Many people think that success just comes overnight. It comes from years of hard work and uninterrupted efforts. Of course, it’s never too late to start over and you get to write your own definition of success once in a lifetime. It is something that you have to define for yourself, and no one can do it for you. In other words, it could mean a sense of accomplishment and career progression.
To achieve great success in life you have to dream big and get ready for failures. From the mines of struggle, hard work and high-thinking, here comes the gem “Sir Ratan Naval Tata aka Ratan Tata” who motivates with his golden words like “I don’t believe in taking right decisions. I take decisions and then make them right.”
Who is Ratan Tata?
Born on the 28th of December, 1937 in Surat, India, he was later adopted into the already famous Tata family. He received his early education from the Campion School, Mumbai. After his schooling from the Cathedral and John Connon School, Mumbai, he persuaded B.S. in architecture with structural engineering from Cornell University, U.S.A.
- He started his career with the Tata Steel division in 1962,
- He was appointed as the Director-in-Charge of the National Radio & Electronics Company Limited (NELCO) in 1971,
- He was moved to Empress Mills, a struggling textile mill within the Tata Group in 1971,
- R.D. Tata appointed him as the new Chairman of the Tata Group of Companies in 1991,
- He resigned from the post of Chairman of Tata Group on 28 December 2012 on his 75th birthday
Awards & Achievements of Sir Ratan Tata
- The Padma Bhushan, the third highest civilian honor awarded by the Government of India in the year 2000
- The ‘Medal of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay’ from the Government of Uruguay in the year 2004
- The ‘International Distinguished Achievement Award’ by the B’nai B’rith International in the year 2005
- The Honorary Fellowship of The London School of Economics and Political Science in the year 2007
- The ‘Padma Vibhusan’, the second highest civilian honor awarded by the Government of India in the year 2008
- The ‘Award of ‘Grand Officer’ of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic’ from the Government of Italy in the year 2009
- The title of Honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire, United Kingdom in the year 2009
- The ‘Oslo Business for Peace Award’ presented by the Business for Peace Foundation in the year 2010
- The ‘Honorary Knight Grand Cross of The Order of the British Empire’ in the year 2014
His Decisions That Inspire Others
Just like another struggling personality, Sir Ratan Tata had several failures during his career. In the year 1998, when Tata Indica Car failed to attract buyer interest, the board and committee members recommended him to sell Indica to Ford. The statement that had occurred when he visited Ford’s headquarters “How did you get into the company when you have no experience with passenger cars?” We are doing you a favor by purchasing your company”, did not depress him, but rather boosted his self-assurance.
Like always destiny never leaves his child alone, the same happened with him. The tables have turned when Tata Indica became profitable and miraculously his decision to purchase Ford’s Jaguar and Land Rover divisions changed everything. His hard work and intelligence have tremendously assisted him on his path to success.
His Inspiration For Today’s Youth
Ratan Tata may not be the richest man in terms of money but he is one of the richest personalities in terms of ethics and principles. He is a man of ideologies, ethics and values. He doesn’t relate his success by getting ranked on Forbe’s top list but believes genuinely in giving back to society. The biggest lesson he has taught to us is that no matter what happens, never compromise on your principles and ethics.
