a good thing to learn as having attitude is obviously bad, as you might be thinking? However nothing in this world is good or bad, it is only how you use it that makes a difference.
So what is the value in arrogance that has made me a better person? As mentioned in the previous post, the master in interactive has taught my team how to execute arrogance that makes your business life easier and make your client happier. He told me that there are 2 instances that he has displayed his arrogance, once when he is in a pitch for a MNC and after 5mins into the pitch, he stands up and tell the client that they are not pitching anymore, “apologize” in being in the wrong pitch and start to walk off with his team. The second instance, he took a chair and threw it on the conference table during a meeting with another MNC.
Guess what, he managed to win the respect of the 2 companies, one decided to listen to his proposal with more zest instead of being arrogant when they started the presentation and the other decided to give them the deal. I am not trying to say that we should be so dramatic while exercising “arrogance”, however this is a good case study of what is called letting your client learn to respect you by displaying some attitude. After 3 years in business, I realize that being nice just make your client more demanding and nastier. As I learnt not to be nice to them just a little, my relationship and business life with them become easier. And recently after listening to the master, I execute great arrogance in one of the pitch. The client was belittling my company and was treating us like a small company, giving little respect in his tone over the phone.
When I went to his office, I sat down and listen to him. After he explained his brief, he asked for the price and I asked him what is his budget? He said $xxxx amount and I immediately tell him that we can’t do the job as the company cannot sustain with such low budget. Quoted him $xxxx X 3 and told him that we can’t value add much as we usually create website with marketing strategy. Told him that perhaps a free lancer or another company can design the site at the price. In the end, he told me budget is not a problem. I replied telling him that I still have to look through the site before giving him an actual price. I went back to office and email him a price of $xxxx X 5 and he accepted. This is a good example of “arrogance” being displayed with the right magnitude, industry knowledge and increased confidence.
Tried the same thing with the subsequent clients that we are ready to let go as the budget is not acceptable and most works, and the company begins its quest to increasing its brand equity. Equipped with the proper level of arrogance, we start transforming the company to a higher class design company separating ourselves from the pack.
However I fully understand that arrogance only allows you to go to the higher level, the way to the highest level is to master the highest level of humbleness. If it sounds contradicting, it is not as arrogance is to push your standing up and make people respect you in a new level. Being humble while you are on the high level will attract more respect from people from all levels as you have already proven that you have made it and yet still able to be humble when you have made it. The controversies in life is thus a formula for success as mastering both ends is the key to success, the key difference thus lies in timing.
Hence a concept will only make sense and work when it is the right time to execute the paradigm shift. Hope that I can master this soon and start going to the humble path again as I know I am arrogant when I am young and might stray if I enjoy this arrogance too much! Hence cheers now for arrogance and a new paradigm shift that will push me to a whole new level =)
“Arrogance or humble, use it at the right time and the controversies will align success”
~ James Tan~
posted by James at 8:01 PM
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