For a while now, my mind has been occupied by thoughts on the nature of leadership we need in society. Perhaps it has to do with my workplace which has given me an opportunity to interact with people from diverse backgrounds. Or my profession, which in essence is about helping unlock the inherent potential of people. Or, as is likely, it may be a deeper, latent desire to contribute to development of people in a setting in a broader sense than I have been able to do thus far. Whatever be the reason, I often find myself contemplating on this subject. And in an attempt to progress from thought to action, I have decided to put pen to paper and see where that leads me.
So here goes…
Leadership conjures up many different images, and there are literally millions of views out there about what it means and how it can be developed. There are theories which on the one end of the spectrum derive lessons from history and ancient scriptures, and on the other end offer instant ‘leader-in-a-minute’ solutions. I don’t intend to enter into any debate on the meaning or definition of leadership, nor propound new theories. In my simplistic mind, I think about leadership in a pretty wide ranging sense…from the political arena to the creative and the professional. My thoughts are about leadership that benefits the society and humanity…hence it encompasses a vast array of fields including government, politics, academics, science and technology, arts, sports, business, philanthropy and entrepreneurship.
The question that has been twirling around in my brain is – what traits should our next generation of leaders embody?
There are three that resonate most with me – Competence, Character and a Desire to Excel. Here is what I mean by each of these…
Competence is the culmination of skills, knowledge and aptitude. We commonly focus on helping people acquire skills and knowledge which are considered essential for them to be employable and productive. However, I feel this focus addresses only one dimension of the equation. By providing skills and knowledge to millions of people, we can create a society where individuals can be self-sufficient. And also self-serving. Skills and knowledge can be effectively imparted through education and experience. The other part of the equation is aptitude, i.e. the innate abilities that each human being on this planet possesses. If we are able to provide skills and knowledge to people in line with their aptitude, we get competence. As a society, we can create a generation of competent leaders if we are able to identify the aptitude of people early, and then power it with the right set of skills and knowledge.
Character is all about doing the right thing. And to do the right thing, one needs to know what is right, and also who it is right for. Contemporary institutions of learning (certainly several that I am familiar with) teach people to do the right thing for themselves. This is further reinforced when people enter the professional arena and learn the harsh realities of the real world, which incentivises and recognizes material individual success over all else. As to those less fortunate who do not have access even to basic education, such lofty questions don’t arise as they fight with fellow human beings every step of the way and for every morsel of food. However, building character in leaders is important for societies that want to progress. Character is about knowing and doing what is right for oneself, one’s immediate surroundings (family, friends, organization, etc.), as well as the community in which we grow up, live and work. Character is about knowing one’s obligations and discharging those obligations. Character has to do with achieving alignment between one’s beliefs, intentions and actions.
A Desire to Excel is a desire to continuously push the boundary of creativity and innovation. It is an innate need to surpass one’s own limitations and those set by others. It is borne out of an unrelenting focus and the application of one’s craft, and dedicating oneself to the creation of wonderful products and solutions. Inculcating in people the desire to excel is to get them to reject mediocrity and lethargy. For those that choose the pursuit of excellence, it means learning to accept challenges, roadblocks and rejection as a necessary and welcome part of the path to progress. Finally, a desire to excel can be stoked only once people learn to value the virtues of industriousness and perseverance, and the knowledge that that there is no quick and clear destination…but that the journey itself is significant and joyous.
Why do we need to have leaders with Competence, Character, and a Desire to Excel?
I have grown up in India, a country of over a billion people. A country which now prides itself as an emerging global power and is regularly making headlines around the world…as the world’s largest thriving democracy, for having a uniquely talented workforce with skills that are globally relevant, and now also as the home to some of the world’s richest and most powerful people. Yet, it is also a country of rampant corruption, a society lacking in basic civic sense, a land of extreme poverty and vast polarization between the rich and the poor.
There are many reasons for why India is the way it is, but one piece of the puzzle lies in how we educate people, the values we instill in them and how we define, recognize and reward achievement.
Over the past fifty years, we have made tremendous strides in emerging from subjugation into a global power. Today, India can produce two and a half million graduates every year and over ten million people enter the labour pool annually. We have clearly demonstrated the ability to produce a vast number of capable individuals…engineers, lawyers, technicians, academics, doctors, scientists, actors and sportspersons. We are blessed with having the youngest workers in the world at a time when most countries are dealing with issues of an ageing workforce. But as a society we have failed to be progressive. Our education system can produce masses of talented individuals, the values we inculcate in our children are about pursuing material individual gain, and what we recognize and reward are individual success stories. But we neither teach, nor value the role of individuals to act as a collective…thereby requiring the forthcoming generation to understand and discharge obligations as members of a society. We have been able to provide skills to our people and give them a livelihood, but we have not created vibrant and ethical citizens who can collectively propel a nation forward.
I believe it is possible to change this. It is possible for us to create the next generation of leaders who are talented and committed to a broader purpose and in a manner that is beneficial to the society and the country. And that this can be done in every arena – politics, government, judiciary, business, sciences, liberal arts, creative fields, as well as in sports.
I don’t have all the answers on how we can achieve this. I also don’t know whether this can be achieved at scale, or is a utopian concept which can only take root within a cocooned environment. But I do have some ideas which are slowly taking shape in my brain. These ideas have to do with helping build a new generation of leaders who will be Competent, have Character and a Desire to Excel.
I know there are people out there with similar intentions, and who may have taken many more strides in acting upon such ideas. I hope to find them so I can lend a helping hand. As I hope to progress my thinking into action…
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Monday, May 11, 2009
A visit to India
In one of my previous posts, I had mentioned about the visit of my 20 year old niece from Sydney who stopped by in Singapore for a few days on her way to India. Well, she did a write-up on her experiences and has given me the permission to reproduce it on this blog. So here are the thoughts of Rimmika Shankar from her recent visit to India...
Destination-Barelli Express, Somewhere in North-West India 9:53 am-Thurs.
As I sit here in an AC tier compartment sipping on a Frooti, looking outside at the harsh, barren, arid sprawl of the Desert that lies all around, watching it go by, I've found some time to reflect .
So off I go.
My plane arrived in India 9:30 pm Local time, Sunday.
It is now Thursday morning and the only word I can use to describe the past few days is 'Amazing'.
Everything has literally left me gob-smacked because India is like it has been described countless times before-truly Incredible.
Starting from the lady that cleans our Toilet in ‘Chowki Dhani’( a completely make-belief village) to the man who attended to us in the Institute of Town Planners Guesthouse (who also happened to look like Superman)-Pan Singh.
In all its expanse and what can at times be a fairly depressing amass of population, people seem to from what I could see be happy, or at least complacent to a degree.
There is somewhat of a social Divide where the rich can afford almost anything but there is a large population that can’t.
Living simply is not one concept that the upper middle class accept and living gallantly and flamboyantly is somewhat of a business churning out a profit within the millions. All you need to do is visit the country clubs in Gurgoan and spend a night celebrating a one year olds birthday as I did, where the bar tab easily exceeded a mark of about 50,000 Rs, maybe more.
The traffic so chaotic and loud, the common man has time for little but their own worries-worries so vast I can imagine that it leaves little room for consideration of others, let alone the environment.
Failure to give way to an Ambulance in crowded peak hour and leaving rubbish on the train and even going to vast lengths to conceal the removal of rubbish in a manner that evades prying eyes and looks of disapproval, yields to me a sentiment that reflects a subtle resignation from the need to advance.
Covering your bodies with just the leather band of a seatbelt, laying across your chest -merely expressing the appearance of a fastened seatbelt-although signals a defiance and lack of obedience of the Law, it displays a complete disregard of concepts and ideas put in place for the safety and protection of its own citizens.
This disregard can only stem from what I believe is a 'what’s the point' belief which harbors a deep saddening tone which I can’t seem to grasp-only feel greatly at a loss for, on behalf of all the citizens and well intentions it had first been established to protect.
In a country where people are so vastly abundant, you cannot go for a second without seeing a fellow being, if consideration for others still exists I wonder where this unique and spectacular display of human behavior showcases its colours.
It may be a country of colour and beauty, contrasts and comparisons, constantly confronting and of everlasting entertainment but this great, vast land leaves has a somber undertone and I feel nothing but saturation at each point.
With the Image of the unending rows of motorcycles parked outside the office of Dainik Bhaskar (a Local newspapers' office in Jaipur)-I start to not only grasp the vast number of people that inhibit this greatly overpopulated and dense landmass, I start to sympathize and try to imagine what it must be like dealing with the state of affairs of this nation on a ritualistic basis.
Why should I give way, when my way involved shortcomings, deception, corruption and connivery?
Why should I not spit on the road when I feel like my dreams have been spat on and left on the railway tracks in a drain blocked and cluttered to the rim.
Why should I keep my area clean when regardless of how clean my area gets there is a slum just outside which thrives on the piles of plastic and paper, selling the pieces -making a relatively meager, modest living.
But even in all this, I have the belief (dreamy-eyed as it may be) that hope may prevail.
Victories and triumphs do occur like the fisherman outside Amer Palace, catching fish from what would have at one point been a water catchment area, outside the palace. Now however ashamedly dried up. As he threw his fishing net into the pitch dark , murky waters full of muck and filth harbored by local boars and wild pigs, many stood as I did watching in silence with a slight feeling of victory within us all when he caught amongst the muck a single fish and on occasion-two.
Perhaps at times slivering in disgust not delight, failing to rejoice with a song and dance for his achievement- I do however think on a small scale we were left better assured that the fisherman’s efforts did not go unrewarded and as unhygienic as the fish that he caught might have been, we walked away with the assurance that he had some, if any fish at all.
I should also mention this palace was one where we were denied access, regardless of whom or how far many had travelled, all turned away as the Film shooting of a Salman Khan movie carried on within in enclosures.
In a country where 'The real India' is what I set out to see, my very real experiences although harsh, full-frontal and however immense in nature they might have been, they delighted, surprised, amazed and recreated an image in my head of the India I left behind, the India I have returned to and the India I hope it may or may not transform into.
Till then I wait in anticipation and hope that I might someday be able to contribute and lead this country in the direction of that positive vector.
A venture I hope yields respect for self, thy country and thy neighbor and of course, the Environment.In hope that the innocence captured in the eyes of a child leads this great nation to unleash its vast untapped potential, open its eyes to its beauty and that progress may come to one and all, inextricably.
Destination-Barelli Express, Somewhere in North-West India 9:53 am-Thurs.
As I sit here in an AC tier compartment sipping on a Frooti, looking outside at the harsh, barren, arid sprawl of the Desert that lies all around, watching it go by, I've found some time to reflect .
So off I go.
My plane arrived in India 9:30 pm Local time, Sunday.
It is now Thursday morning and the only word I can use to describe the past few days is 'Amazing'.
Everything has literally left me gob-smacked because India is like it has been described countless times before-truly Incredible.
Starting from the lady that cleans our Toilet in ‘Chowki Dhani’( a completely make-belief village) to the man who attended to us in the Institute of Town Planners Guesthouse (who also happened to look like Superman)-Pan Singh.
In all its expanse and what can at times be a fairly depressing amass of population, people seem to from what I could see be happy, or at least complacent to a degree.
There is somewhat of a social Divide where the rich can afford almost anything but there is a large population that can’t.
Living simply is not one concept that the upper middle class accept and living gallantly and flamboyantly is somewhat of a business churning out a profit within the millions. All you need to do is visit the country clubs in Gurgoan and spend a night celebrating a one year olds birthday as I did, where the bar tab easily exceeded a mark of about 50,000 Rs, maybe more.
The traffic so chaotic and loud, the common man has time for little but their own worries-worries so vast I can imagine that it leaves little room for consideration of others, let alone the environment.
Failure to give way to an Ambulance in crowded peak hour and leaving rubbish on the train and even going to vast lengths to conceal the removal of rubbish in a manner that evades prying eyes and looks of disapproval, yields to me a sentiment that reflects a subtle resignation from the need to advance.
Covering your bodies with just the leather band of a seatbelt, laying across your chest -merely expressing the appearance of a fastened seatbelt-although signals a defiance and lack of obedience of the Law, it displays a complete disregard of concepts and ideas put in place for the safety and protection of its own citizens.
This disregard can only stem from what I believe is a 'what’s the point' belief which harbors a deep saddening tone which I can’t seem to grasp-only feel greatly at a loss for, on behalf of all the citizens and well intentions it had first been established to protect.
In a country where people are so vastly abundant, you cannot go for a second without seeing a fellow being, if consideration for others still exists I wonder where this unique and spectacular display of human behavior showcases its colours.
It may be a country of colour and beauty, contrasts and comparisons, constantly confronting and of everlasting entertainment but this great, vast land leaves has a somber undertone and I feel nothing but saturation at each point.
With the Image of the unending rows of motorcycles parked outside the office of Dainik Bhaskar (a Local newspapers' office in Jaipur)-I start to not only grasp the vast number of people that inhibit this greatly overpopulated and dense landmass, I start to sympathize and try to imagine what it must be like dealing with the state of affairs of this nation on a ritualistic basis.
Why should I give way, when my way involved shortcomings, deception, corruption and connivery?
Why should I not spit on the road when I feel like my dreams have been spat on and left on the railway tracks in a drain blocked and cluttered to the rim.
Why should I keep my area clean when regardless of how clean my area gets there is a slum just outside which thrives on the piles of plastic and paper, selling the pieces -making a relatively meager, modest living.
But even in all this, I have the belief (dreamy-eyed as it may be) that hope may prevail.
Victories and triumphs do occur like the fisherman outside Amer Palace, catching fish from what would have at one point been a water catchment area, outside the palace. Now however ashamedly dried up. As he threw his fishing net into the pitch dark , murky waters full of muck and filth harbored by local boars and wild pigs, many stood as I did watching in silence with a slight feeling of victory within us all when he caught amongst the muck a single fish and on occasion-two.
Perhaps at times slivering in disgust not delight, failing to rejoice with a song and dance for his achievement- I do however think on a small scale we were left better assured that the fisherman’s efforts did not go unrewarded and as unhygienic as the fish that he caught might have been, we walked away with the assurance that he had some, if any fish at all.
I should also mention this palace was one where we were denied access, regardless of whom or how far many had travelled, all turned away as the Film shooting of a Salman Khan movie carried on within in enclosures.
In a country where 'The real India' is what I set out to see, my very real experiences although harsh, full-frontal and however immense in nature they might have been, they delighted, surprised, amazed and recreated an image in my head of the India I left behind, the India I have returned to and the India I hope it may or may not transform into.
Till then I wait in anticipation and hope that I might someday be able to contribute and lead this country in the direction of that positive vector.
A venture I hope yields respect for self, thy country and thy neighbor and of course, the Environment.In hope that the innocence captured in the eyes of a child leads this great nation to unleash its vast untapped potential, open its eyes to its beauty and that progress may come to one and all, inextricably.
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