"The Karate Kid" - A Situational Leadership Experience

Watching movies has been one of my most favorite and serious leisure time activities. With this orientation, after viewing it twice or thrice alone on Star Movies or other movie channels, watching ‘The Karate Kid (1984)’ during my MBA education at a leadership class was the last thing I could have expected. But, to my pleasant surprise, our professor at SPJIMR was creative enough to suggest movie-viewing as her ‘Androgogy’ for leadership course in class this year. And, guess what, the first movie she suggested was ‘The Karate Kid’. Bless the person who coined the phrase ‘The World is Round’ because in symbolic terms (and of course in literal terms) it is!

Our professor had guided us to view the feature film with an orientation to correlate Mr. Miyagi as a Situational Leader and Daniel as a follower to such a leader-cum-mentor. In the movie, we found Mr. Miyagi to be a ‘Telling / Directing – High task focus, low relationship focus’ (S1) kind of a leader at the beginning when Daniel had low competence but a high commitment to learn Karate due to his frequent defeat at the hand of his rival. Though he has good feelings for Daniel as a neighbor but Mr. Miyagi was very task focused when he just means business and puts in a pre-condition that ‘no questions be asked’ during the training. He first hands over Daniel just small errands that makes him work hard but with a purpose, which Daniel doesn’t understand. He is completely fed up of painting the fences and waxing the floors. When he was at the verge of giving up, that is the point when Mr. Miyagi understood that the commitment level may go down and though he has gained some competence of ‘blocking’ in Karate but he doesn’t realize. That’s the night when Mr. Miyagi showed him the target of these exercises and tries to head towards building a Mentor-Mentee relationship and understanding, along with task focused approach. He acted more as a ‘Selling / Coaching – High task focus, high relationship focus’ (S2) kind of leader when he started feeling that Daniel may drift towards a D2 type (some competence but low commitment) follower. Here again we see that the leader understood and transformed in the new situation.

Once, Daniel develops the trust on Mr. Miyagi that he actually means business and he also gave in to accepting him completely as a very reliable coach, manifesting his respect for him. At so many times, beyond this, we see moments of a strong bonding between the two. They started sharing great personal moments together along with preparing sincerely for the tournament. During these times, Daniel had started developing high competence but his commitment varied due to the physical pains that he had to go through and sacrifices that he had to make. Mr. Miyagi inclined himself more towards an S3 kind of leader who at times focuses more on the relationship than the task, as he knows that Daniel is learning at a good pace. Now, only thing that could help them win is the strength of faith that Daniel develops in Mr. Miyagi so that he understands the nuances of the game at the appropriate times when Mr. Miyagi signals him about his own understanding. This shows the impact during the finals of the tournament too, when Daniel was so badly injured. It was next to impossible for him to go in for the finals. At this point of time, Mr. Miyagi does a treatment with his hands in which Daniel believes because of the relationship they share. Finally, he was able to participate in the fight and win the tournament. Here, Mr. Miyagi’s ‘Participating / Supporting – Low task focus, high relationship focus’ (S3) approach to leadership actually worked.

So beautifully this movie taught us about the practical concepts of Situational Leadership and we never realized. Did we? Maybe we watch few other movies like this and we can develop leadership theories of our own. Shall we!!!

--By Shwetabh Singh

Are we afraid of being a leader?

The word ‘leader’ has wrongly become synonymous with the image of a corrupt politician in the minds of an average Indian. It’s difficult to squarely blame him though; given the fact the country has seen quite a fair share of them in the recent past. But it does raise the all important question … can the average citizen really be a leader? Once again, the common man’s reply would be a firm negative.

Is there a false paranoia or negativity associated with leadership nowadays which gives rise to this belief that it is something beyond the common man? Why such fear and pessimism? Have we really forgotten what leadership really is and that it is neither confined to any institution nor restricted by age, location or time.

Leadership is contextual and definitely a part of our day to day life. Reminds me of a popular ad on TV where all it takes is a single child to lead a dispirited group to remove a roadblock. Yes, we all liked the ad but how many of us would actually do that? Did we realize the sad reality of today’s India or blissfully chose to ignore, falsely assuring ourselves that “Aal Izz Well” with us? Bitter truths are hard to accept.

Take this, a real-life scenario. While waiting for his flight at one of India’s busiest airports, my friend saw one of his co-passenger collapses due to a heart attack. What followed was utter chaos. Even if one were to pardon the atrocious lack of emergency medical care at the airport, what does one make of the passengers, ground staff, police, shop-owners et all? Mere onlookers, all perhaps willing to help, but not a single soul ready to step forward and take the initiative! Isn't it expected of a leader to show courage, responsibility and ownership in times of severe adversity, to give hope when there seems none and show the way inspiring others?

I can proudly say that my friend did not take a step back unlike the ‘crowd’, revived the passenger through CPR and then with some help, saved his life by ensuring earliest possible medical aid amidst all the confusion. Not only that, he has now taken up this issue with the airport and airline authorities to ensure such a crisis never repeats. A common man exhibit leadership without any fear and make a difference. Inspirational, to say the least!

So what was it stopping the others? Was it really a fear of failure or have we become so used to being led that we have forgotten how, where and when to lead? What are we waiting for?

The right time to lead is NOW … let there be no fear!

--By Rajarshi Chatterjee

Can leadership be taught?

“More than Knowledge, leaders need character. Values and ethics are vitally important. The basic leadership can be taught. What is desperately needed is more responsible leadership-a new ethic to confront the challenges of our day”-Oscar Arais

Today Leadership has become “Buzz” Word and is taught in almost all B-schools. Most of the management schools agree that some aspects of leadership could be taught, although there may be differences in the views regarding how successfully leadership skills can be developed through formal courses.

I believe leadership can be taught at basic level. Habits of mind, values and dispositions, skills and knowledge are all requisite aspects of leader¬ship which all can be developed. People can be taught to take responsibility, exercise power and become active agents.

Aspects like reflecting, analysing a situation, ability to communicate effectively, prepare a succession plan, involve people, develop teams etc. are indispensable tools for the exercise of leadership which can be strengthen by practices of leadership.

Courses on leadership can benefit people enormously as they provide a platform where people can draw their experience, reflect on the challenges they face and the ways that they usu¬ally do things, and consciously put in place more effec¬tive approaches. Education and train¬ing as well as systematic and disciplined experience with feedback are essential building blocks of effective leadership which should be explored.

However, teaching like a formal class of leadership educa¬tion can explain less of leadership develop¬ment. Leadership can be developed through challenging assignments, human relationship, mentoring and any other experiences which may have impact on leadership development. These parts of leadership can be learned, but they're almost impossible to teach. And it's even harder to teach someone how to do them well. That is why leadership is an apprentice trade. One learns mostly by doing it. Development of leadership is more important than leadership talent. Someone may be born with a great leadership potential but talent can remain unnoticed if person does not get an opportuni¬ty to develop on its leadership potential. One will learn faster if one seeks out development opportunities, choose what one do and get feedback that can be worked upon.

The U.S. Army is a example of institutions that try to teach leadership. They emphasise on the "content," the knowledge and experience associated with acts of leading.

Thus the ability of leadership to be taught is more a onus on student than its teacher.

--By Bhavishka Sabharwal

ना जाने ये आँधियाँ कहाँ तक ले जाएंगी

ना जाने ये आँधियाँ कहाँ तक ले जाएंगी,

ये रास्ते क्या मंज़र दिखाएंगे,

जीतना जिसकी चाह होती है,

रास्ते वो खोज ही लेते हैं,

रात में जो उजाला देखते हैं,

जो सिर्फ़ पाना जानते हैं,

जीतते हमेशा वही हैं,

जो ज़िंदगी जीना जानते हैं...

-- विकास श्रीवास्तव

Can Leaders be made?

A debate that plagued mankind for generations! Can leaders be made or are they born? Truth be told, it’s a question that plagues not only the upper echelons of corporate world but also the political fraternity.

And perhaps it is as much a seed of our feudal devotion and servile mindset as it is of common understanding. How else can we explain dynasty of politics? Right from the days of kings and queens to our present generation of political leaders it carries the same story. The Mughal’s, the Rajput’s, the Nizam’s to the Royal families of England, Jordan, Japan et al to the Kennedys, Bush, Roosevelt’s, Taft’s of US, the Dys of Philipines and our very own Gandhi’s.

Why does the venerated “Leadership Institutes” that our corporate bell-weathers have, fail to create a great line of successors? Why does Britain still talks of Sir Winston Churchill as an epitome of leadership?

Is there a secret formula to make leaders and churn them out of a “school”. Crack the formula and become a millionaire!!!

-- By Sayan Ghosh

What is Leadership?

Most people in B-school’s, corporates talk about Leadership these days. Some say leaders are born, some say leaders are made over time, some say crisis situations bring out the true leaders. Which of this is really true? Who is a leader? Why do most people want to become leaders? Why are leaders rated above others? If the above questions constitute one part there is a dark side which most people ignore which is, it is just not enough to be a leader, you need to become a good leader who is admired by the people around him/her.

History is the best source of information. There is no need to invent something new about Leadership. There were leaders in the past, there are leaders in the present and there will be leaders in the future. There have been good leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Swami Vivekananda, Abraham Lincoln, Nelson Mandela etc etc. And there have been not so good leaders too like Adolph Hitler, Stalin, Aurangzeb. Again as this is my journal these are my views. Moving on, I would like to keep things small, simple and specific (my 3 S’s).

What is Leadership? Going by the simple definition, He/She is a leader who leads people. Is this enough? No. There are lot of other factors which constitute leadership.

- A leader needs to show a direction to the people who are following him/her

- A leader needs to have a vision

- A leader needs to believe in himself and his followers

- A leader needs to be courageous enough to stand up against the people who try to break the momentum

- A leader needs to create trust between him and the people following him

- A leader shouldn’t get bogged down by difficult of the difficult situations. Even if he does he shouldn’t show it

- A leader should voice the concerns of the society/individuals in a rightful manner

- A leader should avoid being selfish

- A leader should keep motivating people around him

- A leader should create that fire, passion in the individuals either through his personality or through his speeches

- A leader is generally wise and uses common sense

- A leader keeps things simple and has a positive attitude.

Well, these are some of the characteristics of a good leader which I could think of my mind based on my past learning’s and past experience.

Are leaders born or created over time? I would say, it is both. There have been great leaders like Akbar, Rani Lakshmi bhai of Jhansi, Tippu Sultan who were considered born leaders. They showed leadership qualities right from their childhood and excelled in very young age. And in contrast there are individuals like Mahatma Gandhi, Abdul Kalam who emerged as leaders over the time. Mostly the crisis situations around them brought out the leadership qualities in them. So leadership can come in-between or it can come naturally.

Why do people want to become Leaders? There are various reasons. Some have that quality naturally so it’s not their fault. Some want to have name and fame. Some want power while some want money. Some just do not want to follow others instead want others to follow him. Some have a vision and their passion leads them to become leaders. There are both selfish reasons and not so selfish reasons. One has to identify why he/she wants to become a leader.

Good Leader vs Not so good Leader. Let me ask this question. When the topic on leadership was put forward how many of us wanted to become a leader vs a good leader. I am sure most of us would thought “I want to be a leader”. And very few would have said “I want to become a good leader if not settle as a good individual”.

As a good leader, you need to ensure that you develop a trust between you and the individuals. You need to believe them. You should respect them. You shouldn’t be arrogant whereas you should be assertive. You shouldn’t be selfish whereas you should be honest. A good leader does not try to impose his decisions. Instead of taking other’s credit, he gives credit to whoever deserves. A good leader needs to listen more, talk when needed, take decisions when needed. He leads people around him/her, motivates them and more importantly understands them. He stands for them and he is prepared to sacrifice himself for them if needed.

Finally, this is my favourite, a good leader steps out and gives way when he feels that there is a better leader than him. Just think how many of us would do this.

--By Krishna Kranthi

Who is a Leader?

As we move towards the second and last phase of the leadership course (not the learning off course), there are learnings as well as questions (and some with their answers) that this course has provided us with. Learnings off course give us all the leadership theories, facts; figures etc which help us in the necessary understanding of concepts and principles (which are very necessary) but questions give us another paradigm to think. Leadership is probably one of the most talked about everywhere, but the least understood. Our ancestors and to a certain extent, we all, associate leaders with a charismatic personality or grey hair or people with experience or a set of mastered skills. But what in reality makes someone a leader or an effective leader? Is it only the support of the masses or the ability to topple governments or being the CEO of an organization? Well to most of us, this is what symbolizes leadership and leaders.

Consider this example (from today’s newspapers). Adhishree Gopalkrishnan, a class 9 student and her parents took the lead to fight a case against the alleged fee hike by private schools. Are they not leading the way for the benefit of the society? Are they also not leaders in some sense who are knowingly or unknowingly doing it for everybody?

We all know that an entire nation followed Mahatma Gandhi but what was there in a lean, thin, non-charismatic guy who was not even a good speaker. Well, it was his attitude and actions which gave him the ability to lead and so it’s important to shed some of our common, age old beliefs and understand the real meaning of leadership and the traits of a good leader.

In the organizational context, most of us are forgetting the role of leadership and its importance in the execution of our roles and responsibilities and our everyday lives. Is leadership a skill or an attitude? I choose to call it an attitude because attitude is what shapes everything. If a porter has all the skills in the world but no attitude to dirty his hands in the mud, the beautiful sculpture would never come out. But on the other hand, if he has the right attitude, he can do wonders. The same is with leadership and leaders.

Does position alone makes you a good leader or tells that you have a leadership attitude or ability. I believe no because had that been the case then no organization would have faced any issues that they face today.

Does spending 25 years in an organization make you a good leader? Is it just the sheer longevity of the job, experience that matters and is that why people today are heading the organizations or departments? Well unfortunately, in most of the cases it is the case and that’s why organizations tend to suffer from cultural and organizational issues including the succession planning.

So what exactly is leadership? Can it be learnt through books? Yes, we can study and learn all those books and concepts on leadership but to be an effective leader, you need something else and that’s called attitude, understanding and execution (the same can be broken down into multiple traits at times). You also need to have a vision and more importantly the sight of the goal that you intend to achieve and an effective way of communication that may not necessarily be verbal always. You don’t always need followers to be a leader. You can be a shop floor worker who thinks that wastage can be reduced and hence you take the lead, talk to the authorities and implement it, make everyone understand the benefits and scale it. The trust and confidence are earned and not learnt. Off course learning gives us the necessary skills and understanding but it’s one’s own attitude and will (combined with other traits) that makes him an effective leader.

--By Gaurav Sharma

Leaders are made, not born...

There is a constant clamor about “leaders being born and not made”. It’s so easy to assume that there are certain qualities inherent to people which make them good leaders because these qualities are not common and difficult to acquire. I agree that leadership can only be learnt through experiences and cannot be taught. But does that mean that leaders are born with these qualities? We have to look it from a broader perspective.

People who are reckoned as good leaders generally display some common qualities and these qualities have more of human element to it than functional. Some of these qualities are vision, resilience, creativity, team play etc. When a child is born, its impossible to predict whether it will become a future leader or not. As the child grows , it imbibes different values, skills and attitude from the society which influence his/her thoughts and actions. Its only when these values, skills and attitude surface in form of actions taken by an individual influencing lives of many, we realize the presence of a leader among us. It’s not hard to prove that it takes time for a human being to understand the complex fabric of society, human values and human needs. A leader is always well verse of these complexities and so the qualities are mostly acquired through experiences in life.

Another way to prove that leadership qualities can be developed is the knowledge that leadership is always in a context. If leadership had been hardwired than all leaders would have acted similarly to different situations, but that is not true. History is flooded with numerous examples of leaders in different forms and situations.

The reason for such a conundrum, I think, is the presence of many varying and hard to acquire qualities in one human being. For example, we have thousands of soldiers guarding Siachin glacier from intruders and showing tremendous resilience, we have thousands of creative handicraft workers and we have millions envisioning a 2020 India, but do we call all of them leaders? I don’t think so. Now think of a person who has a vision of 2020 India, have creative solutions to Indian problems and work through all the road blocks with resilience to make it happen. Would you call him/her a leader? The chances are very high that you would. Good leaders have many varying qualities that they develop and that creates the differentiation. Leaders can be made and they are made. Leadership is about continuous learning, as I said its a process, so it cannot be a gift given to some at the time of birth just because God loved them more. Leadership is not God’s gift but a man’s will to make a difference.

-- By Jiten Jain a.ka JJ

Leadership quote

Don't tell people how to do things, tell them what to do and let them surprise you with their results.

Leadership is the art of getting someone else to do something you want done because he wants to do it......

-- By Mohammad Fahad Hafeez

Tracing Leadership back to Scriptures

Have we ever thought about leaders in Indian scriptures and the relevance of that style of leadership in the context of the present organizations?

Recently, I was going through a broadcast called ‘Business Sutra’ on CNBC TV18 where Mr.Devdutt Pattanaik was speaking about the relationship between leadership and scriptures. Mr.Devdutt Pattanaik is a Chief Belief Officer at Future Group. In this article, I have tried to pen down an essence of the discussion he was having with the interviewer. He mentioned some valuable points which I was not aware of earlier.

The discussion began with how various avatars of Lord Vishnu represent leadership at various stages and phases of a corporation’s life?

If we have a look at Vishnu’s image, we see the following in each of his four hands:

• One hand has the shankha (the conshell) which is used for communicating
• The other hand has chakra (the wheel) which is used for reviewing
• The third hand has the gada (the club) which is used for discipline
• And the fourth hand has the padma (the lotus) which is used for appreciation

All the four qualities mentioned above are essential traits for any good leader and Lord Vishnu symbolises the same. Now, let us focus on discipline as one of the traits. To discipline people, does the leader have to follow a set of rules or is there any rule book in place?

Here, we need to understand that every rule exists in a context. When the context changes the set of rules also change. For example, rules for T20 are much different than those of a test cricket.

In scriptures, we don’t have fixed rules but we do have fixed principles. The rules are further explained by the concept of “Yuga”. The world exists in four parts just like the life cycle of a human being. They are youth, maturity, old age and serenity. There are different set of rules in each of these stages. As we see, this is analogous to the corporation’s or product’s life cycle as well. All the Yugas will have different set of rules based on one common principle called ‘Dharma’.

Hence, the roles of different avatars of Vishnu uphold the same overarching principle of Dhrama but following different rules. So, using one overarching principle (or goal/vision for an organisation), different kinds of leadership is required in different phases in an organisation’s life cycle. But, all the leadership decisions and actions taken being in-line with the organisation’s goal/vision (the one overarching principle).

This was a short analogy between how leadership can be traced back to scriptures and how the analogy is relevant in the context of the present organisation also.

--By Sachin Wagh

Bharat Bandh – What can I do ?

When I got the news that Monday is Bharat Bandh, my first feeling was of happiness. Wow, I will have an extended weekend. I can spend quality time at home with my entire family. ‘I hate Luv storys’ seems to be a good movie and has got decent reviews. Lets watch it …

I have witnessed many Bharat Bandhs and Mumbai Bandhs. But earlier, I used to get very agitated and had many questions like why do we have these bandhs? What purpose does it achieve? Why cause such a big loss to our own nation? Is this the right way to fight our own government? No, I should do something about it. However, my agitation always culminated in frustration – what can I do about all this! I am just a common man and have no power to do anything. And now, over the years, my frustration has also gradually receded and I have accepted the situation. Even better, I have started seeking personal happiness within the boundaries of the unchangeable situation.

So, when I first heard of Bharat Bandh on Monday, my feeling was of happiness. I enjoyed a relaxing extended weekend with my family, switching the TV news channels which fed status updates of the bandh as breaking news in my living room. And yes, now I can also recommend that ‘I hate Luv storys’ is a good movie.

The next day, we had a discussion in our class where maam asked us what did we do on the bandh? I hesitated to mention that I had a good time with my family. Later I tried to introspect. If I am really happy with how I spent my bandh holiday, why did I hesitate to mention about it. Am I really happy? No. I realized that finding personal happiness within the boundaries of unchangeable situation is like faking my happiness. It is just like a mask. Somewhere deep inside, I am still unhappy. I know I cannot change the situation. So what do I do to be really happy?

It was then that I remembered one of our Gita Shibir learning. ‘Judge yourself by your efforts, not the outcome’.

Wow.. This is the answer. So the next time there is a bandh, I will want to somehow contribute against the futility of such bandhs. I have not yet decided on how I will contribute, it may be something like writing this blog. But I am sure that in whichever way I contribute, my squirrel's efforts will be in the highest and best interest of our nation, both in thought and action. And I can find true happiness in my genuine efforts, and not be disillusioned by the outcome of my efforts. And if many common men start to think like this, and also start to happily contribute genuine efforts without getting disheartened by the failed outcomes, I feel we can soon reach a critical mass where our genuine efforts can create a significant impact.

--By Reuben Moses Ezekiel

Are Present leaders really value based?

Are Present leaders really value based?

Do Indians live by values or think them to be good enough to display on dash-board only and worship as part of culture?

Do we have real values to pass on to future generations?

Have we inherited values that our ancestors were once proud of?

Well, I don’t know answers to the above questions. It does not mean that I am ashamed to be Indian, but it certainly means that I am not a strong proponent of the saying that Indians are among the most value based people. I may sound pessimistic, but I believe that it is high time to come out of the fantasy of being Indian, accept the realties around and take action for future. Do something that we can really be proud of having and passing on to future generations. We don’t need to do some miracle but take small steps, in fact very small steps.

One of those very small steps is do what you say and say what you can do. Don’t boast; don’t pretend; no showbiz please!

Introspect, know yourself and then act. Start at personal level and then scale up... If we all do the required, things can be done!

But question is are we really prepared or willing to do? Do we have enough courage? How to use the platform to address issues? And yes if we be on platform, will we be carried away by the wind or be connected to realties that we intend to change at some point of time?

NTPC and BHEL are Navratanas. Both vouch of fairness and honesty !

Their value statement can be seen at their websites..

1) Value statement of NTPC can be seen at—

http://www.ntpc.com/about/mission2010.html

2) Value statement of BHEL can be seen at—

http://www.bhel.com/about.php

And now see the economic times article—

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/6140966.cms

And now the age-old question—how can you prove that our officials took bribe? We as organization are against the corrupt practices like this. May be our vendor has taken…its mere allegations….

This story I have been hearing for long.

I know that it is difficult to wipe out corruption at 100% level and ethics and culture are contextual. But taking bribe for doing things that anyways one ought to do as part of the job he is being paid for certainly doesn’t command oversight!

Contextual boundaries are thin and one can defend...But I feel there is one question that can help many of us taking control of our acts—

Will I be proud of my act if the same gets published in newspaper next day and my family & friends read the same over cup of tea in morning?

If answer is No, then stop, think for a while and act. Have courage to refrain! Address from your platform in whatever small ways you can.

Don’t blame and say,” sab chalta hai..Sab leta hai toh main kyon nahi luh. Be with the world”.

--By Pooja Ranjan

P.S. -- Opinions expressed in the article are strictly personal and does not resemble in any way to SPJIMR.

Albus Dumbledore – An Old Cranky Wizard or An Epitome of Leadership?

Can leadership be learnt only from historic heroes and past idols? Is it possible to learn lessons from some of our favourite characters that lie enshrined in folklore and our playful memories. Harry Potter, the boy wizard has been a rage for the better part of the last decade and the frenzy has only amplified by Hollywood’s take on him.

Anticipating the release of the seventh Harry Potter movie, I spent much of the last year rereading all seven volumes of the series which gave me a new perspective on the novels and provided some interesting insights including the leadership skills of Albus Dumbledore, headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

So what made headmaster Dumbledore such an exemplary leader? The first and most important lesson I learnt was trust. The key to good leadership is to earn people's trust —which generally means trusting them first. That is something that Dumbledore does consistently.

Consider his treatment of Hagrid, Hogwarts' giant gamekeeper, whom Dumbledore hired after he was expelled from the school for something he didn't do. But Dumbledore never lost faith in Hagrid, ultimately appointing him to the faculty. Even more noteworthy was Dumbledore's trust in Snape, the potions master whom nearly everyone else suspects of being in league with the dark wizard, Lord Voldemort. Once again, Dumbledore never wavers. When others confront him with what they consider evidence of Snape's treachery, the headmaster always has the same answer: "I trust Severus Snape." Not only does he trust them but is ready to back them to the fullest as proven by numerous incidents (standing rock like behind Hagrid despite his numerous faux-pas as a first time professor).

It's worth noting that Dumbledore is right to trust both Hagrid and Snape, and that, in the end, his faith in them is repaid many times over. Like any good leader he knows whom he can trust, and isn't afraid to bestow that trust.

Dumbledore also does the one thing the faculty members’ value perhaps even more than administrative support: He leaves them alone and allows them to do their jobs. In other words he's not a micromanager. In fact, for long passages he disappears from the narrative altogether, while Professors Snape, McGonagall, Sprout, Flitwick carry on unsupervised with the important business of teaching students. This emphasises his confidence not just in the abilities of his colleagues but his own judgement too. It's also the hallmark of great leaders everywhere, who hire the best people they can, put them in positions to be successful, and then get out of their way.

While he generally leaves the business of education up to the faculty, Dumbledore, like all good leaders, does not shy away from making tough decisions when necessary. It is he who decides that the school should remain open even after four students are petrified by a basilisk (snake). Dumbledore also allows Harry to compete in the Triwizard Tournament, despite the fact that he doesn't meet the age requirement and the knowledge that Harry's inclusion will anger the other schools involved in the competition.

It hardly needs to be said that those decisions, like most of Dumbledore's, turn out to be the right ones.

In real life, not every decision a leader makes ends up saving the world. Some might even be wrong. But great leaders have the courage to make those risky decisions.

Of course, even Dumbledore is wrong sometimes and he isn't afraid to acknowledge it. In The Half-Blood Prince he tells Harry, "I make mistakes like the next man. In fact, being —forgive me —rather cleverer than most men, my mistakes tend to be correspondingly huger." Later he apologizes to Harry directly for holding back information in an attempt to protect him.

This is an important lesson which disproves that being in charge means never having to say sorry. A good leader must frequently admit to being in the wrong.

Finally, my favourite quality about Dumbledore (perhaps the rarest of qualities in a leader) is his eternal good humour and civility. There are numerous occasions in the novels where Dumbledore remains unflappable, smiling despite staring disaster in the face.

--By Shivam Sopori

Questions are here... Answers are welcome....

Today was a bandh in Bharat. Most of us who would be reading this have basically benefited from an extra day off to laze around, be with family or friends or to finish incomplete work. But, what of the common man? The aam aadmi? The auto rickshaw driver, taxi driver, shopkeepers, daily wage labourers, maids, et all. All those people who really help us make our day. Really.. I mean would they be appreciative of this bandh..We are sure that this bandh would never pass muster with them, right? But how can we be so sure? Just because they lose one day of hard labour and would hardly earn any money. Are we not judging them from our perspective and ours only, seemingly while displaying concern about them? Are we just looking at the iceberg here?

This bandh is supposed to be against a 3.5/lit Rs, petrol price hike, 35 Rs /cylinder LPG gas hike. Is that the reason any opposition party would go on a bandh? If view this issue from the angle given above, I would say fire those incompetent MPs, who dare waste our hard earned tax money. Would we not? After all every pundit in the media is probably out there trying to put a figure (each higher than the other) on the amount of money we lost due to this bandh. Now as a leader, should we go by this? Or as a leader should we analyse the whole matter?

As far as I can see this bandh has been a success beyond even the opposition parties’ belief. Maybe people are too timid & fearing violence (of which incidents did happen) stayed home. But having been on this planet for 28 years odd, I am yet to see a bandh which was so total just for an economic issue. I have seen bandhs on this scale for political issues and political leader's demise, but not on an economic issue. Does this mean, we subconsciously somewhere do identify with the cause? The cause not being the trigger point , i.e., the hike in petrol pirces or LPG prices, but rather the continuously steep inflation that has been dogging PLUs (People Like Us), people who have to work daily, and who rely on pensions?

This bandh might symbolise political gains for opposition parties, but this also perhaps in someway symbolises the really deep angst that everyone feels against the prices that have spiralled out of control. For all the posturing we adopt regarding losses, we can easily cover them up by working on some other day. But what of a daily wage labourer who cannot make ends meet at all everyday? If the prices of dal , vegetables, milk and other essential items are so out of reach for him/her , so consistently, would he really care about a day off? How does a common man's meal of dal, chawal sound? It sounds expensive to me and exorbitantly expensive to people below me in the economic ladder and out of reach for the bottom most sections. If you are one of those people, would you support, however opportunistic & symbolic to shake the government up from its slumber? Think & Reflect... maybe you would, maybe you would not. But one thing is for sure, people of India, majority of them, who did vote for this government, did support their bandh, in their own passive way. The next question in your mind is -- what of the violence, intimidation? Simple question- How many people got hurt? How much of public property was damaged. The law states it clearly; the political parties have to pay for this. Implement it. But again, I am still shocked to see such a bandh happening at all for an economic issue. There have calls for plenty of such bandhs, but have never met with such a response? Maybe, as I said earlier, people do actually support the bandh in some subconscious way. My conjecture against yours. :)

Your next question would probably, ok fine enough but what of the impact? Here comes the tricky part.

Impact - immediate - Stop work for a day, everyone suffers and government does not care.

But there is a psychological impact too - The government of the day wants power, and power is with numbers. If the overwhelming numbers (if the success of the band is one, for the political party in power, it definitely is) fall in line behind the opposition party, it is time to worry. And seriously think and contemplate.

If I was Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, or our honourable PM, Economist, Dr Manmohan Singh, I would be very worried. Very worried. To think that for the populist schemes that the Government has been running, the people still abide by the bandh is something totally unexpected. How easy would it be for the opposition parties to raise this issue and rally them by the next election?

Problem is the next election is still a few year away. Opposition wants to send a message to the government -Get your act right, else see the consequences when you face the election again. A bandh, wildly successful one does this well. No amount of haranguing in parliament will do it. The pressure of numbers is just not there. When the lust is for power, it has to be the threat of losing power which strikes fear.

And frankly speaking, how do we expect Rahul Gandhi - who supposedly sold the idea of nuclear power to a poor lady called Kalavati- to react? Any strategies, he can use? I am not sure. His track record aint no good in this matter, even though he is most visible face of "young" India. Perhaps Kalavati today has spoken against him for promising electricity, but snatching the food away from her plate for so long and so shamelessly.

It is time the Government of India reacts as entity which has leadership qualities, takes everyone along and takes decisions which are good for the country in a judicious manner. Of course, I am sure none of us who reading this would say that deregulation of petroleum is absurd. Surely not me. But I just wish the timing was better and the manner was good. If you want to decontrol prices, do it, but perhaps you could adjust the taxes that you collect in such a way, that the aam aadmi does not get hit? A clever leader would think like this and perhaps never let the opposition have an opportunity to call for a band and then be successful at it. Can the opposition parties though do something without calling for a bandh? Would we support something like that? What could it be? Questions are here. Answers are welcome :)

--By Subramanian Iyer

Leaders or Cheaters?

Leaders or Cheaters?

13,000 crores wiped away in a single day of Bharat Bandh! Violence observed in many parts of the country! Poor of the country lost their daily breads! A black day in the history of modern India where the entire nation was put to shame to pacify a section of clueless political leaders of the country. With no issue in foresight, these illusionary leaders twisted the recent government’s long term gesture of petrol de-regulation issue to build mass sympathy for them. Using power of state government’s machinery, they were able to emotionally arouse people to spread violence in various parts of the government. Now, these ‘so-called’ leaders want to be christened as saviors of the entire nation. Government looks helpless on the entire development and these leaders ‘heroes’ in the eyes of common man.

Who is accountable for this public outrage and loss to the country? Can such massive scale violent strikes address the real problem? Could something have been done to prevent this? Where is our PM in waiting, Mr. Rahul Gandhi’s leadership? Will this day pass and get lost in the pages of history?

We need leaders, not cheaters. A leader can transform a nation whereas cheaters can damage several lives and properties. Leaders inspire others to do great things in life whereas cheaters mislead others to fulfill their personal agendas. Leaders withhold great deal of maturity and take charge of a critical situation whereas traitors call themselves leaders and shy away from responsibilities.

Leaders of modern India should take cues from the acts of father of our nation. They should bring more clarity about the entire issue of fuel prices and raise real issues. People should be discussing about the real problems amongst themselves and with the government. Hopefully, we would see some concrete actions happenings on the ground by now.

--By Vaibhav Goyal

Small Steps

These are the times when we will find out what we are really made of. These are the moments we will find out just how much we want our dreams. These are the times when our character is built. Don't ever let circumstances, events, or other people tell us you can't do something. We deserve to experience a life of joy, freedom, and completeness. Just don't give up. It won't be easy, if it were, they wouldn't be called obstacles, and they wouldn't force us to grow. Remaining focused and determined on our goals isn't an easy task. It's easy to be side tracked.

Everybody wants to be happy in life. We all want to live a perfect life. We want that great job or a successful business. Everybody wishes for good life. It may be at different levels. One person may define a good life one way and another may describe it another way. For one person a good life may be just having three meals a day and a roof over their head.

Once we know that life is hard- once we truly understand and accept it - then life is no longer hard.

That is one of the beautiful things about life. We can make our life better. We have total responsibility for what we do and how we respond to the fact that life is hard. As the now cliché saying goes: “If life hands you lemons, make lemonade.”

Accepting that life is hard comes with accepting that we have the responsibility to make it better. Not only do we have the responsibility to make it better, we have the ability and the power to make it better.

We can make it better – become a better employee and someone worth giving more responsibilities at work. The promotions and the better pay are sure to follow one way or another.

We can make it better – learn how to turn that business around. Gain the extra skills you need to run a successful business.

No matter what situation we are in, we have a choice. No matter how bad things are, we have a choice. No matter what we think we can or cannot do, we have a choice.

Now it may not be an easy choice, by any means. It may be a very tough choice and the road we decide to take may be a tough one. It may push our way out of comfort zone. It may mean that in the initial period our life may get even harder than it already is. But it is a choice nonetheless.

I believe that everyone is born unique. But through the years we work very hard to be like everyone else. We conform to society’s so-called “common-sense.” Unfortunately it is just that – “common sense.” that does not mean its “good sense.”

Small steps to success together they add up to hundreds of thousands of small steps. But we might have chosen not to take the first step. We might have stopped at any point along the way. That would have meant that we would not have gotten to our destination.

There were also obstacles along the way. But with each small step they were overcome.

It takes only one small step to succeed.

A true leader does not look down upon roadblocks as something which discourages him; but considers them as motivations- motivation to succeed and motivation to achieve.

Because, as the Chinese philosopher Lao-tzu said: “A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.”

--By Mohammad Fahad Hafeez

Bridging Gaps

Leadership course has started and it is very difficult for a person like me to find a real connect. I have never been a leader kind of a person and have not even thought to be one. Then how is this course going to help me? Why should I study the traits of a good leader? Neither am I nor I wanted to be. But after thinking through for some more time I am able to bridge this gap. I could put my understanding of a Leader in the words below.

If I look at a leader from a general perspective then it is very difficult to understand what it is about. It is like talking of some fictional character. But if I consider him as a person first rather than a leader then connecting the dots becomes easy. Many personality traits or his thinking process makes him do whatever he is doing. He will continue to do so even if his team is not with him. Below are few traits very much at a personal level which I think would be there in a leader

• Ø Must to have a vision and passion: only when you have a vision you will have something to look forward in life and only if you are a passionate kind of a person you would be ready to sacrifice everything you have to achieve that. So a mixture of these two is must for a person to be a leader.
• Ø Team building capabilities: you lead a team when you act as a leader. Without a team no leader is possible. And the team is build for some common cause. That would be the vision of the person who would eventually become a leader. Why eventually, because you don’t decide who will be a leader in a team, it mostly happens so that one person eventually becomes a leader. Moreover to build a successful team two most important qualities are required in each person i.e. trust and accountability, including the leader of the team. Trust is the thread which keeps a team intact. If people don’t trust each other they can never form a cohesive team and all the members of the team should believe that the leader of the team is making right decisions which are in favour of all of them. Accountability is the mechanism to mobilize everybody in a team to move towards common goal. Only when people feel accountable towards their roles and responsibility, they tend to work towards that.
• Ø Finally to keep the trust and to keep the honesty with the self one needs integrity, that is the most important trait for a leader. I suppose that is the most important trait for anyone to be even human. Every member of the team needs to have integrity in the character.

Why I consider these things as a must for a person to be a leader because one does not get nominated as a leader. One shows these personality traits in different walks of life. And one who consistently shows these traits emerges or moves towards taking higher or more accountable roles in the profession, in locality, society; in family, among friends. And that is what we call him as captain, head, decision maker, chairman or “A Leader”.

--By Vikas Shrivastava

Be a Leader, not just a Manager...

The manager speaks to your ear,
A leader awakens your spirit like a seer.

The manager drives his men,
A leader inspires them.

The manager depends on authority,
A leader on goodwill.

The manager evokes fear,
A leader radiates love and spreads cheer.

The manager says I,
A leader says WE.

The manager talks first,
A leader listens first and wins trust.

The manager dictates future direction,
A leader inspires for reflection.

The manager says who is wrong,
A Leader shows what is wrong.

The manager talks and wants you to walk,
A leader just walks the talk.

The manager criticizes,
A leader advises and empathizes.

The manager rules,
A leader serves.

The manager is a task man of the rat race,
A leader is a teacher with magnificent grace.

The manager is trained,
A leader is made.

The manager demands unworthy reverence,
A Leader earns respect with perseverance.

The manager is about numbers and reason,
A leader is about dreams and vision.

So, be a Leader and not just a Manager !!

- by Reuben and Kosha