Shaping Leaders
I can feel it. I am sure so do you. From one Indian to another, there’s something in the air, if we can only name it. It’s an old feeling of imminent change, with a rather musty ring to it but now, it’s nothing if not palpable. I can’t help being buoyed by more than 50 per cent polling in assembly elections that Uttar Pradesh is a witness to. The current flavor is political, and it can’t be ignored.
Any politician worth his mettle should not find it hard to read into a sudden, certain and significant change in the mood of the average voter, who is finding it tough to buy brazen appeasement, whose common refrain is development, progress, security and justice.
At the heart of these tidings is the long-standing crisis of leadership a mere symptom of which is the outrage we felt as a nation when scams started tumbling out of the government’s cupboard, or the pride we felt at conducting the Commonwealth Games given the disappointing stories of scams, poor infrastructure and poor treatment of the nation’s sportspersons. Mind you, I am not picking sides, or only one camp of politicians.
This feeling is largely resonant in events occurring the world over: protests like Occupy Wall Street’, the Arab Spring, rebellion in European countries like Greece and Italy, etc. It’s as if an entire chorus of willful and fearless politicians, or book-keeping guardians of the Wall Street and authoritarian despots are singing, It’s so hard to be good!’ something the common man is finding it more and more difficult to digest with every passing day.
Thus, there is a larger issue behind this clamouring for change and a desire to be heard. The question is: Where are the leaders we could look up to?
In the academic world, many theories prevail about the nature and attributes of leadership, as a science and an art. But, most of these attribute them to traits, behaviours and situations, thus limiting themselves to a physical, sensory or cognitive function, in other words, superficial, when hard-core decisions and communities are at stake. That’s management, not leadership.
Personally, I have found inspiration in literature; with its awe-inspiring stories and lessons on value and morality, beautiful and skillful use of language and power of conviction in timeless words of wisdom. It is nothing but a steady stream of human consciousness, experience and imagination distilled into wisely chosen words. For many of us, this started from our grandma’s pillow. These stories are still all there, we just need to reach out to them.
My understanding of leadership is that it is the ability to transform vision into reality, putting our ideas, beliefs and values into action. It is about having a vision backed by your conviction. For all these reasons, literature has to be seen beyond the scope of words. It can take us to a place where we can reflect on the ideas it conveys and the choices we should make to realize our personal and common goals in keeping with our values and those of our community. As a wise saying goes, the stories are always the same. Only characters and situations change.
Here, I quote two of my favourite pieces of literature that identify leadership roles, which I have blogged about before: The Mahabharata, which has found favour with many management thinkers in our country, and Siddhartha, by Hermann Hesse.
The Mahabharata, contains virtually all the legends of the classical Hindu Tradition that, according to some thinkers, are an allegorical representation of universal human situations in all its manifestations, ramifications and intricacies. Its analysis has fuelled many inquiries along the themes of end versus means, ethics, values, meaning and reality. One of its characters is Karna, who epitomizes truth, honesty, righteousness, self-learning, loyalty and benevolence, and one who inspires a strong degree of catharsis in present-day scenario.
Siddhartha (name of the story’s protagonist) offers a mesmerizing interplay of four key concepts: passion, compassion, beliefs and values, each of which is a key ingredient to leadership. Sidhhartha’s leadership qualities rest within the realm of an expert stewardship of his own body, mind, desires, goals, passions, values and relationships.
Perhaps, one of the most powerful lessons comes from Siddhartha’s response to a businessman, Kamaswami, when asked what he has learnt and was capable of doing, I can think. I can wait. I can fast, replies Siddhartha. The ability to think gives one the power of passion, of reflective listening, of reason, of analysis, and of considered judgment. The ability to wait gives one the power of patience, of persistence, and of comprehension. Finally, the ability to fast gives one the power of compassion, of equanimity, of looking at pleasure and pain as transitory, and of detachment.
The current leadership styles fail to tap into the philosophical underpinnings of this rich body of work, since short-sightedness with regard to the future and a desire for quick returns makes us blind to our ‘role’.
Connecting back to current situation, we find an almost unprecedented phenomenon: how democratization of information is leading people to question decisions, policies, customs and even traditions. It can perhaps be seen as recognition of the link between power and responsibility. People’s power to express themselves, which affects itself as the power to influence others and finally, bring about a change, obviates to some extent the need to see power as the hold of the select few.
This is as true of politics as of traditional power structures and hierarchy in workplaces and organizations. This means, unlocking the leadership potential residing in all of us, individually. The focus is now on how we ‘lead’ our lives, how we can align our ambition with our values and conviction. I cannot but quote a line from one of Shakespeare’s plays: Ambition should be made of sterner stuff (Julius Caesar). I can safely say he’s talking about vision, passion, ethics, determination; all those things that form the core of human achievement, even when packaged in material splendour.
I can feel it. I am sure so do you. From one Indian to another, there’s something in the air, if we can only name it. It’s an old feeling of imminent change, with a rather musty ring to it but now, it’s nothing if not palpable. I can’t help being buoyed by more than 50 per cent polling in assembly elections that Uttar Pradesh is a witness to. The current flavor is political, and it can’t be ignored.
Any politician worth his mettle should not find it hard to read into a sudden, certain and significant change in the mood of the average voter, who is finding it tough to buy brazen appeasement, whose common refrain is development, progress, security and justice.
At the heart of these tidings is the long-standing crisis of leadership a mere symptom of which is the outrage we felt as a nation when scams started tumbling out of the government’s cupboard, or the pride we felt at conducting the Commonwealth Games given the disappointing stories of scams, poor infrastructure and poor treatment of the nation’s sportspersons. Mind you, I am not picking sides, or only one camp of politicians.
This feeling is largely resonant in events occurring the world over: protests like Occupy Wall Street’, the Arab Spring, rebellion in European countries like Greece and Italy, etc. It’s as if an entire chorus of willful and fearless politicians, or book-keeping guardians of the Wall Street and authoritarian despots are singing, It’s so hard to be good!’ something the common man is finding it more and more difficult to digest with every passing day.
Thus, there is a larger issue behind this clamouring for change and a desire to be heard. The question is: Where are the leaders we could look up to?
In the academic world, many theories prevail about the nature and attributes of leadership, as a science and an art. But, most of these attribute them to traits, behaviours and situations, thus limiting themselves to a physical, sensory or cognitive function, in other words, superficial, when hard-core decisions and communities are at stake. That’s management, not leadership.
Personally, I have found inspiration in literature; with its awe-inspiring stories and lessons on value and morality, beautiful and skillful use of language and power of conviction in timeless words of wisdom. It is nothing but a steady stream of human consciousness, experience and imagination distilled into wisely chosen words. For many of us, this started from our grandma’s pillow. These stories are still all there, we just need to reach out to them.
My understanding of leadership is that it is the ability to transform vision into reality, putting our ideas, beliefs and values into action. It is about having a vision backed by your conviction. For all these reasons, literature has to be seen beyond the scope of words. It can take us to a place where we can reflect on the ideas it conveys and the choices we should make to realize our personal and common goals in keeping with our values and those of our community. As a wise saying goes, the stories are always the same. Only characters and situations change.
Here, I quote two of my favourite pieces of literature that identify leadership roles, which I have blogged about before: The Mahabharata, which has found favour with many management thinkers in our country, and Siddhartha, by Hermann Hesse.
The Mahabharata, contains virtually all the legends of the classical Hindu Tradition that, according to some thinkers, are an allegorical representation of universal human situations in all its manifestations, ramifications and intricacies. Its analysis has fuelled many inquiries along the themes of end versus means, ethics, values, meaning and reality. One of its characters is Karna, who epitomizes truth, honesty, righteousness, self-learning, loyalty and benevolence, and one who inspires a strong degree of catharsis in present-day scenario.
Siddhartha (name of the story’s protagonist) offers a mesmerizing interplay of four key concepts: passion, compassion, beliefs and values, each of which is a key ingredient to leadership. Sidhhartha’s leadership qualities rest within the realm of an expert stewardship of his own body, mind, desires, goals, passions, values and relationships.
Perhaps, one of the most powerful lessons comes from Siddhartha’s response to a businessman, Kamaswami, when asked what he has learnt and was capable of doing, I can think. I can wait. I can fast, replies Siddhartha. The ability to think gives one the power of passion, of reflective listening, of reason, of analysis, and of considered judgment. The ability to wait gives one the power of patience, of persistence, and of comprehension. Finally, the ability to fast gives one the power of compassion, of equanimity, of looking at pleasure and pain as transitory, and of detachment.
The current leadership styles fail to tap into the philosophical underpinnings of this rich body of work, since short-sightedness with regard to the future and a desire for quick returns makes us blind to our ‘role’.
Connecting back to current situation, we find an almost unprecedented phenomenon: how democratization of information is leading people to question decisions, policies, customs and even traditions. It can perhaps be seen as recognition of the link between power and responsibility. People’s power to express themselves, which affects itself as the power to influence others and finally, bring about a change, obviates to some extent the need to see power as the hold of the select few.
This is as true of politics as of traditional power structures and hierarchy in workplaces and organizations. This means, unlocking the leadership potential residing in all of us, individually. The focus is now on how we ‘lead’ our lives, how we can align our ambition with our values and conviction. I cannot but quote a line from one of Shakespeare’s plays: Ambition should be made of sterner stuff (Julius Caesar). I can safely say he’s talking about vision, passion, ethics, determination; all those things that form the core of human achievement, even when packaged in material splendour.
I can feel it. I am sure so do you. From one Indian to another, there’s something in the air, if we can only name it. It’s an old feeling of imminent change, with a rather musty ring to it but now, it’s nothing if not palpable. I can’t help being buoyed by more than 50 per cent polling in assembly elections that Uttar Pradesh is a witness to. The current flavor is political, and it can’t be ignored.
Any politician worth his mettle should not find it hard to read into a sudden, certain and significant change in the mood of the average voter, who is finding it tough to buy brazen appeasement, whose common refrain is development, progress, security and justice.
At the heart of these tidings is the long-standing crisis of leadership a mere symptom of which is the outrage we felt as a nation when scams started tumbling out of the government’s cupboard, or the pride we felt at conducting the Commonwealth Games given the disappointing stories of scams, poor infrastructure and poor treatment of the nation’s sportspersons. Mind you, I am not picking sides, or only one camp of politicians.
This feeling is largely resonant in events occurring the world over: protests like Occupy Wall Street’, the Arab Spring, rebellion in European countries like Greece and Italy, etc. It’s as if an entire chorus of willful and fearless politicians, or book-keeping guardians of the Wall Street and authoritarian despots are singing, It’s so hard to be good!’ something the common man is finding it more and more difficult to digest with every passing day.
Thus, there is a larger issue behind this clamouring for change and a desire to be heard. The question is: Where are the leaders we could look up to?
In the academic world, many theories prevail about the nature and attributes of leadership, as a science and an art. But, most of these attribute them to traits, behaviours and situations, thus limiting themselves to a physical, sensory or cognitive function, in other words, superficial, when hard-core decisions and communities are at stake. That’s management, not leadership.
Personally, I have found inspiration in literature; with its awe-inspiring stories and lessons on value and morality, beautiful and skillful use of language and power of conviction in timeless words of wisdom. It is nothing but a steady stream of human consciousness, experience and imagination distilled into wisely chosen words. For many of us, this started from our grandma’s pillow. These stories are still all there, we just need to reach out to them.
My understanding of leadership is that it is the ability to transform vision into reality, putting our ideas, beliefs and values into action. It is about having a vision backed by your conviction. For all these reasons, literature has to be seen beyond the scope of words. It can take us to a place where we can reflect on the ideas it conveys and the choices we should make to realize our personal and common goals in keeping with our values and those of our community. As a wise saying goes, the stories are always the same. Only characters and situations change.
Here, I quote two of my favourite pieces of literature that identify leadership roles, which I have blogged about before: The Mahabharata, which has found favour with many management thinkers in our country, and Siddhartha, by Hermann Hesse.
The Mahabharata, contains virtually all the legends of the classical Hindu Tradition that, according to some thinkers, are an allegorical representation of universal human situations in all its manifestations, ramifications and intricacies. Its analysis has fuelled many inquiries along the themes of end versus means, ethics, values, meaning and reality. One of its characters is Karna, who epitomizes truth, honesty, righteousness, self-learning, loyalty and benevolence, and one who inspires a strong degree of catharsis in present-day scenario.
Siddhartha (name of the story’s protagonist) offers a mesmerizing interplay of four key concepts: passion, compassion, beliefs and values, each of which is a key ingredient to leadership. Sidhhartha’s leadership qualities rest within the realm of an expert stewardship of his own body, mind, desires, goals, passions, values and relationships.
Perhaps, one of the most powerful lessons comes from Siddhartha’s response to a businessman, Kamaswami, when asked what he has learnt and was capable of doing, I can think. I can wait. I can fast, replies Siddhartha. The ability to think gives one the power of passion, of reflective listening, of reason, of analysis, and of considered judgment. The ability to wait gives one the power of patience, of persistence, and of comprehension. Finally, the ability to fast gives one the power of compassion, of equanimity, of looking at pleasure and pain as transitory, and of detachment.
The current leadership styles fail to tap into the philosophical underpinnings of this rich body of work, since short-sightedness with regard to the future and a desire for quick returns makes us blind to our ‘role’.
Connecting back to current situation, we find an almost unprecedented phenomenon: how democratization of information is leading people to question decisions, policies, customs and even traditions. It can perhaps be seen as recognition of the link between power and responsibility. People’s power to express themselves, which affects itself as the power to influence others and finally, bring about a change, obviates to some extent the need to see power as the hold of the select few.
This is as true of politics as of traditional power structures and hierarchy in workplaces and organizations. This means, unlocking the leadership potential residing in all of us, individually. The focus is now on how we ‘lead’ our lives, how we can align our ambition with our values and conviction. I cannot but quote a line from one of Shakespeare’s plays: Ambition should be made of sterner stuff (Julius Caesar). I can safely say he’s talking about vision, passion, ethics, determination; all those things that form the core of human achievement, even when packaged in material splendour.
I can feel it. I am sure so do you. From one Indian to another, there’s something in the air, if we can only name it. It’s an old feeling of imminent change, with a rather musty ring to it but now, it’s nothing if not palpable. I can’t help being buoyed by more than 50 per cent polling in assembly elections that Uttar Pradesh is a witness to. The current flavor is political, and it can’t be ignored.
Any politician worth his mettle should not find it hard to read into a sudden, certain and significant change in the mood of the average voter, who is finding it tough to buy brazen appeasement, whose common refrain is development, progress, security and justice.
At the heart of these tidings is the long-standing crisis of leadership a mere symptom of which is the outrage we felt as a nation when scams started tumbling out of the government’s cupboard, or the pride we felt at conducting the Commonwealth Games given the disappointing stories of scams, poor infrastructure and poor treatment of the nation’s sportspersons. Mind you, I am not picking sides, or only one camp of politicians.
This feeling is largely resonant in events occurring the world over: protests like Occupy Wall Street’, the Arab Spring, rebellion in European countries like Greece and Italy, etc. It’s as if an entire chorus of willful and fearless politicians, or book-keeping guardians of the Wall Street and authoritarian despots are singing, It’s so hard to be good!’ something the common man is finding it more and more difficult to digest with every passing day.
Thus, there is a larger issue behind this clamouring for change and a desire to be heard. The question is: Where are the leaders we could look up to?
In the academic world, many theories prevail about the nature and attributes of leadership, as a science and an art. But, most of these attribute them to traits, behaviours and situations, thus limiting themselves to a physical, sensory or cognitive function, in other words, superficial, when hard-core decisions and communities are at stake. That’s management, not leadership.
Personally, I have found inspiration in literature; with its awe-inspiring stories and lessons on value and morality, beautiful and skillful use of language and power of conviction in timeless words of wisdom. It is nothing but a steady stream of human consciousness, experience and imagination distilled into wisely chosen words. For many of us, this started from our grandma’s pillow. These stories are still all there, we just need to reach out to them.
My understanding of leadership is that it is the ability to transform vision into reality, putting our ideas, beliefs and values into action. It is about having a vision backed by your conviction. For all these reasons, literature has to be seen beyond the scope of words. It can take us to a place where we can reflect on the ideas it conveys and the choices we should make to realize our personal and common goals in keeping with our values and those of our community. As a wise saying goes, the stories are always the same. Only characters and situations change.
Here, I quote two of my favourite pieces of literature that identify leadership roles, which I have blogged about before: The Mahabharata, which has found favour with many management thinkers in our country, and Siddhartha, by Hermann Hesse.
The Mahabharata, contains virtually all the legends of the classical Hindu Tradition that, according to some thinkers, are an allegorical representation of universal human situations in all its manifestations, ramifications and intricacies. Its analysis has fuelled many inquiries along the themes of end versus means, ethics, values, meaning and reality. One of its characters is Karna, who epitomizes truth, honesty, righteousness, self-learning, loyalty and benevolence, and one who inspires a strong degree of catharsis in present-day scenario.
Siddhartha (name of the story’s protagonist) offers a mesmerizing interplay of four key concepts: passion, compassion, beliefs and values, each of which is a key ingredient to leadership. Sidhhartha’s leadership qualities rest within the realm of an expert stewardship of his own body, mind, desires, goals, passions, values and relationships.
Perhaps, one of the most powerful lessons comes from Siddhartha’s response to a businessman, Kamaswami, when asked what he has learnt and was capable of doing, I can think. I can wait. I can fast, replies Siddhartha. The ability to think gives one the power of passion, of reflective listening, of reason, of analysis, and of considered judgment. The ability to wait gives one the power of patience, of persistence, and of comprehension. Finally, the ability to fast gives one the power of compassion, of equanimity, of looking at pleasure and pain as transitory, and of detachment.
The current leadership styles fail to tap into the philosophical underpinnings of this rich body of work, since short-sightedness with regard to the future and a desire for quick returns makes us blind to our ‘role’.
Connecting back to current situation, we find an almost unprecedented phenomenon: how democratization of information is leading people to question decisions, policies, customs and even traditions. It can perhaps be seen as recognition of the link between power and responsibility. People’s power to express themselves, which affects itself as the power to influence others and finally, bring about a change, obviates to some extent the need to see power as the hold of the select few.
This is as true of politics as of traditional power structures and hierarchy in workplaces and organizations. This means, unlocking the leadership potential residing in all of us, individually. The focus is now on how we ‘lead’ our lives, how we can align our ambition with our values and conviction. I cannot but quote a line from one of Shakespeare’s plays: Ambition should be made of sterner stuff (Julius Caesar). I can safely say he’s talking about vision, passion, ethics, determination; all those things that form the core of human achievement, even when packaged in material splendour.