Five years ago, the world was a distinctly different place. You could even argue five months ago, our lives were very different!
In 2015 I was appointed the David Goldman Visiting Professor for Innovation and Enterprise at Newcastle University. A prestigious role, held by someone from industry who has made a significant impact through a successful career, primarily from the North East of England.
A visiting Professor appointment was an incredible achievement for me, having come from abject poverty to being recognised by a foremost North Eastern university as one of the best in my field. But also, serving as a great tribute to my late parents. My father was a career academic who had devoted his life to teaching across the Globe and the most inspiring person in my life, my mother, had not fully used her teaching skills, but taught other Asian females as a hobby, in between bringing up five children single handed, and trying to make ends meet.
The inaugural David Goldman Lecture is a highlight within the North East with 100+ of the leading academics, community and industry leaders coming together to hear from their newly appointed Visiting Professor. This had to be one of the most daunting prospects for me. At the time, I was comfortable speaking publicly, but had never done so to such an audience and in such a setting.
One of the major challenges was the topic, in a room filled with academics and industry leaders, it needed to be something compelling and educational. I spent weeks exploring different topics. From quantum computing’s role within nuclear physics through to the time and space continuum conundrum. All of these sounded highly intelligent, but none that reflected me or my experiences.
I eventually settled on a methodology that I had been designing, defining and developing over the past few years. Something that related to the way I worked but also reflected the universe and time itself. I had developed the Power of 3 – an approach based on the principle that our lives and the whole of history have been influenced by 3’s. Time is recorded as past, present and the future; religion has the Holy Trinity; and so on. I took the third letter of the alphabet and using the letter C had come up with Communicate, Collaborate and Celebrate as the Power of 3. Using this approach in our personal and professional lives helped ensure success. If we use the right communication approach, worked collaboratively with the right people and we all came together to celebrate one another, the world would undoubtedly be a better place. The last five years have been spent refining and improving the Power of 3 and, having used influences from my role within academia, and continuous learning, I am excited to share the Power of P. The three single most impactful traits seen in the most successful individuals and organisations across the globe. What are they? Patience, Perseverance and Positivity. In isolation they are good but together they help create great. I had applied this rule to the hugely successful David Goldman Lecture and in everything I have worked on since. If we all become more patient, persevered with our goals with a positive mindset, we could all achieve so much more. Filling our North East with even more Passionate People and helping us all realise our ambitions!
Ammar Mirza CBE is Chair & Founder of Asian Business Connexions, Chair of the NELEP Business Growth Board, Chair of the IoD North East (North) and holds various positions across the public and private sectors.
