THOUGHT SERIES THE EMPEROR FALLS ASLEEP NIRANJAN GIDWANI
CONSULTANT DIRECTOR | BOARD MEMBER SSGMUAE | MEMBER UAE
SUPERBRANDS COUNCIL | HBR ADVISORY COUNCIL | CHARTER MEMBER TIE DUBAI
How many have had the opportunity to see the classic
movie
Amadeus? It is a masterpiece movie with several life lessons which could be
taken from it.
Amadeus is a masculine name of Latin origin meaning
“loved by God” or “love of God.”
Amadeus is the story of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. The
movie went on to bag eight Oscars. In this movie, Antonio Salieri is the court
composer of the Austrian Emperor Joseph II. Salieri began his career as a
devout man who believed that his success and talent as a composer were God's
rewards for his piety.
Salieri was born in Legnano, Italy while Mozart was
born in Salzburg. The age gap between Salieri and Mozart was supposedly just
five years with Salieri being older.
Mozart arrives in Vienna with his patron, the
Prince-Archbishop of Salzburg. Salieri gets to observe the unbelievable
talent of this young lad. It was almost
as though some universal force was expressing itself through Mozart. Salieri himself
was an outstanding musician. He quickly realized the true potential of Mozart.
But, as is human nature anywhere in the world, Salieri could not come to terms
with the fact that God had chosen an ordinary kid to deliver such heavenly
music.
Mozart’s reputation was rapidly on the rise. He was bringing out master-pieces
one after the other and compared to the genius that he was, the other musicians
of that time, including Salieri, began to feel threatened. Many could not stand
this, and as the story goes, they were filled with hatred and jealousy. They began
to look for ways to arrest the meteoric rise of Mozart.
Mozart was once performing his latest compositions to an audience which
included the Emperor. It was a brilliant piece. Although the Emperor always
believed that he was a connoisseur of music and that he was a mentor of
musicians, he had no natural taste or ability to recognize novel innovations.
As the performance proceeded, the Emperor dozed off to sleep. Initially, the
fellow musicians were aghast. But soon, as they sensed an opportunity in
disguise, the mood changed from melancholy to ecstasy.
It was deducted from this event that there was no royal endorsement for Mozart’s
new masterpiece. The whisper and malignment campaign then began in full swing. One
thing led to another, and that was the beginning of the end for Mozart...
There are a few key and pertinent lessons that can be universally
learnt from this narrative -
1. “Salieri
syndrome” has been coined.
A Salieri is now defined as a mediocre
talented person in any government, politics or
organization who is in a position to help — but instead become very
active to find ways to undermine another person’s success.
We know Salieri Syndrome exists when we see the
following behavior, again and again:
When there are unreturned emails, unaccepted calls or
messages, or emails replied too late.
When there is blocking of resources/information and
introducing new obstacles.
When individuals intentionally remember and narrate
conversations and commitments very differently than they really were
Delaying tactics until all momentum is lost and we have
to start all over again.
What a Salieri probably craves most of all is
involvement, acknowledgement of their own talents, and praise for their own
power and position. We need to find a way to have them share in our potential
success and in the excitement of our journey. Make them feel important. What
Salieris want most of all is to be a “Mozart” — without the genius or hard
work.
2. We
need to find ways to ensure that, no matter what, the Emperor does not fall
asleep while watching a performance.
For anyone who is not yet a celebrity, endorsement is extremely necessary because
many people follow only what has been endorsed by the “influential” and the “knowledgeable”.
The recognition, support and resource allocations are only for what the big boys
appear to be interested in.
That is how the role of “Influencers” has attained such
vital importance in today’s world.
This piece written is a light-hearted yet honest way of
looking at the real world. The practical question for all of us is how do we
use these lessons to work in our favor, without getting cynical about ground realities
that exist all around us.
If we think that mere brilliance of our idea or product will get due
acceptance, we could be wrong.
The world we live in today is a world of ever-exploding options. Hence we all
need smart strategies to catch and retain attention.
