Amitabh Bachchan celebrated his 79th birthday recently by reporting to the sets as usual. Today, even after almost 52 years in the industry, his energy, enthusiasm, and ethics remain unparalleled. Leaving aside the ‘glam quotient’, there are many takeaways from the Big B’s life for working professionals.
In terms of wealth and earnings, Mr Bachchan can easily rest on his laurels. However, what makes him wake up every day and report to work when he can easily relax and live a comfortable ‘retired’ life?
When work is passion: As a coach, I encounter many professionals who don’t enjoy their work. It leads them to a constant state of restlessness and unproductivity. Be it young, middle, or senior-level professionals, enjoying your work is critical to success and longevity in the job.
Mr. Bachchan has pursued his passion for acting relentlessly despite initial doubts, misses and rejection. When you love your work or profession, it gives you energy instead of tiring you out.
Discipline & hard work: It takes years of practice and hard work for an athlete to win Wimbledon or a medal in the Olympics or the World Cup. In corporate life, too, glory doesn’t come overnight. It requires discipline and hard work. I have noticed that these days, many professionals, and youngsters are impatient for success.
Amazon is a 27-year-old start-up, Facebook is at 17 years and homegrown Flipkart is 14 years young. Mr. Bachchan has been in the industry for decades. Yet, even today, he is known to reach the sets on time. He listens to the director as if he is a newcomer and is fine with multiple retakes. Showing up at work and pursuing your duties is the key to success.
Ability to handle failure: In our life journey, while we celebrate success, many of us cannot handle failure. Mr. Bachchan is a prime example of handling failure with dignity and rebuilding his career with honesty. Unfortunately, many of us try to take the easy route when faced with difficulty.
When ABCL Corporation went into losses and he was personally held responsible, he didn’t shrink away or ask for concessions. He went back to work, paid off everyone’s debt and built his life again. When faced with professional failure or any dire situation, the only solution is to face it and work hard to correct it. Any short-cuts or easy decisions will prove costly later.
Rediscover oneself to stay relevant: In today’s world, where professional learning becomes obsolete every day and there’s a fresh batch of youngsters to take your position, you must reinvent yourself continuously. Mr. Bachchan, from his initial days as an angry young man, re-oriented himself to a romantic hero early in his career. When chocolate boy heroes became the trend, he started doing ‘character roles’ and didn’t fade away as a supporting ‘fatherly’ actor. Movies like Pink, Piku and Gulabo Sitabo are proof.
But the most significant repositioning of his career was to become India’s top television anchor with Kaun Banega Crorepati (Who wants to be a millionaire?). It has been two decades, and the show’s popularity continues to hinge on him. It has led to various advertising endorsements where trust and knowledge are vital attributes. In one’s professional journey, rediscovering oneself continuously is critical to stay relevant.
Keeping up with the times: Mr. Bachchan is one of the most avid social media users. He was one of the early adopters of blogging and tweeting among celebrities. One’s ability to keep up with the times, especially accepting the changing consumer behaviors, technology advances and socio-economic realities like millennial expectations, is a must for professionals to thrive in their profession. With every decade being new in terms of new technology, trends and consumer demand, the ability of professionals to reskill and upskill is key to stay relevant. Mr. Bachchan has ensured that he is up to date with the latest trends.
From giving a weekly darshan (in-person appearance for his fans) outside his bungalow in Juhu during the seventies and eighties to staying in touch with his fans through social media on an instant basis, he is an icon who has kept up with the times. Professionals should remember not to be rigid to change; instead, flow with the times to remain relevant.
Other attributes like keeping fit, staying optimistic and spending time with family and friends also add to one’s success and longevity as Mr. Bachchan has demonstrated over his career.
I wish Mr. Bachchan a healthy and long life! I remain a fan of his movies and the business lessons that I take away as a coach to stay real yet relevant!
