"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