There was once a group of tiny frogs who arranged a competition.  Their goal was to climb the ladder that was resting against the top of a very high tower. A big crowd had gathered around the tower to see the race.  The race began. No one in the crowd really believed that the tiny frogs would reach the top of the tower. You heard statements such as: “Oh, way too difficult.” “They will never make it.” “The tower is too high!”

The tiny frogs began collapsing, one by one.  Soon all the tiny frogs got disheartened by the jeers and gave up, except ONE who continued looking down at the crowd while climbing rapidly.  Why?  You see, the runaway frog was DEAF!  He could not listen to the discouraging voices. He took the gestures and negative shouting as encouragement & appreciation.  Moral of the story:  Always be positive, be deaf to the people who tell you that you can’t fulfill your dreams!

But wait, the story isn’t over yet!  Suddenly the crowd realized that the ladder had a few missing steps right before it ended at the top of the tower.  Everybody screamed, trying to warn the tiny frog who kept looking down as he climbed faster and higher. But alas, the tiny frog never looked up. His hands went airborne when he reached the missing steps.  He lost his balance, fell down, and was creamed.  Revised moral:  Being DEAF may sure help you climb faster. But in the long run, if you pursue your goals BLINDLY, it is a real DUMB thing to do!

Confidence is good.  Overconfidence is not.  A stable professional is one who has a hold on his senses while climbing the organizational ladder.  And an organization whose ladder is abundantly packed with such sensible professionals will seldom have a missing step for the climbers.