THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

January 2018

Price : Rs. 500/- ( Excluding postage)

© THE INSTITUTE OF COMPANY SECRETARIES OF INDIA

Disclaimer :

Although due care and diligence have been taken in preparation of this Publication, the

Institute shall not be responsible for any loss or damage, resulting from any action taken

on the basis of the contents of this Publication. Any one wishing to act on the basis of the

material contained herein should do so after cross checking with the original source.

We acknowledge the opinions, beliefs, viewpoints, pictures, images and data expressed

by various authors, websites, persons, organizations and forum participants, whose

opinions, beliefs, viewpoints and relevant data has been used and referred to, for the

preparation of this title.

Published by :

THE INSTITUTE OF COMPANY SECRETARIES OF INDIA

ICSI House, 22, Institutional Area, Lodi Road

New Delhi - 110 003

Phone : 45341000, Fax : 24626727

E-mail : info@icsi.edu; Website : www.icsi.edu

Printed at : Chandu Press/ 200/January 2018

(ii)

Preface

“Thought leaders are the informed opinion leaders and the go-to people in their field of

expertise. They are trusted sources who move and inspire people with innovative ideas”

In the contemporary era of globalized nation, cutting edge technologies, emerging economies,

inclusive growth, sustainable development, progressive entrepreneurship and enlighted

services to the world at large, a set of varied opportunities is open for the states to register

equitable and evenly distributed welfare to its populace. With boon, goes the bane; so is

equally applicable to this world of opportunities. Along with multi-sectoral opportunities,

challenges are also posed in the way of successful realization of wide-ranging growth and

development of as a whole.

In this context to achieve the maximum while availing the growth based opportunities and

encountering the challenges in the time bound manner, thoughtful leadership is mostly sought

after. Rightly said that, “Thought leaders advance the environs of ideas by advancing

actionable, commercially relevant, research-backed, new points of view. They engage in “blue

ocean strategy” thinking on behalf of themselves and their concerns with having a singular,

internal focus on achieving mastery of a particular discipline.”

Thought Leadership is not a novel concept in India, it is well in place since ancient times,

which is reflected through the lessons of leadership from Ramayana and Bhagvad Gita. We

also beheld the leading lessons on thought leadership from the eminent leaders of Indian as

well as of international origin in the history of progressive civilizations. India under the

perspective of sustainable growth and empowered citizens in the vision New Age India, 2022,

is leading us to witness gamut of transformed and growth oriented reforms in the regulatory

and governing regime of the country. Company Secretaries with their expertise in the

governance duly recognized, sought after and rewarded are playing a role of Thought Leaders

in ensuring the directed implementation of momentous and significant reforms in the country

be it GST, NCLT, IBC, Promoting Entrepreneurship, supporting the regulated financial market

at equilibrium, advancing the prospects of digital economy and many more. This is not only

making them to rationalize the opportunities for them, rather they are serving their professional

excellence in making each and every stakeholder of this transforming regime to grab the

equitable share of his or her welfare.

(iii)

In the notion of recognizing the significance of Thoughtful Leadership for the professionals

including Company Secretaries as the Thought Leaders in true letter and spirit, The Institute

has come up with the publication titled “Thought leadership”. This publication, which is one

of its own kind, and would apprise the professionals, regulators, stakeholder, members and

students on the meaning and significance of Thought Leadership in the contemporary regime

of the country, lessons of thought leadership through Ramayana, Mahabharata and eminent

Thought Leaders, and how CS as Thought Leader is serving the end of inclusive and sustainable

growth prospects of the nation as a whole.

I commend the dedicated efforts of Dr. Gargi Rajvanshi, Assistant Director, ICSI in preparing

the manuscript of this publication under the guidance of CS Saurabh Jain, Joint Director,

ICSI and overall supervision of CS Sonia Baijal, Director, ICSI.

I am sure this publication would work like an enriching guide for our professional community

and the public at large to serve their thoughtfulness as Thought Leaders and would also guide

the budding professionals to entail the qualities of thoughtful leadership in their professional

expertise and excellence.

Place: New Delhi CS (Dr.) Shyam Agrawal Date: January 11, 2018 President The Institute of Company Secretaries of India

(iv)

Contents

CHAPTER - I

INTRODUCTION

Introduction

2

Thought Leadership: An Insight

5

Meaning of Thought Leadership

5

Objectives and Significance of Thought Leadership

7

Characteristics of a Thought Leader

8

Steps to Become a Thought Leader

11

Seven (7) R’s of Thought Leadership

14

Thought Leadership : A Key to Success

26

CHAPTER – II

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP IN INDIA : A TALE THROUGH

RAMAYANA AND BHAGVAD GITA

Thought Leadership : The Ramayana Way

20

Thought Leadership : The Mahabharata Way (Bhagvat Gita)

27

( v )

CHAPTER - III

EMINENT THOUGHT LEADERS AND THEIR APPROACHES OF THOUGHT

LEADERSHIP : A BIRD’S EYE VIEW

Thought Leaders of Indian Origin

36

Amartya Sen

36

APJ Abdul Kalam

44

Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar

53

Chandrasekhara Venkata Raman

57

Mahatma Gandhi

60

Narendra Damodardas Modi

65

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel

72

S. Radhakrishnan

77

Swami Vivekananda

80

Thought Leaders of Transnational Origin

85

Abraham Lincoln

85

Barack Obama

90

Bill Gates

96

Mother Teresa

104

Steve Jobs

109

Walt Disney

115

Warren Buffet

121

Lessons on Thought Leadership: A Concise View

126

(vi)

CHAPTER – IV

NEW INDIA, 2022: A TRANSFORMATION UNDER THOUGHTFUL LEADERSHIP

LEADING THE PATH OF INCLUSIVE DEVELOPMENT

Republic of India: An Overview of Incredible Progression and

Advancement

130

India: Pre Independence Era

130

India: Post Independence Era

132

Innovatory Phase of Governance in India

132

Revolutionery Phase of Indian Economy

135

Growth of Agriculture Sector

136

Service Sector Growth

136

Infrastructure Development

137

Major Reforms of Indian Economy

138

Regulatory Reforms in India

142

Other Reforms

148

Progress in Education Sector

148

Achievements in the field of Healthcare

148

India: A Transition from India to New India, 2022

149

Emerging Trends vis-à-vis Role of Professionals

152

(vii)

CHAPTER –V

INDIA ON THE PATH OF INCLUSIVE DEVELOPMENT:

ROLE OF COMPANY SECRETARIES

Thought Leadership of Governance Professionals:

Ancient Context

158

Thought Leadership of Governance Professionals:

Contemporary Context

158

Company Secretary as Thought Leader

162

Company Secretary vis-vis Thought leadership:

A Perspective Analysis

164

Characteristics of CS as Thought Leaders

166

Concluding Remarks

168

REFERENCES

171

(viii)

Chapter - I

Introduction

Thought Leadership

Introduction

In the present perspective, the Republic of India is considered as one of the possible emerging

superpowers of the world. This emerging growth of the nation is attributed to various factors

including central position of India, its magnificent resources, its demographic trends,

domination young and active population, global diaspora, rapidly expanding economy and

the transformative reforms taking place in subsuming good governance in India.

As discussed time and again, governance and development go hand in hand. Good is the

governance, then better is the growth, better is the growth then best should be the governance.

UN System Task Team on the Post 2015 UN Development Agenda1, has clearly discussed

that good governance is a key to development. It was stated that it is the governance only

which makes institutions and rules more effective and efficient, in order to achieve equity,

transparency, participation, responsiveness, accountability, and the rule of law. These aspects

are crucial for human development and the eradication of poverty since ineffective institutions

usually result in the greatest harm to those who are poor and vulnerable. This clarifies the

fact that most developed and growing nations of world is set by the example of effective and

efficient good governance. India too resources its splendid inclusive growth to transparent

and responsible governance in the country.

Needless to say, that when it comes to governance, a statement on effective and efficient

good governance could not be closed without a creditworthy mention of a Company Secretary.

Company Secretaries play a crucial role in effecting the compliance and governance in the

country at par with global standard. Owing to the professional excellence, company

secretaries are serving in the reign of compliance and governance, the time has come where

they are better known as Governance Professionals.2

Well said, “Nothing is constant except change” , true on these lines, company secretaries are

most adaptable towards any change or reform in the regulatory and governing regime of the

country. Company Secretaries have been a pivotal pillar in governance since independence,

their role from clause 49 of Listing Agreement to Voluntary Guidelines for Corporate

1.

Governance and Development (2015), Thematic Think Piece, UN System Task Team on the Post 2015 UN Development Agenda. Available at http://www.un.org/millenniumgoals/pdf/Think%20Pieces/7_governance.pdf

2.

Shivats K.R. (2013); Rename Company Secretaries as “Governance Professionals: ICSI”, Business Line, The Hindu.

Available at http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/news/education/rename-company-secretaries-as-governance-

professionals-icsi/article5474826.ece

2

Thought Leadership

Governance and the Companies Act, 2013 has been at par with excellence. Along with this,

their standing in other sectors of regulations including Arbitration Law, FEMA, Law on

Takeover and Insider Trading, Taxation, Valuation, Security Compliance, Law on Information

Technology and many others is creditable.

In the present times, when India is climbing high with an extraordinary growth and

development at the global pedestal with the induction of its vision towards achieving the

most effective and efficient governance for each and every factor contributing for the inclusive

growth of the nation, the role of company secretaries is also taking opening of their thought

leadership in realizing and implementing the reformative regulatory regime in India.

Thought Leadership, in general terms means and refers to a directed and specialized

approach of the proficient and trained practitioners, wherein the talent, experience and passion

is utilized in performing and implementing the best of every mission assigned for. At the

bigger juncture, thought leadership is a way of making us to realize the fruits of present

opportunities and to speculate the opening and challenges for tomorrow. To be clear about

the term “Thought Leadership”, one should also understand who is called a Thought Leader.

A Thought Leader can refer to an individual or a firm that is recognized as an authority in

a specialized filed and whose expertise is sought and often rewarded.3

THOUGHT LEADER

An Individual or

A Firm

Recognized as

Whose Expertise

Specialized

is Sought and

Authority

Rewarded

3.

Prince and Rogers (2012); What is Thought Leader, The Little Black Book of Billionaire Secrets, Leadership, Forbes. Available at https://www.forbes.com/sites/russprince/2012/03/16/what-is-a-thought-leader/#6f8319627da0

3

Thought Leadership

Under the perspective of the above mentioned definition of Thought Leader, Company

Secretaries; who are indeed recognized as the dedicated and specialized professional in serving

governance and compliance with excellence are Thought Leaders of today in letter and spirit.

Henceforth in the present context this publication is guiding in understanding and analyzing

the role of Company Secretaries as a “Thought Leader” while shaping the face of success and

triumph of government initiatives and reformative steps in establishing India as self-sufficient,

self-reliant and emerging as a super economy of the world, serving an all-encompassing growth

and development to all.

With the discussion on these above mentioned dynamics, the publication would lead to

prove a theorem that it is the Thought Leadership which lay down the foundation of an

Inclusive India and Company Secretaries as the Thought leaders in the field of governance

are serving the best compliance and governance practices towards building a progressive

nation in its true letter and spirit.

Henceforth this manuscript with the major objective of discussing Thought Leadership and

4

Thought Leadership

its role in the inclusive development and welfare of the populace is encompassed with the

deliberation and analysis of the following dynamics:

1. Meaning and Content of Thought Leadership

2. Thought Leadership in India: A View from Ramayana, Mahabharata and Vedas

3. Thought Leadership Lessons from the eminent Thought Leaders in the World

4. Thought Leadership –vis-à-vis Governance in India

5. Inclusive Growth of Nation: Emerging Trends

6. Government Initiatives under the purview of Emerging Trends

7. CS as a Thought Leader

8. Role of CS as a Thought Leader in the transformative state of Nation

9. Challenges and Opportunities

10. A Way Forward

Thought Leadership : An Insight

In the present world of liberalization, industrialization and globalization where openings are

available on the cutting edge basis under a highly competitive environment, states aspire to

run their governance in most successful manner along with the achievement of all their

goals. This timely achievement of success along with the goal to create an effective impact on

the global economy requires a specialized set of skills to implement all the governance related

initiatives of the government. Under this perspective, an achievement of goals and

implementation of government initiatives towards the growth and development of the nation

are clubbed with the concept of Thought Leadership. Henceforth, a deep insight into the

concept of the Thought Leadership along with the recognition of governance professionals

as the thought leaders of today would be a prioritized discussion in this chapter.

Meaning of Thought Leadership

In general in the context of good governance, Thought leaders are the informed opinion

leaders and the go-to people in their field of expertise. They are trusted sources who move

and inspire people with innovative ideas; turn ideas into reality, and know and show how to

replicate their success. They create a dedicated group of friends, fans and followers to help

them replicate and scale those ideas into sustainable change not just in one company but in

an industry, niche or across an entire ecosystem.

5

Thought Leadership

A thought leader can refer to an individual or firm that is recognized as an authority in a

specialized field and whose expertise is sought and often rewarded.4

In the words of Dunlap, Thought leaders are seen as trustworthy, go-to authorities among

diligence colleagues and peers. He further added that they possess an innate ability to

contribute to the conversations happening today, while also being able to speculate on what

is going to happen tomorrow. Rather than chime in on every topic, they set the pace for the

industry and offer intelligent insights and informed opinions.5

As per Numaan Akram,6 Founder and CEO of Rally, A thought leader recognizes trends

before they happen and applies that insight to achieve actual occupational results.

In short, it can be said that thought leadership affirms having insightful thoughts and ideas on

the part of thought leader which have the power to turn the table around the successful

achievement of the tasks they have opted to.

As per Forbes, Thought Leader is a person or firm that is not only recognized but also who

profits from the recognition of authority.

Further, in the words of Daniel Rasmus, “Thought leadership should be an entry point to a

relationship. Thought leadership should intrigue, challenge, and inspire even people already

familiar with an establishment. It should help start a relationship where none exists, and it

should enhance existing relationships to the core of successful goals. To him, Thought

Leadership is simply about becoming an authority on relevant topics by delivering the answers

to the biggest questions on the minds of your target audience.7

To subsume, thought leadership refers to specialized leadership by the persons of expertise,

specialization and professional knowledge which makes him an authority to attend specified

issues and to make good for each class of action. This way, Company Secretaries are indeed

the professionals who are a niche cadre of professionals with expertise, specialization and

professional knowledge which makes them an authority to attend specified issues and to

make good for each class of action and whose expertise is often asked as well as rewarded.

4.

Russ Alan and Rogers (2012), What is a Thought Leader?, Forbes, 2012. See https://www.forbes.com/sites/russprince/2012/

03/16/what-is-a-thought-leader/#26b185707da0

5.

See, Nicole Fallon (2016), What is Thought leadership and Why does it matter? Business News Daily, July 20, 2016.

6.

Ibid

7.

See, Brenner Michael (2014), What is Thought Leadership? Why you Need it and Steps to get it Right, Linkedin.com.

6

Thought Leadership

Objectives and Significance of Thought Leadership

In the era of emerging trends and conversion in the present set of knowledge, an expertise is

indeed demanded to touch the fora of success, development, progress, advancement and

desired yield of results. As discussed before, that most sought after expertise in the today’s

world of opportunities and challenges under the realm of industrialization, liberalization and

globalization is of thought leaders, who not only serve the expertise in the specific areas, but

also align the interest of all the related stakeholders towards inclusive growth and development.

Under this perspective, it would be most appropriate to contest that fast changing

contemporary world requires thought leadership under the following objectives:

1. To provide expert and proficient set of knowledge;

2. To achieve the directed goals and purposes with precision and in time bound manner;

3. To create a graph of probable opportunities and challenges in the targeted venture;

4. To find out and decide the mechanism to resolve the prospective challenges;

5. To create a roadmap of success of the targeted goals;

6. To have an impactful and inclusive growth as well success of a venture;

7. To have the most targeted and achievable means to achieve the goals even in the

changing and contemporary leadership of the globe.

These all objectives in short says that the major objective of thought leadership is to attain

the goals either of an association or industry or of state even in the most composite, impactful,

meaningful and directed manner with the expert excellence at par.

Thought Leadership is quite significant in the present days owing to their merit of providing

unique perspective and expert ways of turning the tables towards profit and successful

attainment of objectives.

Thought leadership is a key strategy for communal growth, not just a skill to promote the

initiative designed for the inclusive growth and success of all. Thought leadership stimuli

business advancement. Further, it can leverage the talent expertise in an organization to

address bigger questions in industry and beyond. The best thought leaders guide the

application of their subject matter expertise and accountably resolve the challenges through

a carefully crafted methodology or framework that is both newsworthy and relevant to the

present place of global taxonomy of the world. They become the go-to knowledge resource,

providing audiences within and beyond their industries the best recommendations for

implementation of growth strategies.

7

Thought Leadership

Those thought leaders in turn help others to evolve. They become influencers who identify

trends, common themes, and shifts within their industry or functional areas of expertise and

use that influence to guide others to see opportunities previously unseen as strategies for

growth. They know where the traps exist and what has historically worked and not worked in

the past – and the present. They have witnessed transformation over the years and have

implemented proven solutions. Since subject matter experts touch their businesses and every

aspect of it every day, they can show how to take personal stock in being more accountable

for the evolution of any business. They are opportunity experts in their domain, and they

know how to convey that to an audience.

Characteristics of a Thought Leader

Thought leaders do come from different contour and amidst dimensions, they do come from

different background or community and they can be any age, gender or ethnicity. That said,

not just anyone can be a thought leader. Thought leadership takes time (sometimes years);

knowledge and expertise in a particular niche; a certain level of commitment and a willingness

to buck the status quo or the way things have always been done.

Becoming a thought leader is much easier if you have already built a great product, service,

program, initiative or expertise in a specialized field because you will then have a natural

community and something to talk about. That said, we have worked with individuals who

have an area of expertise but have become thought leaders in the area of expertise by creating

something they can call their own. If you are willing to do the work to codify what you know

and you have the patience and fortitude to build momentum over time, then you can still

become a thought leader in your niche. It clearly says that every thought leader is an expert

of some discipline, but every expert is not a thought leader per se, it requires a set of

characteristics, selves and attributes to come up as a Thought leader. Following are the

unique yet globally recognized characteristics which make the experts a class of thought

leaders:8

1. Impactful : There is no point creating thought leadership content that nose-dives to

connect with people. An effective thought leadership requires the organization to

resonate with its intended audience, sparks conversations and stands out from the

crowd. To create impactful thought leadership, concerns need to seek out the “white

space” in terms of themes, and set research hypotheses that are likely to yield findings

that cause audiences to sit up and notice. Concerns also need to ensure that they can

8.

Dalton Joe (2016), What makes a Good Thought Leadership, The Longitude Research, United Kingdom.

8

Thought Leadership

measure this impact – either through the amount of press coverage achieved, or

through analysis of the audience’s readership/usage patterns.

2. Insightful : A thought leadership is balanced, obvious and recognizable with serving

inclusive merits to all. To really stand out from the crowd, good content needs to be

provocative and surprising. With an expression for a strong point of view, thought

leadership is leading to yield insightful results which even resonate.

3. Actionable : Executives today inhabit a world of unparalleled complexity and change.

This means that they will value and seek out thought leadership that provides insight

into how their peers are thinking, and outlines some of the actions they could be

considering to improve the performance of their business. They may not take decisions

on the basis of thought leadership alone, but for sure they will associate the decision-

making process with the concern whose content got them thinking. And they may

well get in touch with that establishment when they need advice or help.

4. Adopted : The present scenario of concerns and their venture is focusing in getting

more adaptability with the contemporary updates in society, technology as well as

regulatory compliances. Thought leaders with their enhanced and specialized expertise

in calculating the forthcoming state of things and ventures are driving the concerns to

be more adaptable with the contemporary changes of times.

5. Balancing Interest of Stakeholders : It is well known that the success chart for inclusive

growth is always written on the shoulders of all the stakeholders. A mismatch of

communication even in the correlation may negatively impact the growth of the

concern. Therefore, thought leadership is essential at priority towards securing external

as well as internal support of the varied stakeholders.

6. Commercial : All thought leadership plans have a clear set of viable and promoting

objectives in mind. A careful balance needs to be struck between these opposing

goals, so that commercial objectives are achieved and audiences engaged.

7. Engaging : Time is a scarce commodity for most trade and commerce in the cutting

edge competitive environment. To really make an impact, thought leadership has to

capture their attention and serve their needs. Serving up 10,000 word reports is unlikely

to be effective on its own. Long-form reports certainly have their place, but syndicates

should recognize that different audiences have different requirements. Supplementing

longer reports with shorter articles, videos, infographics and other devices, and using

these more immediate formats as “attention grabbers”, helps to tailor content for

different audiences and increase reach.

9

Thought Leadership

8. Focused : Thought Leaders are goal oriented with focused strategies to attain them.

Usually, establishment starts with the best intentions to do something focused but

then, in order to satisfy the needs of different stakeholders within the business, the

theme gets broader and broader. Ultimately, however, this approach satisfies nobody.

Stakeholders might get their area covered, but the content becomes so broad and

diluted that it fails to engage audiences or say anything of significant value. Hence,

keeping thought leadership focused and reinforcing is necessary to stakeholders and

establishment at large with a far better approach.

9. Thought Leaders Should be Thoughtful Leaders : Being a thought leader, is quite frankly,

a term that one has bestowed on them. They may aspire to be a thought leader, but

the patrons of their speeches, rhetoric and writing ultimately determine if they are

one or not. Organizations, be they public sector or private, retail or Rotarian, need

thoughtful leaders.

Along with the above characteristics, being a thoughtful leader also means being a patient

leader. Over time, thought leaders build trust, and build a following, but how long that takes

depends on industry, investment, and perhaps most importantly, the value of the ideas and

their commercial success. Thought leadership also requires perseverance and dedication, as

well as a willingness to honestly examine why something you think should work isn’t working,

and then, to refashion the idea into something more consumable, or abandon it for a new,

better position.

If one wants to be a thought leader, one need to make sure that what they create comes

infused with the goals, they would like to perceive, and that it finds its way back into those

goals. To extend the metaphor, thought leadership can be considered a way of introducing

positive mutations into an organization. Individual thought leaders can, and often are,

independent standouts against the status quo. Successful organizations that emanate thought

leadership attract and retain patrons, drive revenue, and get invited to all the best festivities,

because they not only express thoughtful ideas and act as a thoughtful leader, but because

their organizations reflect the thought leadership in how they behave, what they create, and

how they treat their patrons.

Further, in addition to the above mentioned features, various researchers9 have also highlighted

a few more characteristics for successful thought leadership, which are as below:

1. Unique Perspective;

2. Getting Involved;

9.

See, Rasmus Danial W (2012), The Golden Rules for Creating Thoughtful Thought Leadership, Fast Company.

10

Thought Leadership

3. Work Smart for the smarter achievement of Goals;

4. Admit what is your expertise and admit what you don’t know.

Steps to Becoming a Thought Leader

As per the theorem developed by Denise Brosseau, A Thought Leadership Lab,10 there are

seven attributes for making oneself a thought leader. These attributes of thought leadership

not only help the experts to expand their influence, increase their professional success, but

also have an impact far beyond a single organization and industry, and ultimately leave a

legacy of success and accomplishment of the goals which ultimately matters. Below is the

stepped framework outlined in driving the journey of a leader to thought leader indeed.

10. Available at http://www.thoughtleadershiplab.com/

11

Thought Leadership

1. Driving Passion towards one’s Expertise

Thought leadership starts with focus and passion. An expert would be far more effective

as a thought leader once they identify their arena where their interests, expertise,

credibility and commitment align, which refers to "thought leadership intersection

point." Further, a Thought Leader crafts with clarity a possible future that they are

committed to bring about. Once a Thought Leader identify and align to key trends,

they will gain momentum and be well on their way to make a significant difference

not only in their company or professional community but across the industry or niche.

2. Build The Ripples of Inspiration and Influence

A Thought Leader builds the waves of their influence and expertise in their concerned

specialization. To build the first ripples of change, Thought Leaders test their ideas and

opinions (often not yet fully baked) with knowledgeable stakeholders –- colleagues,

mentors and friends –- gather the expert input, and continually refine their thinking.

By listening to what resonates, the Thought Leaders will refine many different points

of view into the kernel of a transformative idea that will bring about the future of their

envision. Those conversations also help the Thought Leaders in making to be well

informed on how to position and leverage their message to tell a bigger story that gets

the first followers on board.

3. Activate the Advocates

For Thought Leaders, to expand their influence beyond the existing team or group or

association or organization, it is required to draw supporters and well-connected

advocates, community leaders, industry spokespeople, analysts, journalists, research

groups or national partners who can not only support their breakthrough, program,

initiative or idea to a much broader set of audiences, but can also advice and guide

them in serving excellence in their professional commitment as a thought leader. By

articulating what’s in it for them, the thought leaders create real momentum for change

and move their message out of the reach of naysayers, the people determined to stop

any transformation in its tracks.

4. Put The "I" on the Line

To build sustainable momentum for a new idea requires someone to show the way,

someone willing to step into the limelight and say "follow me to the path of success

and progression." For doing this, a thought leader must be willing to "put the ‘I’ on the

line" by overcoming any self-imposed limits to standing front and center and leading

12

Thought Leadership

to espouse a new direction or vision of the future, often long before others agree with

their point of view. This in short confirms that thought leaders trust their abilities before

making others to trust their abilities as an expert of a specialized field.

5. Codify the Lessons Learned

The essential difference between leaders and thought leaders is often the latter’s ability

to refine and condense their know-how into a replicable model so that others can be

inspired and empowered to expand on what those leaders have accomplished. To

codify their ideas, thought leaders are required to test and refine a repeatable and

scalable blueprint for others who want to follow in their footsteps.

6. Being Informed and Making Others to be Informed

To increase the credibility, strategic visibility and reputation and gain recognition as a

thought leader while serving the people with their expertise and specialization, the

thought leaders are always updated and informed with the cutting edge changes and

contemporary transformations in the field of knowledge. This makes them confident

to serve the society with the knowledge in the contemporary trends. Further to

inculcate trust amongst the society and to invite incredible suggestion to excel further

in the area of their expert services, the thought leaders keep the society informed and

get the word out about your activities, efforts and lessons learned. For a thought leader,

along with being informed it is also important that the professional commune, related

stakeholders and society as a whole should know about them or what they’ve

accomplished. Thought Leaders need to both be "discoverable" and connect with

those who can build on their ideas.

7. Incite (R)Evolution

As discussed in the definition, thought leadership is a mechanism of serving specialized

and expert services with an aim to bring transformational and revolutionized changes

in the specific zones of the society. Indeed the thought leaders work towards

transformation and further keep a check on work they have envisioned and work

towards the enhancement of their expertise. With this, they audit their progress to

ensure that along with serving the best of their expertise, they also gain traction for

your ideas locally, regionally, nationally and even internationally. As they accelerate

and amplify they expertise work voice, they increase their guidance, expand their

impression and build a sustainable community of cohorts to carry forward their efforts.

Having cohorts and admirers will help the thought leaders to prevent burnout as they

bring about the evolutionary and even revolutionary change to their legacy.

13

Thought Leadership

Seven (7) R’s of Thought Leadership

Few researches have discussed Seven 7 R’s of Thought Leadership11, which clearly states

what makes a thought leader different from other experts and how their committed expertise

drives towards the successful results of growth and development of perspective they work

for.

• Resonant

Thought Leaders should be resonant, meaning that along with diving in and producing

a master piece of their expertise, they should rather be reverberating their work, so as

to make the maximum people aware about the contemporary changes in the field of

specialized knowledge and speak with as many people in their field of specialization

and related field as possible. They should keep enquiring and updating on what are

their pressures and priorities, what interests them, what information would they place

their hand off for and alike. This will ensure that the chosen angle of a Thought Leader

is valuable and in demand.

11. See Dalgish Andrew (2012), The Seven R’s of Thought Leadership, The Circle Research.

14

Thought Leadership

• Rare

As discussed previously, thought leaders serve the unique perspective of the

professional understanding and indulgence. For them, it is always advised that before

committing to a particular route take each of the subject areas identified in their

discussions with the market and identify competitors for similar mind space

(remember, these are competitors for share of mind not necessarily direct competitors,

or trade bodies). Then audit everything already published, map out the angles taken

and identify areas of white space. This will ensure that the results thought leadership

would produce are not only in demand, but unique also.

• Road Mapped

The thought leaders always analyse and speculate the opportunities as well as challenges

in the upcoming state of things and therefore, they strategically map the road for the

success of their goals while keeping the mechanism ready for encountering the

probable challenges. Further, for unique and compelling angle in hand, a thought

leadership strategy is needed. At its core, there should be a theme which will guide all

of the activity in a coherent manner and allow a series of complementary pieces to be

created. This gives focus and establishes the thought leaders as an authority in the

subject area and ensures marketing of each subsequent piece benefits from investment

in the last.

• Robust

A thought leader should be thoroughgoing and systematic in the area of their

specialization and along with this, they should be well informed and updated with the

contemporary vicissitudes taking place in the area of their expertise. This would make

them strong while guiding the organizations or establishments in achieving the target

oriented growth and success. This would make them to serve with a reliable,

representative and solidly executed piece of work. Likewise, be careful not to turn the

outputs into an explicit transactions pitch that a smart audience will see straight

through.

• Rounded

Being an expert does not stop a thought leader in acquiring the deep knowledge of

the related fields, rather a deep knowledge of the adjacent filed would uplift the quality

of their services on head to head basis. The best thought leadership goes the extra

mile in delivery. Each piece in the series contains not only exclusive survey findings,

but other content which gives flavor and facilitates action. The show of their all rounded

15

Thought Leadership

performance often results into value best practice guides with the exposure of case

studies, video or interactive content with another added dimension.

• Rooted

To become known as the ‘go to place’ on a subject, you need to give people somewhere

to go. Develop a separate brand for your thought leadership platform and a micro-

site to call home.

• Re-used

Indeed thought leaders invest a lot of effort in producing highly valuable content. To

ensure as high a reoccurrence as possible it needs to be packaged in a way that appeals

to diverse consumption preferences and many could be benefited from the expertise

in the longer run. Hence, it is majorly observed that thought leaders lead to publish

reports, create video, produce infographics, develop transactions tool-kits, run seminars

and awareness programs and alike to make others informed in the contemporary

developments taking place in the related expertise of the thought leader.

Thought Leadership : A Key to Success

This is the way to live — believing so much in your vision that even when you’re dying, you

whisper it into another person’s ear.” Mike Vance, Author and Former dean of Disney

University.12

In his classic book on leadership, Think Out of the Box, Mike Vance tells the story of a

determined journalist who got into Walt Disney’s hospital room for an interview the night

before Walt died. Mr. Disney was so ill that he could not sit up or speak above a whisper, so he

invited the reporter to come close. For 30 minutes the reporter lay in bed next to Mr. Disney,

who pointed to an imaginary map of the famous theme park on the ceiling while he described

his vision for the Magic Kingdom.

After the completion of Walt Disney World six years later, someone said, “Isn’t it too bad that

Walt Disney didn’t live to see this?”

Mike Vance replied, “He did see it. That’s why it’s here.”

Walt Disney knew the power of vision. He created Walt Disney World in his mind and then

led others to imagine and support his idea for a revolutionary theme-park experience. This is

the essence of visionary thought leadership and the heart of what it takes to create a dream in

12. See, Graham Stedman (2016), Vision Matters: Thought-Leadership Strategies for Success, The Huffpost.

16

Thought Leadership

this world. Visionary thought-leadership strategies are not just for people with extraordinary

goals. These invaluable practices are necessary for anyone who wants to do more than just

survive the information and obligation onslaught of the 21st century.

In the contemporary world of reforms and transformations, an equitable success for the

inclusive world is everything as an objective of thought leadership. As per the research

conducted by ITSMA (The Information Technology Services Marketing Association), it was

discovered that Thought Leadership is one of the key factors for the structural success of any

idea, notion, individual, organizations and even the state.13 The inclusive success under the

principles of Thought Leadership is influenced in three ways, which includes:

• Reputation : A sketch of success and progression not only lead towards fortune, but it

also builds a strong stand of related stakeholder and the organization on a more positive

and progressive front. The reputation once created helps the organization to succeed

well with the directed and goal-oriented vision and mission.

13. Schwartz Julie (2012), The Six Pillars of a Successful Thought Leadership Strategy, ITSMA

17

Thought Leadership

• Relationships : Good relationship helps the organization achieve growth and success

while avoiding the impediments of confusion and misperceptions. The quality of

Thought Leadership helps in maintaining the balanced relationship within as well as

outside the peer group which could be thoroughly utilized at the perfect time either

in multiplying the rewards to the organization or in avoiding any cycle of hurdles in

the soothing implementation of the organizational goal.

• Rewards: Thought Leadership ensures a structured and well-thought-out way of

working upon the goals and objectives of the organization and lead to the successful

implementation of their strategies to achieve the results. This ensure the hundred

percent mark to the success of their acts, endeavors and strategies in a more holistic

manner and rewards of their endeavors in an effective way and longer run.

This ensures the very fact that Thought Leadership is indeed a key to success along with the

various recompense of Reputation, Relationships and Rewards.

***

18

Chapter - II

Thought Leadership in India : A Tale

Through Ramayana and Bhagvad Gita

Thought Leadership

Thought Leadership in India : A Tale Through Ramayana and

Bhagvad Gita

Thoughtful Leadership is an art that cannot be taught through limited sessions,

rather it has to be developed by observing leaders around us, by self-learning, by

learning from others and by application. Thought Leadership has its own prominence

be it in business, in spirituality, in politics, in defense, or in any field one could think of. In

simple terms, thought leadership is about alignment of thought or action of a group for a

cause. It is about taking charge and influencing others to follow your vision.

In the Contemporary scenario, where Thought Leadership is considered imperative towards

the transforming achievement of one’s objectives, the empanelment of Thought Leaders in

the form of organizations or individuals in changing attitudes and behaviors towards positive

has become quite significant. A Thought Leadership approach which gives marques a positive

point of difference, forging stronger, more strategic relationships with key stakeholders, along

with the range of competitive advantages is not new in our country.

The Concept of successful and thoughtful leadership is as old as the civilization in India. This

book makes an attempt to understand thought leadership the Ramayana way, the Mahabharata

Way to give the readers a glimpse of the leadership lessons followed by the eminent thoughtful

leaders in the history of the transforming civilization.

Thought Leadership : The Ramayana Way

Ramayana is the most sacred epic for Hindus. It is one of

the best examples of Hinduism through story telling. This

epic also throws much light on leadership skills and

interestingly these skills are relevant to present day context

and they will also be relevant to future context. Ramayana

epic implicitly explains the leadership qualities. In an

inspiration from the epic and we attempt to highlight

leadership skills of various characters that appear in the

epic. Ramayana teaches us the lessons of leadership

in general and business leadership in particular.

While Rama gives examples on how a leader should be,

Ravana gives examples on how a Leader should not be.

When you consider Rama an ordinary person, you get

to learn lot of noble qualities from him.

20

Thought Leadership

Lessons of Leadership from Ramayana

We could learn various lessons of leadership from Ramayana leading our life towards social,

economic, technical, personal as well as corporate success in the competitive world. Few of

the major learning are mentioned below:

1. Positive Attitude

In simple terms positive attitude is the

right attitude. Developing right attitude

is key to success. Positive determination

can change lives to good. At one stage

you may lose your position, money etc.

but if you keep up your attitude you will

regain it all back. Many rich people even

if they lose money regain it in a short

period of time as they have the right

attitude towards money. Here is an

example of Rama’s positive attitude in

keeping his vow to please his parents, at all times, as a token of gratitude to parenthood.

Upon receiving orders from his father, Rama decided to leave for 14 years of forest life. It

was his step mother Kaikeyi's idea that Rama leaves Ayodhya. Lakshmana got outraged

hearing this and started cursing Kaikeyi. But Rama was determined to accept his parents'

orders and instructed Lakshmana not to curse their step-mother. Rama had no desire for

kingdom for his only determination was to follow dharma and religiously please his

parents. This result was that he stood as the best example, to the mankind, of nobility.

In another example on attitude that Rama gives by regaining his stamina, during the

war, immediately after being severely assaulted by Indrajit.

2. Strong Willpower

Most of us give a great start but fade off the firmness of purpose. But a leader cannot

do so and has to possess unflinching determination and unfailing memory that is

because every small step that a leader takes highly influences all stakeholders directly

or indirectly.

Willpower is a state of mind in which mind holds the task till its completion. Below is

an example on determination explaining how Viswamitra received highest ranking

amongst all sages of his time. This is one of the stories told to Rama about Maharshi

Viswamitra. Viswamitra before becoming a sage was a king. He once went to forest

21

Thought Leadership

along with his army to hunt wild animals. After hunting

for some time he went to Maharshi Vasista's ashramam

located in the same forest, he was greeted well and

then treated well with delicious food. Viswamitra learnt

that Vasista had a cow called Kamadhenu which had

magical powers. The cow was the one that created

delicious food. Being a king Viswamitra wanted to gain

the cow and make it his property for which Vasista did

not agree. Viswamitra then commanded his army to

destroy the place but was badly defeated by army

generated by Kamadhenu. Viswamitra felt insulted and

determined to become equal to Vasistha in rank, the

Brahmarsi. He gave away his kingdom and started living

in forest to perform severe austerities. He meditated

for several years to acquire brahmical powers. In the

mean course he got distracted once by Trisanku who requested for entry in heaven,

second time by Menaka who was sent by Indra to distract Viswamitra and third time

by Rambha whom Viswamitra cursed out of anger. But then he realized his mistakes

and trained his mind to keep away from distractions and meditated again for several

years and at last pleased Brahma to get the rank of Brahmarshi.

At times we decide strongly to complete a task and even pursue it, but we give up

because of loss of hope. Most of us loose hope when we are very close to success but

never realize it. We invest all our time, energies but everything in vain. So when you

are sure you want to achieve something then don't give up and struggle until you

succeed in your goal.

3. Never Lose Hope

Some of us may be giving up due to adversity. The best

way to overcome adversity is to face it boldly. How you

handle adversity is critical to your success in business and

in life. Rama's story teaches us this lesson. After Sita was

kidnapped by Ravana in Rama and Lakshmana's absence,

Rama & Lakshmana started rigorously searching for her

in the forest. They could not find her and all their search

was in vain; Rama lost all hope! Lakshmana then

admonished Rama upon which Rama gave up depression

and then both resumed the search. How Rama kept his

22

Thought Leadership

oath of rescuing Sita is all about rest of the epic. Had Rama been grief stricken and lost

all hope, he would never have got Sita back!

4. Strong Dedication and Determination towards Goals

Strong Determination and dedication towards one’s goal is a key for success and

progression. Here is an example of unwavering determination exhibited by Hanuman

in finding out Sita.

Hanuman was in charge of search for

Sita in the Southward direction. He

knew that Sita was most likely captured

in Lanka so he made the toughest

airborne journey over the sea and

reached there to search for Sita in all

directions. He searched entire Lanka

several times but in vain. He was

thoroughly disappointed, tired and

started assuming misfortune for Sita and

was worried about his mission's failure.

But deep within his heart he was strongly determined to meet her and only then

return to Rama. And he did it! He met Sita, gave her Rama's message, went back to

Rama to convey Sita's message in return. Everyone in the monkey's army along with

Rama & Lakshmana appreciated Hanuman's accomplishment.

5. Never Afraid for a New Start

When we start with a new task, we would be doing so with lot of unknowns. It is our

own will power that can lead us throw hardships towards task completion. Will power

arranges all that you need to succeed!

In the historical war between Rama and Ravana, a huge monkey's mob was on Rama's

side while Ravana had a strong army of demons. The demons were powerful, well

trained, well organized, well equipped with sophisticated weapons & safeguards and

most importantly they were on their own land. But monkeys were not so powerful,

had no weapons and, had to counteract using trees, stones and their claws, teeth. Yet

the monkeys had strong will power to fight for Rama and thereby won the war at last.

The longer you stay committed towards your goals, the more momentum you will

build and the greater the rewards will be. Commitment should get amalgamated with

consistency in hard work and smart thinking so as to succeed. During the war between

23

Thought Leadership

Rama and Ravana, Rama's

army had to counteract

millions of powerful demons

lead by hundreds of Ravana's

army chiefs. To win the war

the monkey army had to

consistently outstand each

time. They had to play

different strategies to defeat

different groups of demons.

Monkeys had no time to relax

or even have food & water

they had only one mission in

mind, Rama's victory! Strong

determination for a strong

cause made monkeys win

over powerful demons.

6. Be Confident; But not Over-Confident

In the same context of the war, Atikaya, a monstrous demon and son of Ravana,

attacked the monkey mob. Atikaya was very powerful and unconquerable, and so the

monkey mob could not stop him. He then attacked Lakshmana who was merely a

youngster and less powerful, less experienced than Atikaya. But Lakshmana's inner

urge made him strong and fierce. He fought Atikya with vigilance and trembled Atikaya

violently. Atikaya was left astonished at Lakshmana's power, he had to pay off his life

for over estimating his powers, and for thinking that Lakshmana is less experienced.

7. Do your best to your fullest

capacity

Stretch yourself, do your best to

your fullest capacity even if your

contribution is not of great

significance. Monkeys were

constructing bridge from India's sea

shore to Srilanka under Rama's

direction. Monkeys were throwing

huge boulders into the sea to make

the bridge. Seeing this, a squirrel

24

Thought Leadership

near the sea shore was pushing little dust into the sea. It was doing its job to its fullest

capacity and that too whole heartedly for a great cause. Its contribution was definitely

negligible in comparison to monkeys' efforts but it still carries a great message for all

of us!

8. A premium on values

Sticking to some core values which are steeped in righteousness eventually leads to

success. The main protagonist of Ramayana, Rama, is depicted in Ramayana as an

epitome of virtue. He is an ideal king, an ideal son and a pragmatic person. He sets

high ethical standards in warfare and invariably sides with dharma, or righteousness.

9. Team motivation is vital

One of the most obvious incidences, in which use of management principles is very

clearly visible is that of Hanuman going to Lanka. His mission was to locate Sita there

and give her Lord Rama’s message. When it became clear that Sita was in Lanka,

Jamvant asked Hanuman to go there. He helped him in realizing his true potential

and motivated him to go in the enemy’s camp.

10. Believe in your team

The Rakshasa army was a powerful one, which had defeated the formidable, devas

and vanquished powerful kings. In contrast, the army of Rama comprised of soldiers

who were perhaps aboriginal tribes who had never encountered a sophisticated army

before. Yet Rama maintained confidence in the ability of his army to surmount this

seemingly impossible odd and enthused by his confidence his army fought to achieve

victory.

11. Leaders need to create more leaders

A time comes in every leader's life when he has to

create leaders around him. This involves making

people around him competent enough to take

independent decisions.

After the discovery of Sita's whereabouts, Hanuman,

of his own volition, set aflame the city of Lanka.

Hanuman's decision of burning Lanka displeased

Rama. And so after that, Hanuman stopped taking

decisions. To rectify the damage done, Rama had to

remove himself from the scene so that Hanuman

25

Thought Leadership

could rediscover his decision-making abilities. During the course of the war, Mahiravan,

managed to abduct both Rama and Laxmana and take them to Patal lok. Only

Hanuman had the intellectual and physical prowess to rescue them and eventually,

Hanuman succeeded in rescuing Rama. Rama had thus created a leader.

12. Recognize and stay away from the ‘Yes-men’!

Ravana is a highly learned and accomplished person. One of the reasons for his downfall

is to neglect the advice of nay-sayers. His wife, Mandodari, brother Vibheeshana and

grandfather Malyavaan – all advise him to return Sita to Rama. Instead, he chooses to

listen to his courtiers who play on his ego and pride and advise him not to do so.

13. Importance of communication

When Bali fought demon Mayavee and entered a

cave during their fight, Sugreeva was ordered to

keep a watch outside till Bali emerged. After nearly

a year' wait when neither Bali nor the rakshasa

(demon) came out, Sugreeva thought they had

both been killed. He went back to Kishkindha and

became its ruler and made Tara, Bali's wife, his

queen. However, Bali returned and seeing Sugreeva

as king, Bali thought he had been betrayed.

14. Excellence in execution

The plan to locate Sita gets brilliantly executed by

Hanuman. The wisdom with which he conducts the

search and the single-minded pursuit of the goal is an

example worth emulating by managers at all levels.

While crossing the sea, he declines an invitation from

Mount Mynaaka to take some rest on the way.

26

Thought Leadership

15. Have a clear vision

Rama's clear vision was to rescue his wife Sita and defeat the evil forces. This clarity

about the goals as well as the process enabled his army to put its heart and soul in the

battle to rescue Sita. A foreseen vision will always be a motivating factor to focus on

the goal and to not get deviated. Every leader needs to have a clear vision of what he

is aiming for and what will it bear him in future. Also he needs to think in parallel to his

followers who will support him to achieve his goals.

Thought Leadership : The Mahabharata Way (Bhagavad Gita)

In this incredible work establishing righteousness and dharma as the charter of victory, Lord

Krishna is instructing Arjuna,

on the morning of a great

battle, on how to conduct

himself. Arjuna has taken

birth in this lifetime to restore

dharma (right action) to the

world, but like many of us, he

has forgotten his purpose, the

vision for his life and his

values. In the morning light,

Arjuna loses heart as he sees

the enemy troops across the

great field, made up of

friends, relatives, teachers and

playmates, everyone he has

loved and admired. He sees

in their steely and determined

faces a mirror of himself: a reflection of his own anger and desire.

Until that moment, he never really questioned his conscience, looked at his motives or

examined his emotions. But seeing his own motives clear for the first time - personal gain,

personal glory, desire for power - he realizes desire and anger were what had been motivating

him throughout his entire life. Horrified, he was disarmed. Thinking the only way to renounce

his anger and desire was to drop his weapons and refuse to fight, he cries out to Krishna, "Is

this worth it?"

In response to Arjuna in his anguish, Lord Krishna with great compassion imparts the teachings

to Arjuna. Krishna proceeds to explain that leaders must take action to achieve higher goals,

27

Thought Leadership

but the way that leaders conduct themselves and what motivates them are critically important

if the higher good or dharma is to be the

outcome. In short, the means will not justify

the ends. Even more fundamental, Krishna

makes a distinction between doing and

being: the leader must be coming from a

place of purity, of right action itself, in order

for "right action" to triumph. In this case,

for the war to be truly honorable Arjuna

must be in tune with his higher purpose;

he can no longer use anger as a fuel for

action. He must put the good of the whole

ahead of any personal gain or glory. Anger

must not be his motive force or his behavior

and the results will be contaminated.

Consider some of these lessons embedded

within the Gita:

• Leaders should embrace rather than avoid formidable challenges because they bring

out the leaders’ greatest strengths.

• Leaders should be resilient in their actions and should not be weakened by pain and

pleasure.

• Selfish desires and animosity obscure the purpose of leadership.

• Leaders achieve lasting power and glory by exercising compassion and selfless service.

• Effective leaders do not lead by fear or anger.

• Character is core to effective leadership.

• Leaders need to be aware of the self and the surroundings.

As leaders in associations, there are some days that we, too, must figuratively don our battle

gear. The Bhagavad Gita challenges us to examine our motives.

28

Thought Leadership

Mahadevan in his writing on Leadership Lessons from Bhagavad Gita14, strongly

signifies the following lessons to be learnt from Bhagavad Gita to ensure the best practices of

thoughtful leadership in one’s virtue. These lessons are:

1. Leading by example

Leaders derive their credibility, respect and power from their unwavering commitment

to walking the talk. This is because, if the leaders say something and do something

else, the followers will not take the leader very seriously. Rather, they will do a similar

thing as their leader and nothing else.

Therefore Krishna warns Arjuna that he needs to lead by example. Viewed from the

perspective, leaders, hands are

tied, they lose the degrees of

freedom and the whole world

will keenly watch the leaders’

action and blindly follow the

leaders.

One of the biggest problems

today is that leaders do not

practice this value. They think

they are above board and in

several cases this idea stretches

to such a level that they being to

think that they are “above law”.

Every individual inevitably plays

a leadership role. A child looks

upon the parents, elders and the

teachers very closely and derives

its value systems very early in life.

These value systems are set at

that stage itself and very little change is possible later. Every one of us as responsible

parents, head of a family, member of a social or political group need to understand

this issue very seriously.

14. Mahadevan, B. (2012). “ Leadership lessons from Bhagavad Gita”, Impact, July 2012, pp 13 – 16.

29

Thought Leadership

2. Developing a sense of equanimity

One of the biggest problems that leaders face is their inability to take bad outcomes as

it unfolds at times. When everything goes well the leadership is fine. However the

moment some unexpected

things happen (such as losing

something significant, defeat of

one kind or the other etc.) they

just lose their balance. This is a

problem that requires solution of

managing the world “within” the

leader and not the “world

outside”. Modern leadership

theories have not even

recognized this issue.

No great leadership is possible

without developing a sense of

equanimity. Lord Krishna drives

this point in Gita in several places.

The first instruction that Arjuna receives from Krishna is on this issue, thereby signaling

the importance of this aspect. According to Lord Krishna, the world is full of dualities,

it will blow hot and cold and we will experience joy and happiness as well as some

unpleasant moments. These are the realities of life and they will come and go. If we do

not learn to endure them and go through this life as a roller coaster ride, we will never

be able to exhibit leadership traits.

3. Principle of Mutual Dependence

Today’s era is characterized by dominance of individuality as a value of life. Joint

families have given way for nuclear families. Children are constantly taught the virtue

of one’s own hard work leading to excellence in their studies and other pursuits in life.

People with originality (often taken as a good measure for their individuality) are

looked at with awe and inspiration. The society also views individual rights as an

important element of growth and progress. Asserting individuals right and space in all

matters of civil society seems to be the way forward to make a great country.

The spirit of questioning everything (as opposed to the spirit of inquiry) and seeking

one’s own understanding of the issue is another aspect promoted today. In all these

30

Thought Leadership

matters the common thread is to promote individuality either directly or indirectly.

The idea that begins as individuality will soon transform into selfishness as people

become very sensitive to their possessions, wants and needs and begin to demand or

bargain for these things in life. This will take away the culture of sharing as give and

take is simply not easier to practice. Moreover, the way we approach life will be

dominated by “what is in it for me?” If we observe nature carefully we will understand

one aspect very clearly. The whole universe is inter-connected.

The physical systems such a mountains, rivers, glaciers in the Polar Regions and

mountains have profound effect on us. The plant kingdom and the animal kingdom

too exert a considerable influence on us. Lord Krishna brings this aspect by advising

Arjuna that in order to achieve ultimate prosperity and success in whatever we do we

need to honour the principle of mutual dependence. The spirit of sharing and

unconditional giving (the virtue of Yajna) is the basis on which everything in the world

sustains. The Gods bless the living beings with this virtue and in turn the living beings

give back to the Gods using this principle. Paraspara Bhava, Lord Krishna says, is the

one that guarantee us ultimate prosperity.

Summarized view on Learnings from Bhagavad Gita

If one reads Gita from the perspective of leadership he/she will get a different understanding

of what it means than what we know today from modern research and practice. Leadership

is at its best only when it becomes inspirational. Inspirational leadership has several attributes

which we are unable to see clearly in current day leadership theories. These include:

• Outgrow their own vision from the narrow perspective of “what is in it for me?” to

an opportunity to make a difference to the people and the place that they associate

with

• Not afraid of anyone and not generating any sense of fear in others (Gita chapter

12)

• An ability to dramatically transform people and entities that comes to their contact

in a sustained fashion. How many entities and people in this country and elsewhere

have been significantly influenced by a person like Mahatma Gandhi till date? It will

not be surprising to find that this phenomenon will continue for a long time to come.

31

Thought Leadership

• Leave behind an impact that guides a large number of people and organizations for

a long time to come. Is it not strange that Buddha, Rama, Krishna, and Christ, are able

to influence people and society for a very long time? Such is the power of inspirational

leadership.

***

32

Chapter - III

Eminent Thought Leaders and their

Approaches of Thought Leadership :

A Bird’s Eye View

Thought Leadership

Eminent Thought Leaders and their Approaches of Thought

Leadership : A Bird’s Eye View

In the previous chapters, some strong theories have been vividly established which are listed

as below:

1. Thought Leadership ensures smart working under the prospects of professional

expertise.

2. A well-executed Thought Leadership initiative ensures success to each and every

endeavor either of an individual or of an organization.

3. Thought Leadership refers to specialized leadership by the persons of expertise,

specialization and professional knowledge which makes him an authority to attend

specified issues and to make good for each class of action.

4. In the contemporary world of competition and inclusive growth, the specialized and

professional knowledge of the thought leaders is a key to success along with various

other recompenses including Rewards, Relationships and Reputation.

This makes an apt case to study the Thought Leadership skills of the various prominent leaders

of the world who have marked their footprints of achievement and accomplishment. Although

there are various leaders in the history of the civilized world whose acumen, vigor and expertise

is a pathway for the entire world to follow and succeed effectually in this contemporary

world, yet discussing all of them would create millions of thesis in the consequences, therefore,

to discuss and deliberate the concept of thoughtful leadership and their traits in turning the

world of success in reality, the chapter seeks to discuss the skills, vigor and expertise of the

following illustrious thought leaders (*in alphabetical order) of acumen and repute:

34

Thought Leadership

Thought Leaders of

Thought Leaders of

Indian Origin

Transnational Origin

Amartya Sen

Abraham Lincoln

APJ Abdul Kalam

Barack Obama

B.R. Ambedkar

Bill Gates

C.V. Raman

Mother Teresa

Mahatma Gandhi

Steve Jobs

Narendra Modi

Walt Disney

Sardar Vallabhabhai Patel

Warren Buffet

Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan

Swami Vivekananda

(in alphabetical order)

35

Thought Leadership

Thought Leaders of Indian Origin

AMARTYA SEN

Amartya Sen, (born November 3, 1933, Santiniketan, India),

Indian economist who was awarded the 1998 Nobel Prize in

Economic Sciences for his contributions to welfare economics

and social choice theory and for his interest in the problems

of society’s poorest members. Sen was best known for his work

on the causes of famine, which led to the development of

practical solutions for preventing or limiting the effects of real

or perceived shortages of food.

Sen was educated at Presidency College in Calcutta (now

Kolkata). He went on to study at Trinity College, Cambridge,

where he received a B.A. (1955), an M.A. (1959), and a Ph.D.

(1959). He taught economics at a number of universities in India and England, including the

Universities of Jadavpur (1956–58) and Delhi (1963–71), the London School of Economics,

the University of London (1971–77), and the University of Oxford (1977–88), before moving

to Harvard University (1988–98), where he was professor of economics and philosophy. In

1998 he was appointed master of Trinity College, Cambridge—a position he held until 2004,

when he returned to Harvard as Lamont University Professor.

Lessons on Leadership from Amartya

Sen

Amartya Sen has made various major

economic contributions towards the social

and economic welfare especially in the area

of human development. Amartya Sen is an

Indian economist and winner of the Bank

of Sweden Prize in Economic Sciences in

1998 for his contributions to welfare

economics for his work on poverty and

famine, human development theory and

gender aspects in economic development.

Since the publication of first human

36

Thought Leadership

development report in 1990, there will shift the focus of development economics from national

income accounting to people centered policies.

The basic purpose of development is to enlarge human

freedoms. The process of development can expand human

capabilities by expanding the choices that people have to

live full and creative lives. And people are both the

beneficiaries of such development and the agents of progress

and change that bring it about. This process has benefited all

individuals equitably and built on the participation of each

of them.

Prof. Amartya Sen one of the world’s most popular and

influential intellectuals made tremendous contributions in

the field of economics, but he is more specialized in the area of Welfare Economics and

Development Economics, both come under Human Development discipline.

Few of his major contributions and philosophies of thoughtful leadership are discussed as

below:

1. Human Development Approach

Sen would continue to influence the

evolution of the human development

approach, refining and broadening the

basic concepts and measurement tools as

new areas of policy challenges were tackled

from sustainable development (HDR,

1994) to gender equality, poverty,

consumption

and

sustainable

development, human rights and

democracy (UNDP, 2002). In turn, the

HDRs have paralleled Sen’s own work on

freedom, participation and agency,

incorporating more explicit references to

human rights and freedoms. With Anand

and Sen also he played a critical role in developing the measurement tools of human

development, starting with the Human Development Index and going on to cover

issues such as gender equality – the Gender-Related Development Index (GDI) and

37

Thought Leadership

the Gender Empowerment Measure (GEM) were developed in 1995 and the

measurement of poverty in human lives rather than income through the Human

Poverty Index (HPI) (UNDP, 1997).

Thus, while Sen helped develop the initial conceptual framework and measurement

tools used in the HDRs, the reports carried Sen’s work even further as they explored

the policy implications of this development approach in areas that are of major

contemporary significance.

2. Capability Approach

Amartya Kumar Sen has defined development in term of an expansion in capabilities

and ‘entitlement’. Capabilities refer to what a person can (not) do or can (not) be.

Freedom from hunger, being free to participate in the political process, being

adequately sheltered access to health and education etc. can be quoted different

manifestations of capabilities. In this context, it will be essential to remember that

capabilities are generated by ‘entitlements’ of an individual (within a society), which

is measured not simply as income, but rather as the bundle of rights and opportunities

available to an individual. These two together, thus imply, both the available choice

set and also the capacity to exercise their right over the choice set. Needless to add,

the greater is the capability and entitlements of individuals in a society, the higher is

the level of development of that society. (Sen. 1989)

Development according to Sen is the quality of life in terms of capability expansion.

That is the expansion of valuable capabilities – broadening of the set of valuable beings

and doings an individual can achieve. Development is the freedom to achieve valuable

doings and beings (Functionings). Functioning are ends of human life and they can

also be means to human life. Functionings are parts of a person’s state of being or

doing in leading a good life. Capability gives the combinations of functionings achievable

by an individual. It is a set of functioning that reflects the freedom of an individual to

make choices of possible livings desired by the individual. Capabilities include

endowment, individual capacity and social opportunity that in turn impact on capability

and are capable of being developed.

Sen’s capabilities approach explains development as freedom and ‘capability to

function’. That is “what we can do with what we have”. From Sen’s approach there

are three core values of development, which are, sustenance the ability to keep

individual alive, self-esteem and freedom from servitude and poverty. According to

Sen, freedom is the matter but there is implication that the means of having the freedom

may not matter. Sen’s notion of development as capability expansion has been criticized

38

Thought Leadership

(Dizilbash 1996), for example, argues that capability expansion may include

impoverishment of some lives and can be achieved through vicious means. The ways

in which expansion of capabilities are achieved may be objected to partly because the

means may be anti-social. That is, the means of achieving objectives are important

and should be considered, just as well as the ends. Sen does not seem to take this into

consideration. Sen neglects incorporating negative freedom into his analysis.

Different cultures within different contexts may provide different conditions for

functioning and developing capabilities. What is regarded as correct functioning may

not be the same in some cultures; since functioning may differ from culture to culture.

Values cannot be measured and so cannot be compared. In discussing development

in terms of expansion of capability it is not possible to say anything about development

when expansion or contraction in capability occurs in a given situation. This is partly

because one’s capability cannot be compared with that of another person’s.

Interpersonal comparison of capability is not possible. We cannot also compare one’s

loss with that of gain of capability, since capability is not measurable.

3. Poverty and Famine

Poverty and famine is one of the most important works of Amartya Sen highlighted in

his one of the best ever remembered books “An Essay on Entitlement of Deprivation

published in 1981. In this work he demonstrated that famine occurs not only from a

lack of food, but from inequalities built into mechanisms for distributing food. Sen’s

interest in famine stemmed from personal experience. As a nine-year-old boy, he

witnessed the Bengal famine of 1943, in which three million people perished. Sen not

only focused on the famine that occurred in Bengal in 1943 but also studies such

situations in various countries such as Bangladesh, Ethiopia, Korea, Sahara, China

etc. According to him the absence of sustained entitlements for portions of society

resulting in inadequate command of real purchasing power to buy subsistence in the

market is analyzed as the chief cause of famines affecting large numbers of poor people.

He concluded that there was an adequate food supply in Bengal at the time, but

particular groups of people including rural landless laborers and urban service

providers like haircutters did not have the monetary means to acquire food as its

price rose rapidly due to factors that include British military acquisition, panic buying,

hoarding, and price gouging, all connected to the war in the region. In Poverty and

Famines, Sen revealed that in many cases of famine, food supplies were not significantly

reduced. In Bengal, for example, food production, while down on the previous year,

was higher than in previous non-famine years. Thus, Sen points to a number of social

39

Thought Leadership

and economic factors, such as declining wages, unemployment, rising food prices

and poor food-distribution systems. These issues led to starvation among certain groups

in society. His capabilities approach focuses on positive freedom, a person’s actual

ability to be or do something, rather than on negative freedom approaches, which are

common in economics and simply focuses on non-interference. In the Bengal famine,

rural laborers negative freedom to buy food was not affected. However, they still starved

because they were not positively free to do anything, they did not have function of

nourishment nor the capability to escape morbidity.

In addition to his important work on the causes of famines, he observed that all the

famines are not the result of natural calamities. According to him, most of the famines

of the world are man-made. In most of the cases, famine takes place in one region and

food grains are in abundant quantity in another region. In some cases, at the time of

the famine, the food grains are exported to another region by the same country. So

most of the famines take place due to lack of mobility of food grains from one place to

another, lack of Knowledge of information about the food grains by the governments,

lack of purchasing power to the poor and downtrodden people due to which they die

without food grains and cannot purchase food grains, lack of employment

opportunities to the poor people due to which lack of income generation takes place

and they become unable to purchase food grains, the reluctance and indifference of

the government in the beginning.

After the study of the famines in India, China, Korea, Bangladesh, Ethiopia and

Sahara, Sen has observed that dearth of food grains alone has not remained

responsible always for food crisis. In 1974, Bangladesh faced a famine, due to nation-

wide flood situation, the price of food grains increased. At the same time, as a

consequence of the damage of one crop the agricultural laborer lost the employment

opportunities. Due to lack of purchasing capacity this class became prey to hunger

and death in the famine, such kind of famine was faced by China in 1958-61 in

which about 1.16 to 3 crores of people died. On the basis of this data, it was the

biggest famine in the history of mankind.

Various thinkers made some comments on the real and monetary factors during the

famine. Sen has an interesting reference to Malthusian analysis of the rise in food

prices and their effects on the poor and on the other classes. In the case of Malthus

diminishing returns were occurring in food grains production; there was no monetary

inflationary factor. The relative prices of grains were going up because of the rise in

the money and real costs of their production.

40

Thought Leadership

4. The Entitlement Approach

Entitlements approach defined as the set of alternative commodity bundles that a

person can command in a society using the totality of rights and opportunities that he

or she faces. It should be noted immediately that this is a descriptive rather than

normative concept. The entitlements derive from legal rights rather than morality or

human right (Sen, 1981). He concludes poverty and famine with this famous stands

between food availability and food entitlement. Starvation deaths can reflect legality

with a vengeance there is clearly something odd – at best uncomfortable at worst

defective with an analytical approach that appropriates a normative term like

entitlement and strips it of all ethical connotation. In Sen’s framework, people destitute

by famine are not entitled to food instead they are entitled to strive. Despite its

normative connotation, entitlement does not reflect in any sense a concept of the

right to food (Edkins, 1996). The Entitlement Approach is based on three conceptual

categories such as Endowment Sets, Entitlement Set and Entitlement Mapping.

The Endowment Set is defined as the combination of all resources legally owned by a

person. In this definition, resources include both tangible assets such as land,

equipment, animal etc. and intangibles such as knowledge and skill, labour power,

membership of a particular community etc. Furthermore, the word ‘legally’ has to be

interpreted broadly to mean conforming to established social norms and practices

and not merely to what is sanctioned formally by the state.

The Entitlement set is defined as the set of all possible combinations of goods and

services that a person can legally obtain by using the resources of his endowment set.

The use of the resources to get final goods and services may be either in the form of

production, exchange or transfer. The Entitlement Mapping, called E-mapping, is simply

the relationship between endowment set and entitlement set. It is the rate at which

the resources of the endowment set can be converted into goods and services included

in the entitlement set.

According to Sen, famine is caused not due to shortage of food but due to failure of

entitlement. A person suffers from failure of food entitlement when his entitlement set

does not contain enough food to enable him to avoid starvation in the absence of

non-entitlement transfers, such as charity. Thus famine occurs, since entitlement set is

derived by applying E-mapping on the endowment set, the entitlement failure and

thus famine can occur only through some adverse change either in endowment or E-

mapping or both. Thus there are two types of famines – one is caused due to change

in endowment and the other due to change in E-mapping. The analysis of famine can

also be done in slightly different manner. As we know that E-mapping consists of three

41

Thought Leadership

different kinds of relations such as production, exchange and transfer, we can distinguish

four types of famines caused due to endowment loss, failure of production, exchange

failure and transfer failure.

5. Social Choice Theory

Amartya Sen highlighted Arrow’s Theory of Impossibility of Social Choice in his famous

book by name Choice and Social Welfare in 1970. The theory should aim at establishing

the need for equitable distribution arrangements in the initial status of human beings

in society. In their absence equality in opportunities has no meaning. The equitable

distribution arrangements have to be decided on the basis of universally, or near

universally, acceptable ethnical norms or rules for the functioning of society. The

decisions on social choices should give the greatest weight to the lowest status of

societies is one such rule favored by Sen after Rawls Theory of justice in 1971.

Social choice theory, broadly speaking with the interrelationship between the choices

of individuals and collective decisions. Kenneth Arrow put forward a mathematical

result that suggested that under set of conditions. The Choice of Technique of Amartya

Sen constitutes an important contribution to the analytical underpinning of

development planning and cost-benefit analysis. Sen explicitly considers a balance

between employing many people today and employment tomorrow, a problem

concerned with the welfare of the present generation and its, labour force as well as

that of future generations. Infact, Sen’s doctoral thesis work on “Choice of Techniques”

successively completed under supervision of Joan Robinson in 1950s was exclusively

relevant to developing countries that had high levels of unemployment and

underemployment. When they attempted to strike a balance between alternative

techniques, between capital intensiveness and employment.

6. Choice of Technique

Sen’s ‘Choice of Technique’ was a research work where he argued that in a labour

surplus economy, generation of employment cannot be increased at the initial stage

by the adoption of labour intensive technique. He pleaded for adoption of capital-

intensive technique in a developing country like India. His argument was that capital-

intensive technique strengthens the economic foundation of the country which help

in further expansion of the economy.

The expansion of capital – intensive projects has a snow – balling effect on development

in general including agriculture and industry. The scope of expansion of employment

opportunities is more in capital – based project compared to labour – based projects.

This idea of Sen cannot be said to be totally new one, because the Indian planners

42

Thought Leadership

adopted Mahalanobis capital-intensive four sector model in the second five year plan

before the publication of Choice of Technique’ in 1960.

7. The Time Series Criterion

A.K. Sen begins with the problem of an investment planner who has to make a choice

between various techniques. This person has to start with the estimates of real income

flows corresponding to each technique. If (m1/m2) is the ratio of the volumes of

investment with technique 1 and technique 2 respectively and if (r1/r2) is the ratio of

reinvestment that would be possible when the investment planner choose the

respective techniques, technique 1 will lead to a higher or lower rate of growth

depending on whether m1 is greater or less than m2r2. But this is not enough to make

a choice between the two techniques; it is very much possible that a higher growth

rate does not provide a higher level of social welfare. Sen, therefore, argues, “After

getting the two time series of income flows we have to apply the relevant rates of time

discount.

43

Thought Leadership

APJ ABDUL KALAM

Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam better known as A. P.

J. Abdul Kalam (15 October 1931 – 27 July 2015), was the

11th President of India from 2002 to 2007. A career scientist

turned statesman, Kalam was born and raised in

Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu, and studied physics and aerospace

engineering. He spent the next four decades as a scientist and

science administrator, mainly at the Defence Research and

Development Organisation (DRDO) and Indian Space

Research Organisation (ISRO) and was intimately involved

in India's civilian space programme and military missile

development efforts. He thus came to be known as the Missile

Man of India for his work on the development of ballistic

missile and launch vehicle technology. He also played a pivotal organizational, technical,

and political role in India's Pokhran-II nuclear tests in 1998, the first since the original nuclear

test by India in 1974.

Kalam was elected as the 11th President of India in 2002 with the support of both the ruling

Bharatiya Janata Party and the then-opposition Indian National Congress. Widely referred

to as the "People's President," he returned to his civilian life of education, writing and public

service after a single term. He was a recipient of several prestigious awards, including the

Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honour. He was awarded the Bharat Ratna in 1997, the

Padma Vibhushan in 1990 and the Padma Bhushan in 1981.

As is well known, born on 1931 in Tamil Nadu, Dr. A P J Abdul Kalam, specialized in

Aeronautical Engineering from Madras Institute of Technology. Dr. Kalam made significant

contribution as Project Director to develop India's first indigenous Satellite Launch Vehicle

(SLV-III) which successfully injected the Rohini satellite in the near earth orbit in July 1980

and made India an exclusive member of Space Club. He was responsible for the evolution of

ISRO's launch vehicle programme. He led to the weaponisation of strategic missile systems

and the Pokhran-II nuclear tests in collaboration with Department of Atomic Energy, which

made India a nuclear weapon State.

In his literary pursuit four of Dr. Kalam's books - "Wings of Fire", "India 2020 - A Vision for the New Millennium", "My journey" and "Ignited Minds - Unleashing the power within India"

have become household names in India.

44

Thought Leadership

While delivering a lecture at the Indian Institute of Management Shillong, Kalam collapsed

and died from an apparent cardiac arrest on July 27, 2015, aged 83.

Lessons on Leadership from APJ Abdul Kalam

Known as the Missile Man of India, esteemed APJ Abdul Kalam’s contribution to science

goes beyond all the material recognition bestowed upon him by the society. Kalam’s significant

achievement in the field of science into aerospace is well known all over the world. Apart

from his contribution to the technological and scientific development of the nation at par, as

a President of the Country, his thoughtful leadership has led him to be known as “President of

the People”. His exceptional command on his expert areas, his dedicated services for his

duties, his guidance for the young populace of the country and his mantra of the success

makes him a real thought leader towards the inclusive growth of the nation at par.

Emphasizing the importance of leadership development in young management and

compliance leaders, Dr Kalam offered his eight commandments.15

He said:

1. Leader must have a vision.

2. Leader must have a passion to transform the vision into action.

3. Leader must be able to travel into an unexplored path.

4. Leader must know how to manage a success and failure.

5. Leader must have courage to take decision.

6. Leader should have Nobility in management.

7. Every action of the leader should be transparent.

8. Leader must work with integrity and succeed with integrity.

15. Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam (2008), Leaders must have Vision, Passion and Integrity, Inaugural Address, FMS, Delhi University, Academic Session 2008-2010.

45

Thought Leadership

Dr Kalam has also recommended three books to the young leaders which he said would help

to discover themselves and follow their goals. The books are:

• Michael A Roberto : “Why great leaders don’t take yes for an answer?”. "This book

discusses managing for conflict and consensus. Particularly read page 233-235, the

essence of the book is “Great leaders, of course, behave as great teachers”, said Dr

Kalam.

• Stephen R. Covey (Author), David K. Hatch (Author): “Everyday greatness”. “This

book will give how the difficult social problems have been encountered and defeated

through leadership and message of unity – coming together is beginning, keeping

together is progress, working together is success,” noted Dr Kalam.

46

Thought Leadership

• Denis Waitley: “Empires of the mind”.

Drawing on details from “Empires of the mind”, Dr Kalam highlighted the “paradigm shift” in

management concept in the knowledge society. The authors have taken 10 aspects of the

knowledge society of the present 21st century and visualize how it will be. It specially says

that “what worked yesterday, won’t work today”.

The Ten Aspects of Change : A Habit to learn and unlearn via Thoughtful

Leadership

The Theory of 10 Aspects of Change: From Yesterday to Today

S.No. Yesterday

Today

1.

Yesterday – Natural Resources defined Power

Today - Knowledge is power

2.

Yesterday - Hierarchy was the model

Today- Synergy is the

mandate

3.

Yesterday – Leaders commanded and controlled

Today - Leaders empower

and coach

4.

Yesterday - Shareholders came first

Today – Customers come

first

5.

Yesterday - Employees took order

Today – Teams makes

decision

6.

Yesterday - Seniority signifies status

Today – Creativity drive

status

7.

Yesterday – Production determined availability

Today – Quality determines

demand

8.

Yesterday - Value was extra

Today – Value is everything

9.

Yesterday – Everyone was a competitor

Today – Everyone is a co-

operative coordinator

10.

Yesterday - Profits were earned through expediency Today – Profits are earned

with integrity

47

Thought Leadership

Dr. Kalam added that while he agreed with most of the analysis offered by the book, he also

has some different points of view. As per Dr. Kalam, he has analyzed 10 points, many aspects

he agrees, few he do not agree like point number 7 and 10. The 7th point, in his view is,

“competitiveness is the key which includes quality, cost effectiveness and just-in time delivery”.

In 10th point, his view is, “Work with integrity and succeed with integrity”.

Upholding the premise of the book, Dr. Kalam added, “Japan has very limited natural resources.

It imports iron ore and process produces the best of steel competitively for sale in international

market. Similarly, Finland has very limited resources. Nokia has attained global status and is

producing major share of mobile phones for the international market. This shows that

knowledge is power!”

Recounting his conversation with IT Czar Azim Premji, Dr. Kalam said, “After a visit to his

establishment, I asked Azim Premji, “Azimji, your organization and yourself have attained

new heights and you are well known throughout the world. Can you tell me the secret of

your success?” Premji said, “First, the sweat. Second, I love to delight my customers. Third,

a bit of luck.” Dr Kalam added, “I personally feel that the luck will not come unless one works

for the first two!”

10 Lessons on Successful Thought Leadership from Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam

Here are the 10 accomplishment lessons of Thought Leadership, which one could learn from

APJ Abdul Kalam – “Missile Man of India” for ensuring success and triumph for the greater

happiness of the society. These are:

48

Thought Leadership

Be a

dreamer

Be a

Push the

leader

Boundaries

Take the

Think

Responsi-

different

blity

Lessons

on

Thought

Leadership

Connect

Defeat

with

problem

people

& succeed

Work

Keep fit

hard

Be

Tenacious

1. Be a leader

He inspired leadership by example. During

1980s, he was able to convince Indira

Gandhi, the then Prime Minister of India,

to allocate funds for aerospace projects

under his directorship, despite the Union

Cabinet’s disapproval. These projects were

instrumental in the growth of India’s space

research program.

49

Thought Leadership

“Let me define a leader. He must have vision and passion and not be afraid of any

problem. Instead, he should know how to defeat it. Most importantly, he must work

with integrity.”

Indeed his last words were about the qualities that constituted a great leader.

2. Be a Dreamer

Under Dr. Kalam’s leadership, a budget of INR 388 crores was sanctioned for the

Integrated Guided Missile Development Program (IGMDP) by the Union Government.

The program started in 1982-83 and lasted 15 years.

After India test fired Prithvi in 1988 and Agni in 1989, under this program, many

countries restricted access to any technology that would help India with its missile

program. Undaunted, Kalam carried on with the dream program and this pushed

India to successfully develop critical technology, indigenously. True entrepreneurs

dream big and then work towards turning their dreams into reality. “You have to

dream before your dreams can come true.”

3. Push the boundaries

As a young student at MIT, Kalam was told by his professor to recreate an aircraft

design from the scratch or lose his scholarship. Moreover, he was given only 3 days to

finish a job which ideally would have taken weeks. With sheer determination, he came

up with a design that won him accolades from the same professor.

Entrepreneurs face seemingly uphill tasks with strict deadlines in a “succeed or perish”

environment. The key is to apply oneself and work towards a solution. “There is no

such thing as an impossible deadline”.

4. Take responsibility

During one of the test flights, for an underdevelopment aircraft surveillance system, a

plane crash killed the entire crew of 8 men. That day Dr. Kalam felt the weight of

being responsible for someone else.

As entrepreneurs, we lead teams. Leading teams can be challenging. Much more

challenging can be sharing success and taking responsibility for failure. “Don’t pretend

to be a candle, be a moth. Know the power hidden in serving.”

5. Defeat the problem and succeed!

“If you’re on a new mission or a complex task, you should also expect to experience

50

Thought Leadership

equally challenging problems. You should not

allow the problem to become your captain.

You should become the captain of the

problem, defeat the problem and succeed.”

These were the words Abdul Kalam’s

professor gave him once and he’s followed

them throughout his life and is also what he

suggests to young entrepreneurs. “This may

be true for every one of you in the decision

making process, venture capital acquisition,

equipment procurement, commissioning equipment, paying back large loans,

acquisition of human resource, training of human resource, marketing of your products

and every one of your day-to-day activities as an entrepreneur.

6. Keep fit

Successful people realize the importance of a healthy body and a healthy mind. They

know that the two are inextricably inter-linked and imperative for their smooth

functioning. They follow a strict regime of healthy habits which include right eating,

adherence to meal times, a holistic exercise plan that suits one’s age and a mind full of

positivity. It is established that the first three invariably impact the fourth.

7. Be tenacious

After his longstanding dream of becoming a pilot with Indian Air Force got shattered,

young Kalam got his act together and accepted an opportunity with the Ministry of

Defence. He convinced himself that much better opportunities lay ahead. In his words,

“Man needs difficulties in life because they are necessary to enjoy the success”.

8. Think different

Kalam never believed in doing a run-of-the-mill job and encouraged others to do

things differently, especially the younger generation.

He believed that entrepreneurship should be included as a course in India’s, which is

otherwise a rote-learning based educational system.

He once said, “My message, especially to young people is to have courage to think

differently, courage to invent, to travel the unexplored path, courage to discover the

impossible and to conquer the problems and succeed. These are great qualities that

they must work towards. This is my message to the young people.”

51

Thought Leadership

9. Connect with people

In the mad race for success, we often distance people and embrace numbers. If this is

inadvertent and not deliberate, the realization of the same comes as a shock to even

oneself. Gregarious that we are by nature, it is in our best interest that we make an

effort to know our neighbors/surroundings and keep in touch with our family. This

also helps in self introspection of oneself.

10. Work hard

Even during his last day,

Dr. Kalam never stepped

back an inch to deliver

that speech.

“The whole universe is

friendly to us and

conspires only to give

the best to those who

dream and work.” This

saying shows how Dr.

Kalam used to define the

day by working hard.

52

Thought Leadership

BHIMRAO RAMJI AMBEDKAR

We are Indians, Firstly and Lastly

Bhimrao Ramji Ambedkar popularly known as Babasaheb,

was born on 14 April 1891 in Mhow, Madhya Pradesh. He is

known for his inspirational work for Dalit community of India.

He was an Indian jurist, politician and social reformer. He

was Independent India’s first law minister and was among

the main architects in designing Constitution of India.

B.R. Ambedkar was a leading activist and social reformer who

gave his life working for the upliftment of the Dalits and the socially backward class of India. A

messiah for the downtrodden, he continuously fought for eradication of caste discrimination

that had fragmented the Indian society and made it cripple. Born in a socially backward family,

Ambedkar was the victim of caste discrimination, inequality and prejudice. However, fighting

all odds, he attained higher education thus becoming the first ever untouchable to attain the

same. No sooner after completing his studies, he launched himself politically fighting for the

rights of the depressed class and inequality practiced in the society. He was a crusader of social

equality and justice. Academically trained as a jurist, he went on to become the first Law

Minister of Free India and the framer or chief architect of the Constitution of India. In his later

years, he acted as a revivalist of Buddhism in India, by converting himself to the religion to free

himself from the perils of caste differences and unfairness.

Lessons on Leadership by B.R. Ambedkar

Indeed, B.R Ambedkar has been an active reformer for enhancing the social development of

the nation at par. Along with his dedication in uplifting the status and development of the

society towards advancement, he has been instrumental in rewarding our nation with one of

the extensive and consolidated Constitution in the world. The Constitution was promulgated

on 26 January 1950. Ambedkar appreciated that it had its limitations and declared that

political democracy could have no meaning without social democracy. However, he remained

confident that our Constitution represented a solid foundation for India to build from as a

new independent nation. Apart from architecting the constitution, Ambedkar played a key

role in establishment of Reserve Bank of India in 1935. He had also suggested the division of

both Madhya Pradesh and Bihar for better governance way back in 1955. He also wanted to

16. See, ten Facts you did not Know about Ambedkar. Available at: https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/b-r-ambedkar-

3657.php

53

Thought Leadership

sponsor Sanskrit as the official language of the Indian union.16 Few lessons of leadership, to

be learnt from his successful work for transforming the legal and social development of the

nation are as below:

Welfare is key

for Growth

Education is

and

the key to

Governance is

success

the Key for

Welfare

Don’t be

Give back to

scared

Society

1. Welfare is key for Growth and Governance is the Key for Welfare

B.R. Ambedkar’s vision of India was that of a welfare state which would secure to all

its citizens’ justice — social, economic and political — liberty, equality and fraternity.

It was to be a state which would direct its policy towards securing its citizens, men

and women equally, the right to an adequate means of livelihood.

2. Education is the key to success

Ambedkar was a bright student and did

not let anything come in the way of his

determination to be educated. In a

society that shamefully denied Dalits or

'untouchables' an education, he became

the first Dalit to finish college.

He won a scholarship of Rs 25 to

54

Thought Leadership

Mumbai University, and a state scholarship that enabled him to travel abroad for a

post-graduate degree.

He studied at the London School of Economics and at Columbia University in the US,

emerging with a Ph.D. in Economics.

He served as defence secretary in the State of Baroda. He was India’s first Law minister

and chairman of the Constitution Drafting Committee.

3. Don’t be scared

The strange hold of the pernicious Hindu caste system was even stronger then than

now.

The young Ambedkar was not allowed to sit in the same classroom, or drink water

from the same well, as his ‘higher born’ peers.

He did not allow this discrimination to come in the way of his determination to get an

education and become a leading figure in the history of this country.

In 1990, he was posthumously awarded the country’s highest civilian honour, the

Bharat Ratna.

4. Give back to society

Ambedkar used his education to spearhead

the cause of equality, fraternity and liberty.

He believed that society will progress only

when women are empowered and thus

upheld women’s right to higher education and

employment.

He wrote several books and columns

highlighting the fundamental and human

rights of all people.

To close the gap of inequality inflicted on Dalits for centuries, he canvassed for

reservation in education and employment for Dalits, and won.

Human rights are more talked about than practised in India.

Dr. Ambedkar, himself a victim of the denial of rights, made sure that fundamental

rights were enshrined in our Constitution, benefiting generations to come.

55

Thought Leadership

5. Equality ensures Development

He being a firm believer of equality has been

vital in introducing equal pay for equal work

without any discrimination of gender.

Famous Quotes by B.R. Ambedkar

• “We are Indians, firstly and lastly.”

• "The sovereignty of scriptures of all religions must come to an end if we want to

have a united integrated modern India”.

• “I like the religion that teaches liberty, equality and fraternity.”

• “The relationship between husband and wife should be one of closest friends.”

• “Equality may be a fiction but nonetheless one must accept it as a governing

principle.”

• “An ideal society should be mobile, should be full of channels for conveying a change

taking place in one part to other parts. In an ideal society there should be many

interests consciously communicated and shared”.

• “Cultivation of mind should be the ultimate aim of human existence.”

• “Sincerity is the sum of all moral qualities”.

• “In India, ‘Bhakti’ or what may be called the path of devotion or hero-worship

plays a part in politics unequalled in magnitude by the part it plays in the politics of

any other of the world. ‘Bhakti’ in religion may be a road to salvation of the soul.

But in politics, ‘Bhakti’ or hero-worship is a sure road to degradation and to eventual

dictatorship.”

56

Thought Leadership

CHANDRASEKHARA VENKATA RAMAN

Sir Chandrasekhar Venkata Raman was the first Indian scientist

to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1930. The award

was given for his discovery of the “Scattering Effect of Light”.

The British government conferred knighthood on him.

Henceforth the title ‘Sir” was added to his name. He is known

as Sir C.V. Raman.

Raman was born on November 7, 1888 at Tiruchhirapalli,

Tamilnadu. His father, Chandrasekhara Lyer, was a Lecturer

in physics, in a local college. His mother Parvathi was

housewife. He was a brilliant student from the beginning and

was inquisitive about ever-thing. He passed his matriculation

when he was twelve years old. He joined the Presidency

College, Madras. When he joined the college, he was still a boy. He was a confident student.

He passed his B.A. and M.A. examinations. He had a deep interest in physics.

Sir Raman was not only a good teacher but also a humorist. He was also a musician. All along

he was asking his students to concentrate, as nothing could be achieved in science without

concentration. Before two years of retirement he started the Raman Research Institute to

continue his research. Raman was always aware or the need for physical fitness. He used to

have daily walks. It is said that he used to go on a bicycle 12 miles a day at the age of 60. Sir

C.V.Raman breathed his last on November 21, 1970.

Lessons on Leadership by C.V. Raman

Sir Raman won the Nobel Prize for Physics in the year 1930. Raman discovered “the Raman

Effect” on February 28, 1928 and that day is observed as a ‘National Science Day’ in India.

Raman was the first Indian Scientist to receive the Nobel Prize. He was honored with the

Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian award, in 1954 in recognition of his invaluable

contributions to the field of science.

Raman went to Stockholm, the capital of Sweden, and personally received the award.

On return in 1933, Sir Raman joined the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, as Director.

Later he relinquished the Directorship but continued to work in the Physics department. The

University of Cambridge offered him a Professor’s job, which Sir C. V. Raman rejected, stating

that he is an Indian and wants to serve in his own country. Dr. Homi Bhaba and Dr. Vikram

Sarabhai were the students of Sri C.V.Raman. The rich sketch of his awards, achievement

57

Thought Leadership

and contribution to the society is indeed a visible mark of his thoughtful leadership for the

growth and development of our nation in the global platform. Following are the lessons on

leadership we could learn from the great scientist and reformer in the field of technical

education:

Target Your Goals

Give Back to Your Nation

Right Treatment and

Emphasis ensures Success

Devotion and

Dedication to your Goals

Learn From Your Failures

1. Target Your Goals

He has always followed the principles that if you would ask the right questions, and

nature will open the doors to her secrets. This has led them to attain conventional

success in the goals he directed in his life.

2. Give Back to Your Nation

He was of the opinion that one should give back his skills and expertise to his nation

who has built him up as a successful persona at the global platform. One famous

incidence of his love for the nation is when the University of Cambridge offered him a

Professor’s job, which Sir C. V. Raman rejected, stating that he is an Indian and wants

to serve in his own country.

3. Right Treatment and Emphasis ensures Success

He once said that Treat me right and you will see the light…Treat me wrong and you

58

Thought Leadership

will be gone!! This shows that right and timely emphasis and handling of the things

brings you success for sure.

4. Devotion and Dedication to your Goals

Success can come to you by courageous devotion to the task lying in front of you.

5. Learn From Your Failures

You can’t always choose who comes into your life but you can learn what lesson they

teach you. If someone judges you, they are wasting space in their mind…Best part, it’s

their problem. I am the master of my failure. If I never fail how will I ever learn?

59

Thought Leadership

MAHATMA GANDHI

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi was born in 1869 in the small

princely state of Porbander where his father was the Diwan

(prime minister) to the ruler. Mohandas was a rather shy and

timid child. At the age of thirteen he was married to Kasturba.

When he was 19, he went to England to study law. In 1893,

when he was only 24, Mohandas went to South Africa in

connection with a legal case. What shocked him there was

the way the Africans and Indians were treated by the white

settlers. Gandhi decided to stay on in South Africa and for

the next 22 years he devoted himself to improving the

humiliating conditions under which Indians and Africans

lived there. He showed the people a new way of fighting

injustice without violence, for what one believed to be right. This, he called 'Satyagraha.'

Upon his return to India in 1915, Gandhiji went on a tour of the country to see, for himself,

the conditions of the people. The poverty and ill-treatment of the people under British rule,

shocked and appalled him. He decided that unity of purpose against foreign rule would be

the most powerful weapon against the British. He called on the people of India to participate

in the non-cooperation movement to demand self-rule which eventually culminated in the

Quit India Movement of 1942. The British finally decided to leave. Whilst the entire nation

broke out into Independence celebrations in August 1947, the one man most responsible for

it Gandhiji, was away in Calcutta comforting victims of communal riots. He vowed to devote

himself to eradicating communalism. However within a few months, on 30 January 1948,

Gandhiji was shot dead while he was on his way to attend evening prayers in Delhi. On his

death Jawaharlal Nehru said, "The light has gone out of our lives, and the best prayer we can

offer is to give ourselves to truth and carry on the noble work for which he lived and for

which he died. He lives in the hearts of millions and will live for immemorial ages."

Bapu, as Mahatma Gandhi endeared himself to the nation, is no more. But the light that he

had shown during his lifetime will continue to guide this afflicted humanity, suffering from

divisiveness and distrust which inevitably leads to bitterness and perpetration of violence.

Like Buddha and Jesus Christ, he provided us with what Dr Radhakrishnan called a "moral

axis". He bequeathed to the world a philosophy capable of being applied, adapted and

assimilated to every situation. His philosophy is very simple - a commitment to allay suffering

and resist anything that leads to suffering, resisting it even to death. His message of non-

violence, truth and justice, sounds prophetic in the present day situation as well.

60

Thought Leadership

Lessons on Leadership by Mahatma Gandhi

A great leader, speaker of inspiration and truth, peaceful and a brilliant example of high-

thinking and living; these are just some of the things that come to mind when we think of

Mahatma Gandhi.

Originally a lawyer, Gandhi left his safe and successful career to pursue his dreams. His dream

was for an independent India and peace and freedom for all. The courage and determination

that Gandhi showed the world during the peaceful pursuit of his dreams, that many others

shared in, made him an inspiration to the world.

Rather than using force or cruelty to accomplish his goals, Gandhi’s weapon of choice was

peace and unrelenting love. Many great leaders and royalty have fought for freedom for the

select few. They often use attack and bloodshed as their main means. Gandhi however, showed

that freedom was deserved by all and could be won without any need for violence or fear.

Without a single weapon or power-hungry thought, Gandhi became one of the most powerful

and great leaders that the world has ever known.

We can all learn something from Mahatma Gandhi’s life. Here are some of his key

lessons17 ;

1. Truth Triumphs

Despite enduring a multitude of hardships on

his pursuit for truth, Gandhi knew that in the

end, the truth always prevails.

Therefore, no matter how difficult it may

initially seem, when you learn to be truthful

with yourself and with others you can always

emerge to be successful.

17. True Leadership: 5 Things to Learn from Mahatma Gandhi, The Hindustan Times, New Delhi, January 30, 2017. Available at: http://www.hindustantimes.com/education/true-leadership-5-things-to-learn-from-mahatma-gandhi/stor y-fgdXGBGD5S1DxCqbk6Xa0M.html

61

Thought Leadership

2. Simplicity Is a Virtue

Gandhi’s way of simple living perfectly

reflected the simplicity of his ideas and dreams

of freedom. Like Gandhi, when we learn to stop

sweating the small stuff and instead focus our

energies on the few, select things that are most

important to us, our lives become much happier

and more successful.

3. Innovation Is Key

When Gandhi needed to get his point across, he needed something stronger than

weaponry, something that would really make the world stand up and listen. So, he

became innovative and used PEACE as his method of freedom. He successfully carried

out the famous Salt March of 1930. This was the first time any leader had shown such

creativity and innovation in order to make change for the good of the people.

4. The Art of Life-Long Learning

Gandhi was a highly intelligent and a great

thinker of his time. He strongly believed in

the power of life-long learning to empower

and equip.

He was always thinking about his country

and its people. Similarly, Gandhi was

always continuously learning in order to

build a strong and capable India.

5. Sacrifice

Gandhi never shied away from sacrifice; in

fact, his entire life was lived in the spirit of sacrifice. In his love for others and for India,

he quit his previous life as a successful lawyer. He also went without the safety and

luxuries that came with it in order to expose himself to a multitude of challenges and

difficulties. Even after he succeeded in his dream of Indian independence, he sacrificed

offers of positions of power in order to continue his life of simplicity and peace. What

we can learn from this is that when we sacrifice things in the spirit of love and generosity

to others, we can go on to accomplish many great things.

62

Thought Leadership

6. Importance of Cleanliness18

Indians gained freedom under the leadership of

Gandhi Ji, but his dream of a clean India is recently

on the way to its fulfilment with the introduction

of Swatch Bharat Mission of the present

government of India.

Mahatma Gandhi said "Sanitation is more

important than independence". He made

cleanliness and sanitation an integral part of the

Gandhian way of living. His dream was total

sanitation for all. Cleanliness is most important for

physical well-being and a healthy environment. It has bearing on public and personal

hygiene. It is essential for everyone to learn about cleanliness, hygiene, sanitation and

the various diseases that are caused due to poor hygienic conditions. The habits learnt

at a young age get embedded into one's personality. Even if we inculcate certain habits

like washing hands before meals, regular brushing of teeth, and bathing from a young

age, we are not bothered about cleanliness of public places. Mahatma Gandhi said, “I

will not let anyone walk through my mind with their dirty feet.” Gandhiji dwelt on

cleanliness and good habits and pointed out its close relationship to good health. No

one should spit or clean his nose on the streets. In some cases the sputum is so harmful

that the germs infect others. In some countries spitting on the road is a criminal offence.

Those who spit after chewing betel leaves and tobacco have no consideration for the

feelings of others. Spittle, mucus from the nose, etc, should also be covered with earth.

(Navajivan dated 2 November, 1919).

Principles of Thought leadership followed by Mahatma Gandhi19

To achieve a goal you need a goal and persistence. Gandhi believed in hard work, patience

and learning from mistakes. His policy of ahimsa (non-violence) worked after all!

Most want to blame everything on fate and get away. Gandhi believed you are in control

as to how to react to people and events. That was the most critical part that affects the

outcome.

Gandhi once said, “A ‘No’ uttered from the deepest conviction is better than a ‘Yes’ merely

uttered to please, or worse to avoid trouble.”

18. See, http://www.mkgandhi.org/articles/gandhian-thoughts-about-cleanliness.html

19. See, http://www.businessinsider.in/Top10-Leadership-lessons-From-Mahatma-Gandhi/articleshow/49182612.cms

63

Thought Leadership

A great leader knows when and how to say ‘No’. It’s always a temptation to do a bit of

people pleasing, but it is best not to see what the mob wants and give it to them blindly.

Honesty may not often do you good in the short term. If we believe that humanity is formed

by good people and generally, difficult people are also human beings, we will be inspired

to handle them with ease.

Gandhi once said, “You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean, if a few

drops of the ocean are dirty not everything in it is dirty.”

Simplicity is synonymous to sophistication. Gandhi led a simple and frugal lifestyle. He

devoted most of his time and resources to self-improvement. He wanted to gain in terms of

spiritual advancement and less on material currency.

Gandhi once said, “It is unwise to be too sure of one’s own wisdom. It is healthy to be

reminded that the strongest might weaken and the wisest might err.”

Gandhi believed it was fine to make a mistake if you learn from it and get better. This

humility meant people connected with him as he had his feet on the ground.

Personal interactions with Gandhi lasted not more than a couple of minutes. However, in

that little time people felt they were the singular person in the entire world Gandhi would

have loved to chat with.

Gandhi wasn’t a great talker. He was passable at best. However, he was an exceptional

listener to the spoken and the unsaid. Unlike most, he listened to understand, not to reply.

The brand ‘Mahatma Gandhi’ is one of the greatest brands in history. It has been

enlightening and moving people for centuries. That’s simply because he built his brand

on honesty. All said and done, you can’t fool people forever.

Here comes a man who dresses in a simple loin cloth on a royal visit to London’s

Buckingham Palace. He also joked that the King of England wore enough clothes for the

two of them!

Gandhi believed, and stood for himself.

Gandhi once said, “You can chain me, you can torture me, you can destroy this body, but

you will never imprison my mind.”

Gandhi with his policy of non-violence proved the superiority of mind over matter. His

followers suffered immense physical pain. Gandhi believed one can train their mind to

develop resistance to pain.

64

Thought Leadership

NARENDRA DAMODARDAS MODI

Narendra Damodardas Modi popularly known as Narendra

Modi is a leading Indian politician and the current Prime

Minister of India. He is known not only for leading his party

Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) to a historic win in 2014 elections,

but also for leading the country with a clear vision and

accurate objectives ensuring the inclusive growth of the

nation. He became the first Indian Prime Minister born after

independence. He rose from a poverty-stricken tea-selling boy

to a development-oriented leader, eventually becoming the

longest-serving chief minister of Gujarat for 12 years. He is a

protégé of L.K. Advani and is known for running an upright

government through his incisive decision-making qualities.

Even though his economic policies have been praised, yet he is working hard to remove

corruption and bribery from the country ensuing the financial stability and upright economic

health of the nation. After assuming the office of the Prime Minister, he announced many

programs and policies that his government plans to implement in its 5-year term are enough

to justify proven faith, the country that happens to be the largest democracy of the world has

put in this man.20 In the contemporary times, he is known as one of the most effective thought

leader leading India towards an emergent and vibrant state at the map of the globe. To be

precise, his achievements including Best Chief Minister in the country, in a survey conducted

by India Today magazine, 2007, honoured him with the Asian Winner of the ‘FDi Personality

of the Year’ award, in 2009, featured on the cover page of March 2012 issue of TIME’s Asian

edition. Further, in 2014, he ranked at #15 on Forbes magazine’s list of the ‘World’s Most

Powerful People’. He was also listed among ‘Time 100 most influential people in the world’

by Time magazine, in 2014. He was named as the second most-followed politician on Twitter

and Facebook on the ‘30 most influential people on the internet’ list released by Time magazine

in 2015.21 "Forbes" rated Modi as the '15th Most Powerful Person' in the world in 2014.22

20. Sharma Nandini (2014), 10 Things to Learn from Narendra Modi, The Lifehacker India.

21. Biography – Narendra Modi, Profile by the Famous People. Available at https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/narendra-

modi-6147.php

22. Biography, Narendra Modi, by Elections in India. Available at: http://www.elections.in/political-leaders/narendra-modi.html

65

Thought Leadership

Apart from this, his forward looking vision has made

India to witness numerous progressive initiatives

including Swatcch Bharat, Make in India,

Empowerment of Women, Empowerment of Youth,

India

Implementation

Digital India, Start Up India, Stand Up India, Skilled

Transforming

is desired

under New

under Sankalp

India, efforts to remove corruption and terrorism

India, 2022

se Siddhi

from their roots and many more which are and

would write the tale of success in the inclusive New

India by 2022.23

Lessons on Leadership by Narendra Modi

Sankalp se Siddi aims at

Good Governance

These all credits confirm the very fact that along with

his thoughtful leadership, he is also the leader of the

people leading them for the larger welfare in the

inclusive nation. This makes an apt call to retrieve the mantra of successful leadership from

the lessons, Shri Narendra Modi has drawn to achieve one’s goal effectively and efficiently.24

1. Set clear objectives

Modi Ji’s clarity of thought makes him a thought leader. This is shown from the fact

that while the opposition was tip-toeing as to who should be the Prime Ministerial

candidate, he had clarity of thought that he wanted to lead the nation. He clearly

stated what he wants and what he plans to achieve on being given this opportunity.

2. Stretch your targets

23. Biography, The Narendra Modi Website, Available at: http://www.narendramodi.in

24. Also See, Jhindal et al; (2015), 21 Leadership Lessons of Narendra Damodardas Modi, Grapevine India

66

Thought Leadership

He believes on stretching the targets and to successful achieve them. For instance in

2014 elections, setting of such high targets had been done to ensure that the team had

no time to wither due to internal petty politics and has to rise to live up to the

expectations.

3. Inclusive approach

The inclusive approach taken by him ensured that the leader and every party worker

were on the same foot front. Each karyakarta was instilled with the feeling that this is

their battle and they are fighting it for their own cause. Nothing can bring the same

level of motivation which was brought by this strategy.

4. The art of communication

All the possible ways to connect with people and engage with them were tried and

implemented by Narendra Modi. Be it twitter handles or 3D projections — Modi ji

used it all and wooed the voters. He knew very well the topics to stress upon and how

to build a connect with people. Whether it is the use of Gujarati in Gujarat or the

rapturous Maa Ganga rhetoric, a leader must master the art of communication like

he did.

5. Meticulously plan

No doubt, he is a good orator but in spite of this, a lot went into planning his every

speech. Whenever he spoke he ensured he talks about facts and figures and a lot of

data crunching went in the process by his professional team for that.

This is clearly reflected the way vision India 2022 is planned under his leadership. A

leader, howsoever sure about the success of the project must plan meticulously.

67

Thought Leadership

6. Conquer Upon Weakness

Through his powerful speeches and interviews, it could be easily inferred that one

should not show his weaknesses rather he should work hard on overcoming them

and turning them as their strengths.

7. Lead by example

Leading from the front is something which is imbibed in Modi’s personality. He lets his

work, his “good” governance model do the talking.

During the months of election campaigns he worked for 20 hrs a day and addressed

over 450 rallies in every corner of the country. The level of dedication and commitment

he showed towards the goal inspired the team members to give their best shot.

8. Powerful and Meaningful Communication

The man has something in his voice that makes heads turn. Even the people who

don't happen to like him have agreed that they never miss a speech by the Indian

Prime Minister. And we can't even say that this all is because of someone who writes

68

Thought Leadership

his speeches, as the Independence Day saw him speaking without any written speeches,

and this sure is going to be one of the most remembered speeches from an Indian PM.

9. Discipline

The 15th Prime Minister of India has always led a disciplined life. Ever since he was

made a balswayamsevak in RSS, which is known to instill discipline in all its members,

he has followed a disciplined regimen.

10. Determination

Ever since he was a child who used to help his father and brother in their tea stalls, he

was determined to make it big for himself. He has been associated with RSS since an

early age, and that shows the determination that eight-year old possessed and this 67

year old possesses.

11. Detailing

This is something for people who plan a lot. Learning from a meticulous planner that

Mr. Modi is, you should care to have a love for detailing. For reaching out to the

Indian population, Modi travelled more than 3.5 lakh Kms and did 400 rallies, even to

places where no one usually goes. This micro detailing helps a lot in efficient planning,

leading to better results.

12. Affection for Technology

He is tech-savvy and likes to keep himself up to

date with all the developments in the field. He

tweets and posts important details of his life and

journey within minutes of it happening. His

affection is clearly reflected with the pace Digital

India is taking in our country.

13. Enthusiasm

Even at the age of 67, the enthusiasm with which Narendra Modi ji lives his life is

commendable. Be it playing drums on his recent visit to Japan or Japan’s Leaders

visiting India or answering questions of various Indian students on Teacher's Day, he

has never left his enthusiastic persona.

14. Patience

After foolproof planning, which leads to his confidence, he is not a man who can be

impatient and jump on to conclusions or be restless for results. This patience and the

69

Thought Leadership

tendency of keeping his calm and not behaving like a kid has proved to be very useful for

him. It's a hard sight to see the man angry, overpowered by emotions, or losing his patience.

This is something which if learned can prove to be a changing point in our lives.

15. Affection for Fitness

Modi ji is a big yoga enthusiast and

never forgets to do it, no matter how

busy he is. Perhaps, this is the reason

why he is this active at this age. This

is also something that we can and

should learn from him.

16. Leadership Skills

He is an efficient leader and leads by

his words; learning this skill from him

can be beneficial for our professional

lives.

17. Humbleness

Even though he is the Prime Minister of world's largest democracy, his position has not

gone to his head. He comes across as a very humble human being and this is evident by

the way he addresses the nation and answers all the questions he is put across. Being

humble can take you places and this is also something to learn from him.

Famous Quotes on Good Governance by Narendra Modi25

• “Mere good governance is not enough; it has

to be pro-people and pro-active. Good

governance is putting people at the center of

development process.”

Good Governance

• “While transparency reduces corruption, good

governance goes beyond transparency in

achieving openness. Openness means involving

Governance

Professionals

the stakeholders in decision-making process.”

P2G2 Mantra

enruing key

25. Quotes about Good Governance by Narendra Modi, The AZ Quotes.

Available at: http://www.azquotes.com/author/26058-Narendra_Modi/tag/good-governance

70

Thought Leadership

• “Transparency is the right to information while openness is the right to participation.”

• “Good Governance cannot remain merely a philosophy. Concrete steps have to be

taken for realizing its goals.”

• “People power must be combined with good governance to bring about real, deep

and lasting change. This combination can achieve almost everything from eliminating

corruption to ending malnutrition and illiteracy.”

• “E-governance is the only way to move from good governance to proactive pro-people

good governance (P2G2).”

• “Transparency is the key to good governance & e-governance is the only effective

way of transparent governance.”

• “During freedom struggle, it were authors and artists who made the Nation stand

with their pen, and now their pen can create an environment of renaissance when

Independent India is on the path of Good Governance.”

• “The government must nurture an eco-system where the economy is primed for growth;

and growth promotes all-round development. Where development is employment-

generating; and employment is enabled by skills. Where skills are synced with

production; and production is benchmarked to quality. Where quality meets global

standards; and meeting global standards drives prosperity. Most importantly, this

prosperity is for the welfare of all. That is my concept of economic good governance

and all round development.”

• “Good governance is treating development as a mass movement in order to see that

fruits of development reach the poor and the downtrodden.”

• “Good governance needs self-discipline.”

• “People's participation is the essence of good governance.”

• “Team Work is the essence of good governance. It is necessary to form a team within

the party and also within the administrative system.”

• “Good governance is not fire-fighting or crisis-management. Instead of opting for ad-

hoc solutions the need of the hour is to tackle the root cause of the problems.”

• “For achieving good governance political will is necessary. Good governance is a

political process. Though role of civil society is critical, without political will and political

process, sustainable good governance cannot be achieved.”

• “Good governance depends on ability to take responsibility by both administration

as well as people.”

• “Pro-active good governance aims beyond short-term requirement keeping in mind

the long-term needs such as the use of clean technology and in preparedness and

mitigating climate change fallout etc.”

71

Thought Leadership

SARDAR VALLABHBHAI PATEL

Vallabhbhai Jhaverbhai Patel was one of the important social and

political leaders of India. He played an important role in India's

struggle for freedom. Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel was born on 31

October, 1875, in a farmer's family in Naiad, Gujarat. His father,

Zaverbhai, had served in the army of Jhansi ki Rani, and his mother,

Ladbai, was a deeply religious woman. Vallabhbhai's initial

schooling was in Gujarati.

After his schooling, he went to England for higher studies. In 1913

after studying law there he returned back to India as a barrister.

Vallabhbhai was deeply influenced by Gandhiji. The title of 'Sardar'

was given to him by Gandhiji. In 1918, he entered politics. In 1931,

he became the President for three years as he was the leader of the

Quit India Movement. In 1947, India became independent and

Vallabhbhai became the Home Minister of Independent India.

His service to the nation will always be remembered. He was known

as the Iron Man of India.

Lessons on Leadership by Sardar Patel

Born on the countryside of Gujarat, and raised during the time when British had occupied

most parts of India, Sardar Vallabhabhai Patel went on to become the unifier of India that

was on the brink of falling apart while almost closing in on independence.

The country was vast, and mostly in shambles with the objective of freedom struggle that

seemed to have been achieved with British leaving India. But the problems remained. Partition

was a lot more gory and painful than what the leaders had imagined. On the other hand,

within whatever remained as 'India' the feeling of

solidarity was rather hazy because the status of

'republic' was still far away from being attained. States

were excited about freedom, but anxious about what

lie ahead of them.

Only few leaders played a prominent role during this

time. The barrister turned organizer and a leader with

steely spine, Sardar Vallabhabhai Patel was the person

72

Thought Leadership

who withstood the challenges of time, and managed them like the challenges were what

make the fruits of labour sweeter.

In fact, the name 'Sardar' was given to him, owing to the fact that he had always displayed

amazing organizational and leadership skills. He was a leader who was loved by everyone,

and even those who hated him, would grudgingly acknowledge the fact that he was a born

leader.

The current generation, which trains in B-schools to pick up leadership skills and lessons in

management, could well study a personality like Sardar Patel to understand the importance

of staying a thorough leader. He was a rare kind, the only kind and probably will remain so,

unchallenged.

'Iron man of India' was what he has been recorded as, through the pages of history. There

must be hardly any other leader who was bestowed with meaningful titles from the followers

who stood steadfast and strong with their leader.

Here are a few qualities that made him the leader he turned out to be. The one history

could never forget, and never stop admiring.

73

Thought Leadership

1. Take initiative

Patel took on himself the task of unifying the states that were torn in different directions

under the rule of kings. He had known this was what undid the India that existed

before the British took over. Well into the course of struggle for independence, he

worked towards this single goal and even after India was free from the British rule, the

goal was almost half achieved. But the other half was more challenging than before

since it involved having constant dialogue with the stakeholders. Sounds like a typical

management challenge? Well, it was and he excelled at it.

2. A true leader

Though

history

says

Sardar

Vallabhabhai Patel had shown great

leadership qualities right through his

childhood, it would be important to note

it was more a personality type than a

quality alone. He was someone who was

a born leader and clearly identified the

traits within himself. He marched the

path that his mind showed with clarity

and did so fearlessly. A leader is the one

who knows how to deal with his confusions.

3. Cross roads motivate leaders

Normal people with basic intelligence get flustered when there is a cross road at any

juncture. But, a leader sees these things as an opportunity to choose between two

things. Hard thinking coupled with increased clarity on objectives and vision, a cross

road is a clear decision of what need to be prioritised over something else.

4. Goal setting

Unification of the India that was left after

partition was a mammoth task. It was no cake

walk, but 'Sardar' Patel was a born leader who

had set this goal and worked towards it

relentlessly. He knew once the British left India,

the rest of the country had to stand together

in solidarity. This could be a crucial lesson for

leaders who manage companies through crisis

74

Thought Leadership

and management of the same. No matter what the challenges are, a goal is what

needs to be achieved without blaming situations that threaten the very premise.

5. Stand with people

While working towards

his goal, Patel was with

people and not away from

them. While he could have

a dialogue with Nehru,

Jinnah and Gandhiji, he

could also communicate

with clarity with people

who worked at grassroots

level as well with equal ease

and empathy. Standing with employees even as dialogues with higher stake holders

are in progress can set a real leader with vision and goal, apart from ordinary people

who would wish to stay away from complicated situations.

6. Sagacity

What are the important challenges for a leader? Sagacity and integrity being two of

them, it is important not to lose sight of the bigger picture. Even when things head on

a different direction, staying on the course and working through challenges will only

help the person who is at the helm of things. Using shrewdness is a virtue, but make

sure it doesn't threaten to tear the goal apart. Important lesson: bring on the

shrewdness, not the ego, into the picture and stay with it.

7. Looking through intricate details

Intricate details of working towards the set goal

can be daunting and tiring. But, that's what

ordinary people experience, and not a leader.

Looking through intricate details can help a

leader root out smaller problems, and keep

everyone together in a situation which is difficult

and challenging. Companies wading through

difficult waters need leaders who are not just

strong, but also lead the way with their own

examples.

75

Thought Leadership

8. Diplomacy

Though he was known as a man of iron will

and spine; Sardar Patel also often employed

diplomacy to keep the dialogue on and never

closed the doors of discussion. This was an

exclusive role he found and fit himself into,

where the other leaders claimed helplessness.

A unified India was his gift to the generations

ahead.

76

Thought Leadership

S. RADHAKRISHNAN

Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan was a famous teacher.

He was born in 1888 on 5th of September in the poor Brahmin

family at Tirutani, Madras, India. Later in his life he became the

first Vice President and second President of the country. He was

a good philosopher, person, idealist, teacher and a famous

author. He was a man of vision, mission and principles who

performed role of an Executive Head of India. He was a great

personality of the country, the birthday of whom is being

celebrated as the Teacher’s day in India. He was the man of

honour whom we still remember by celebrating teacher’s day.

He completed his BA and MA graduation from the Madras

University. He wrote a thesis on ethics of the Vedanta under the title “The Ethics of the Vedanta

and Its Metaphysical Presuppositions” which later became very famous and published. At

Madras Presidency College in 1909, he got appointed to the Department of Philosophy and

later became a teacher and Professor of Philosophy at University of Mysore in 1918. He had

represented the University of Calcutta while meeting at Congress of the Universities of the

British Empire in 1926 as well as International Congress of Philosophy at Harvard University

in 1926. After serving the country with his great works, he passed away on 17th of April in

1975.

Lessons on Leadership by S. Radhakrishnan

Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru, who was one of his closest friends throughout, said about

Dr.Radhakrishnan, "He has served his country in many capacities. But above all, he is a great

teacher from whom all of us have learnt much and will continue to learn. It is India’s peculiar

privilege to have a great philosopher, a great educationist and a great humanist as her President.

That in itself shows the kind of men we honor and respect."

A teacher is many things, a pillar of support, an epitome of strength, a caregiver as a friend, a

disciplinarian yet, always approachable and someone who is warm at heart. No matter which

position Dr. Radhakrishnan held, whether that of a President, Vice President, or even an

ambassador, he essentially remained a teacher his entire life. The teaching profession was his

first love and those who studied under him, remember with gratitude, his great qualities as a

teacher.

His admirers approached Dr. Radhakrishnan and requested him to permit them to celebrate

77

Thought Leadership

his birthday. To this Dr. Radhakrishnan said,

“Instead of celebrating my birthday separately,

it would be my proud privilege if September 5

is observed as ‘Teachers’ Day’. It was in 1962,

when Dr. Radhakrishnan became the President

of India, that his birthday came to be observed

as 'Teachers' Day'. Although many years have

since gone by, his contributions have never been

forgotten and children, celebrate Teachers’ Day

with as much enthusiasm, as no doubt, Dr. Radhakrishnan’s students did.

His Philosophies could be analyzed as below:

1. Spiritual Interpretation to Modern Theory of Evolution: Radhakrishnan gave a spiritual

interpretation to the modern theory of evolution. The growth of human beings have

led to their spiritual development. The human self is conscious of its limitations and

purpose. He believed that the existence of the soul can be proved through our spiritual

consciousness. However, the noble men are better able to listen to voice of this inner

self. But, misuse of our rational faculties can lead to a deterioration of our spiritual self.

This human spirit develops through love and worship. That is why, all the religions

emphasize on the element of love and worship.

2. Human Exists for Higher Cause : He believed that humans exist in the world for a

higher cause. Hindu thought has laid a belief in the power of the human mind. It puts

faith in the capability of human beings. The idealist tradition has always asserted the

supremacy of the spirit in humans. This spirituality is essential to the dignity and identity

of the man. It is the source of our values and principles. The values bind the individual

in a harmonious relationship with the society.

3. Training is Necessary : Radhakrishnan also believed that a training is necessary to

direct our mental vision to the right objects. He carefully mentions that intuition should

not be confused with anti-intellectualism. Intuition which ignores the intellect is useless.

The two are deeply interlinked.

4. Go for Positive Aptitude : Human nature changes in two ways: First, there are natural

and mechanical changes which are inevitable. Second, there are ethical and spiritual

changes which are linked to our conscience. Morality enables a person to rise above

to a higher level. His conception of religion transcends the religious dogmas. It is

more of a universal religion, fulfilling the aspirations of humanity. Radhakrishnan’s

78

Thought Leadership

philosophy is the philosophy of growth and progress of human’s spiritual personality.

Our total liberation is possible only when we are truly free.

5. Love your fellow beings: Development of our moral nature can be ensured only by

loving other fellow beings. One should control the ego. This is the foundation of all

ethical process. A moral person follows his inner spirit, and not his external senses.

Our destiny is to expand our humanity, and make it more spiritual and understanding.

Matter, life and mind evolve only when their respective conditions are met.

79

Thought Leadership

SWAMI VIVEKANANDA

Swami Vivekananda, known in his pre-monastic life as Narendra

Nath Datta, was born in an affluent family in Kolkata on 12 January

1863. A precocious boy, Narendra excelled in music, gymnastics

and studies. By the time he graduated from Calcutta University,

he had acquired a vast knowledge of different subjects, especially

Western philosophy and history. Born with a yogic temperament,

he used to practise meditation even from his boyhood, and was

associated with Brahmo Movement for some time.

At the threshold of youth Narendra had to pass through a period

of spiritual crisis when he was assailed by doubts about the

existence of God. It was at that time he first heard about Sri

Ramakrishna from one of his English professors at college. Apart

from removing doubts from the mind of Narendra, Sri

Ramakrishna won him over through his pure, unselfish love. Thus began a guru-disciple

relationship which is quite unique in the history of spiritual masters. Narendra now became

a frequent visitor to Dakshineshwar and, under the guidance of the Master, made rapid strides

on the spiritual path. At Dakshineshwar, Narendra also met several young men who were

devoted to Sri Ramakrishna, and they all became close friends.26

Discovery of Real India

During his travels all over India, Swami Vivekananda was deeply moved to see the appalling

poverty and backwardness of the masses. He was the first religious leader in India to

understand and openly declare that the real cause of India’s downfall was the neglect of the

masses.

26. Swami Vivekanand: Life and Teachings, The Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission. Available at: http://

www.belurmath.org/swamivivekananda.htm#Teachings

80

Thought Leadership

The immediate need was to provide food and other bare necessities of life to the hungry

millions. For this they should be taught improved methods of agriculture, village industries,

etc. It was in this context that Vivekananda grasped the crux of the problem of poverty in

India (which had escaped the attention of social reformers of his days): owing to centuries of

oppression, the downtrodden masses had lost faith in their capacity to improve their lot. It

was first of all necessary to infuse into their minds faith in themselves. For this they needed a

life-giving, inspiring message. Swamiji found this message in the principle of the Atman, the

doctrine of the potential divinity of the soul, taught in Vedanta, the ancient system of religious

philosophy of India. He saw that, in spite of poverty, the masses clung to religion, but they

had never been taught the life-giving, ennobling principles of Vedanta and how to apply

them in practical life.

Thus the masses needed two kinds of knowledge: secular knowledge to improve their

economic condition, and spiritual knowledge to infuse in them faith in themselves and

strengthen their moral sense. The next question was, how to spread these two kinds of

knowledge among the masses? Through education – this was the answer that Swamiji found.

Lessons on Leadership from Vivekananda’s Contributions to World Culture

Making an objective assessment of Swami Vivekananda’s contributions to world culture, the

eminent British historian A L Basham stated that “in centuries to come, he will be remembered

as one of the main mentor of the modern world” Some of the main contributions that Swamiji

made to the modern world are mentioned below27 :

1. New Understanding of Religion

One of the most significant contributions of

Swami Vivekananda to the modern world is his

interpretation of religion as a universal

experience of transcendent Reality, common to

all humanity. Swamiji met the challenge of

modern science by showing that religion is as

scientific as science itself; religion is the ‘science

of consciousnesses.’ As such, religion and science

are not contradictory to each other but are

complementary.

27. Swami Vivekanand: Life and Teachings, The Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission. Available at: http://

www.belurmath.org/swamivivekananda.htm#Teachings

81

Thought Leadership

This universal conception frees religion from the hold of superstitions, dogmatism,

priest craft and intolerance, and makes religion the highest and noblest pursuit – the

pursuit of supreme Freedom, supreme Knowledge, and supreme Happiness.

2. New View of Man

Vivekananda’s concept of ‘potential divinity of the soul’ gives a new, ennobling concept

of man. The present age is

the age of humanism

which holds that man

should be the chief

concern and centre of all

activities and thinking.

Through science and

technology man has

attained great prosperity

and power, and modern

methods

of

communication and travel

have converted human

society into a ‘global

village’. But the degradation of man has also been going on apace, as witnessed by the

enormous increase in broken homes, immorality, violence, crime, etc. in modern

society. Vivekananda’s concept of potential divinity of the soul prevents this

degradation, divinizes human relationships, and makes life meaningful and worth living.

Swamiji has laid the foundation for ‘spiritual humanism’, which is manifesting itself

through several neo-humanistic movements and the current interest in meditation,

Zen etc. all over the world.

3. New Principle of Morality and Ethics

The prevalent

morality, in both

individual life and

social life, is mostly

based on fear –

fear of the police, fear

of public ridicule,

fear

of

God’s

punishment, fear

of Karma, and so on.

The

current

theories of ethics also

do not explain

why a person should

be moral and be

good to others.

82

Thought Leadership

Vivekananda has given a new theory of ethics and new principle of morality based on

the intrinsic purity and oneness of the Atman. We should be pure because purity is

our real nature, our true divine Self or Atman. Similarly, we should love and serve our

neighbours because we are all one in the Supreme Spirit known as Paramatman or

Brahman.

4. Bridge between the East and the West

Another great contribution of Swami Vivekananda was to build a bridge between

Indian culture and Western culture. He did it by interpreting Hindu scriptures and

philosophy and the Hindu way of life and institutions to the Western people in an

idiom which they could understand. He made the Western people realize that

they had to learn much from Indian spirituality for their own well-being. He showed

that, in spite of her poverty and backwardness, India had a great contribution to

make to world culture. In this way he was instrumental in ending India’s cultural

isolation from the rest of the world. He was India’s first great cultural ambassador to

the West.

On the other hand, Swamiji’s interpretation of ancient Hindu scriptures, philosophy,

institutions, etc. prepared the mind of Indians to accept and apply in practical life two

best elements of Western culture, namely science and technology and humanism.

Swamiji has taught Indians how to master Western science and technology and at the

same time develop spiritually. Swamiji has also taught Indians how to adapt Western

humanism (especially the ideas of individual freedom, social equality and justice and

respect for women) to Indian ethos.

83

Thought Leadership

Renowned Quotes of Swami Vivekananda28

• “You cannot believe in God until you believe in yourself.”

• “Arise! Awake! And stop not until the goal is reached.”

• “You have to grow from the inside out. None can teach you, none can make you

spiritual. There is no other teacher but your own soul.”

• “In a conflict between the heart and the brain, follow your heart.”

• “They alone live, who live for others.”

• “Neither seek nor avoid, take what comes.”

• “Comfort is no test of truth. Truth is often far from being comfortable.”

• “The fire that warms us can also consume us; it is not the fault of the fire.”

• “Ask nothing; want nothing in return. Give what you have to give; it will come back

to you, but do not think of that now.”

• “Do one thing at a Time, and while doing it put your whole Soul into it to the exclusion

of all else”.

28. The Indian Express (2017), The Ten Life Lessons by Swami Vivekananda on his Birth Anniversary, The Indian Express.

Available at: http://indianexpress.com/article/lifestyle/feelings/ten-life-lessons-by-swami-vivekananda-on-his-birth-

anniversary/

84

Thought Leadership

Thought Leaders of Transnational Origin

ABRAHAM LINCOLN

Lincoln was born in Hodgenville, Kentucky on February 12, 1809.

Raised by poor parents, he received less than a year of formal

education by the time he reached the age of 21. His primary means

of education was schooling at home, using borrowed books and

the Holy Bible.

At the age of 22, he moved to the Illinois village of New Salem in

1831, and continued his self-education by borrowing books and

teaching himself subjects such as grammar, history, mathematics,

and law. He worked as a store clerk in two different general stores.

He taught himself surveying, and worked part time at this

vocation. He was also appointed postmaster, and served in the

militia for 3 months during the Black Hawk war.

Less than a year after moving to New Salem, he ran for the state legislature. Although defeated

in this initial effort he decided to run again the next term. His second effort proved successful,

and he was elected one of Sangamon County's Whig representatives to the Illinois State

Legislature in 1834. Vocally anti-slavery, he served four consecutive terms as state legislator,

and before he had left that office was admitted to the Illinois bar. He soon became one of the

most respected lawyers in the region, known for his

honesty and influential manner with juries.

From 1847 to 1849 Lincoln served a single term in

Congress, and then went into semi-retirement from

politics in order to concentrate more on his law practice.

The Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854, which allowed for

the propagation of slavery into the new territories,

became a catalyst to Lincoln's decision to seek political

office again. He joined the new Republican Party in 1856

and ran for the US Senate in 1858, providing energetic

moral argument against slavery in the Lincoln-Douglas

Debates with Stephen A. Douglas.

Even though Lincoln lost the Senate race to Douglas, he was elected President in 1860. As a

85

Thought Leadership

result of his nomination, eleven southern states declared their independence from the Union.

When the South fired on Fort Sumter in Charleston harbor on April 12, 1861, Lincoln called

for 75,000 volunteers to help put down the rebellion.

After over a year of indecisive fighting, he issued the Emancipation Proclamation, freeing the

slaves of the rebelling southern states. The Emancipation Proclamation took effect on January

1, 1863. Subsequent Union victories at Gettysburg, Vicksburg, and Chattanooga soon had

the Southern armies permanently on the defensive. It was during a dedication ceremony at

Gettysburg, Pennsylvania on November 19, 1863 that he presented the Gettysburg Address,

now recognized as one of the world's greatest speeches.

Lincoln was re-elected President in November of 1864.

Lincoln pushed the “Thirteenth Amendment" freeing all slaves everywhere, through congress

in late 1864/early 1865. After a great deal of political maneuvering on the part of Lincoln, the

House of Representatives passed the Thirteenth Amendment on January 31, 1865.

Lincoln's Second Inaugural Address, delivered less than 6 weeks before his assassination,

eloquently summed up his beliefs. These were that the underlying cause of the war had been

slavery, the war was God's punishment on the nation for its failure to remove slavery from the

land, and it was every American's duty to not only eliminate slavery, but to re-unite the

nation, forgive his or her fellow man, and build a lasting peace among all nations.

Lincoln was shot by John Wilkes Booth on April 14, 1865 and died the following day.

Lessons on Leadership from Abraham Lincoln

Lincoln is known as an Inclusive leader in the centuries of

successful leadership and Hard Work. He was known for the

attitude that nothing could come between him and his decisions

for the citizens’ welfare. His remarkable commitment and services

to the nation for their inclusive development were indeed a result

of his strong principles of leadership in life. Goodwin, the winner

of Lincoln Prize in year 2012 has, the few significant lessons of his

thoughtful leadership29, listed as below:

1. Know When to Act and When to Wait

Lincoln knew when to speak and when to remain silent.

He knew when to act and when to wait. It has been noted

29. Goodwin Doris Kearns (2012); Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln.

86

Thought Leadership

that various occasion wanting Lincoln to hurry up and make a decision, only to later

discover that making his views public too soon would have sabotaged his chances for

seeing lasting change. Whether he was hiring or firing, giving speeches or staying

silent, he had an uncanny ability to gauge public opinion. He usually waited for the

public to catch up with him before making pronouncements.

At the same time, Lincoln wasn’t afraid to lead. When he knew his actions would

likely sway more people to his point of view, he got out in front of them and acted. But

he only did so when he was sure he wouldn’t lose the people lagging behind. He was

keenly aware of what Malcolm Gladwell called “the tipping point.”

2. Don’t Take Things Personally

Lincoln was hard to offend even when

offense was warranted. For example,

consider the brashness of General

McClellan, who once kept Lincoln and

secretary of state William Seward waiting

in his parlor until he decided he wasn’t up

for visitors and went to bed. As the reader,

I wanted to climb into the pages and get

in McClellan’s face to yell, “This is the

president of the United States!”

Likewise, when cabinet member Salmon

Chase undermined Lincoln and sought in

vain to replace him on the Republican ticket in 1864, Lincoln shrugged off Chase’s

ambitions, saying, “He has the White House fever.” Not only did he choose not to

begrudge Chase’s antics, Lincoln later recommended him for the Supreme Court as

Chief Justice.

And who can forget William Seward’s arrogant snubbing of his future boss? Seward

received more than forgiveness; he received a lifelong friendship.

Though others were astonished at Lincoln’s forgiving spirit, Lincoln knew his

responsibilities were too important to let personal squabbles keep him from the task

at hand. By not seeking to establish his honor, Lincoln became all the more honorable.

3. Be Strategic in Your Diversions

Some cabinet members muttered about Lincoln’s frequent attendance at the theatre.

The times were too serious for such trivial pursuits, they thought.

87

Thought Leadership

But Lincoln chose to be refreshed

precisely because the times were

serious. Compare pictures of Lincoln

during the first year of his presidency

compared to the last. It’s obvious the

horror of war and the personal loss of a

child weighed heavily on him.

To maintain his vibrant spirit,

Lincoln planned a daily carriage ride every afternoon with his wife – a few precious

moments to unwind and hear of other things. He frequented the theatre, where he

would lose himself in the humorous plays and musicals of the day. It was because

Lincoln took his job so seriously that he looked for ways to relieve the pressure of his

office.

4. Tell a Story and Paint a Picture

Lincoln’s oratorical skills are legendary, but not everyone in his day was impressed.

Many thought he was a hick, a country “rail-splitter” from Illinois who wouldn’t amount

to much as President.

But Lincoln knew the power of a story. That’s why his speeches are full of analogies,

pictures, and anecdotes. Being a “commoner” was a badge of honor that helped him

communicate to the men who gave their lives on the battlefield, the families who

buried their young, and the slaves who desired their freedom.

Lincoln had plenty of practice in story-telling. His humor is well-documented by his

contemporaries. He kept his kids up at night with tales of adventure. Though pictures

often show him looking dour and depressed, the real Lincoln was a jovial man who

knew the power of a story.

5. Do the Right Thing Even When It is Costly

There are times when Lincoln was under enormous pressure to fire members of his

cabinet, to make changes in personnel, or to hold back on issues related to

emancipation. Lincoln could have succumbed easily to outside pressure. Quick

decisions might have given him immediate popularity.

But Lincoln understood the fickle nature of politics and refused to bow to the heat of the

moment. He decided to do the right thing and accept the fallout. He took responsibility

for his administration’s mistakes even when his subordinates were at fault. At personal

cost to himself, Lincoln chose the high road, sometimes paying for it in initial political

strategy, only to find respect from his countrymen increasing over time.

88

Thought Leadership

Famous Quotes of Abraham Lincoln

• "Courage is not the absence of fear. It is going forward with the face of fear."

• “With public sentiment, nothing can fail. Without it, nothing can succeed."

• “Commitment is what transforms a promise into reality."

• “Tact is the ability to describe others as they see themselves."

• “The best way to destroy an enemy is to make him a friend."

• “Be with a leader when he is right, stay with him when he is still right, but, leave him

when he is wrong."

• “Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than

any other thing."

• “To give victory to the right, not bloody bullets, but peaceful ballots only, are necessary."

• “You have to do your own growing no matter how tall your grandfather was."

• “Success is going from failure to failure without losing your enthusiasm."

• “You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today."

• “I have always found that mercy bears richer fruits than strict justice."

• “I can make more generals, but horses cost money."

• “Adhere to your purpose and you will soon feel as well as you ever did. On the contrary,

if you falter, and give up, you will lose the power of keeping any resolution, and will

regret it all your life."

• “My great concern is not whether you have failed but whether you are content with

your failure."

• “The best way to predict your future is to create it."

• “You cannot strengthen the weak by weakening the strong.”

89

Thought Leadership

BARACK OBAMA

Barack Obama was elected as the 44th President of the United

States, becoming the first African American to serve in that office

on January 20, 2009. Barack Obama was first elected to the

presidency in 2008, he won a second term in 2012.

The son of a white American mother and a black Kenyan father,

Obama grew up in Hawaii. Leaving the state to attend college, he

earned degrees from Columbia University and Harvard Law

School. Obama worked as a community organizer in Chicago,

where he met and married Michelle LaVaughn Robinson in 1992.

Their two daughters, Malia Ann and Natasha (Sasha) were born

in 1998 and 2001, respectively. Obama was elected to the Illinois

state senate in 1996 and served there for eight years. In 2004, he was elected by a record

majority to the U.S. Senate from Illinois and, in February 2007, announced his candidacy for

President. After winning a closely fought contest against New York Senator and former First

Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton for the Democratic nomination, Obama handily defeated

Senator John McCain of Arizona, the Republican nominee for President, in the general

election.30

When President Obama took office, he faced very significant challenges. The economy was

officially in a recession, and the outgoing administration of George W. Bush had begun to

implement a controversial "bail-out" package to try to help struggling financial institutions. In

foreign affairs, the United States still had troops deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

During the first half of two years of his first term, President Obama was able to work with the

Democratic-controlled Congress to improve the U.S. economy, pass health-care reform, and

withdraw most U.S. troops from Iraq. After the Republicans won control of the House of

Representatives in 2010, the President spent significant time and political effort negotiating,

for the most part unsuccessfully, with Congressional Republicans about taxes, budgets, and

the deficit. After winning reelection in 2012, Obama began his second term focused on

securing legislation on immigration reform and gun control. When the Republicans won the

Senate in 2014, however, he refocused on actions that he could take unilaterally, invoking

his executive authority as President. In foreign policy, Obama concentrated during the second

term on the Middle East and climate change.

30. Nelson Micheal (2016), Barack Obama: Life in Brief, Miller Centre, University of Virginia.

90

Thought Leadership

Barack Obama as a Thought Leader

Barack Obama is one of the most prominent and progressive front-runners in the history of

world. For around 8 years he has been the presidential head of one of the most powerful

policy of the world known as United States. His proficient leadership, committed services for

the welfare of the populace of United States, his honesty and his kind attitude made him to

acquire fame throughout the World.

Though there are endless credits to his persona and professional services, yet the remarkable

ones are his efforts in overcoming the effects of recession of year 2008, his winning of Nobel

Prize for Peace in year 2009, Reformed Health Care in US, Regulated Big Banks with cutting

edge banking reforms, Tax Cuts in 2010, successful endeavors to curb terrorism, enlargement

of nuclear energy, International Climate Change Agreement and also he has a credit of world’s

largest Trade Agreement negotiated as US-EU Trans-Pacific Partnership in year 2015. Apart

from this, his kind nature and an attitude to motivate the people for the larger good of the

society makes him a great thought leader. This gives a strong call to learn and understand the

leadership qualities he bestows to ensure a successful and thoughtful leadership in the

contemporary world.

Lessons on Leadership from Barack Obama

Though the holistic personality of Mr. Barack Obama is full of lessons for the budding thought

leaders, yet there are some key lessons to learn31 from the various speeches addressed by his

a true nectar of true leadership, which are listed as below:

31. See, Leanne Shelly and Leanne Shel (2010), Leadership the Barack Obama Way: Lessons on Teambuilding and Creating a Winning Culture in Challenging Times, McGraw Hill Professionals

91

Thought Leadership

92

Thought Leadership

1. Be True to Yourself

"Is what you are doing now what you set out to do? Be true to yourself. I look back at

what I said I would do when I was running for office, and I look at what I'm doing

today, and they match up. We have had failures, and we have occasionally been

blocked, but there is a core integrity to what we were trying to do."

2. Be Patient

"Change takes time. Often what you start has to be picked up and continued by your

successors. Don't be disappointed if things take longer than you think. Don't give up.

It is okay. The arch of the moral universe is long but it bends towards justice. But it

does not bend on its own, it is because we pull it in that direction."

3. Be a Team Player

"I think of myself as a runner. I am just running my leg of the race, and then I will pass

the baton on to someone else."

4. Listen to your loved ones.

"My children have an impact on me. People who I love sometimes explain to me what

I should have understood earlier. They can often show you what you should have

already been able to see."

5. Don't be afraid to speak the loudest

"Make noise and occasionally you can

even act a little crazy to get attention, to

shine a spotlight on an issue."

6. But then be prepared once people listen

"But once people who have the power, or

the ability to do something about the

issue, are listening to you, then do your

homework, be prepared, present a

plausible set of actions and negotiate. Be prepared to move the ball down the field,

even if it does not get all the way to the end."

7. Be Honest

"Sometimes it is okay to admit that you do not know all the answers."

8. Don't be afraid to conciliation

"Distinguish between compromising on principles and compromising on getting things

93

Thought Leadership

done in the here and now. It is important to understand that you have to have a moral

compass; there should be a reason for you getting involved, other than vanity – or you

know, meeting cute people – but you have to recognize that, particularly in pluralistic

societies and democratic governments, there will be people who disagree with you.

They have different perspectives and points of view. They aren't bad people because

they disagree – they may have similar principles, but simply disagree on the means to

vindicate those principles.

Compromise does not mean surrendering what you believe. It just means that you

are recognizing the fact that these people who disagree with you have dignity and

worth too. You have to hear them and see them”.

9. Don't surround yourself with 'yes' men

"If you spend time with only people who agree with

you, you become even more extreme in your

convictions, because you're never contradicted.

Everyone just mutually reinforces their perspective. It

is so important to seek out people who don't agree

with you. That will teach you to compromise. It will

also help you if you decide to get married."

10. Toughen up

"A thick skin is very helpful." It shows you should be tough in the times in the time of

your failures in order to ensure a consequent success of your adventure”.

11. Learn how to spot Talent

"Anyone who wants to be a leader, ask yourself, 'How am I helping other people do

great things?'. I can't be an expert on everything and I can't be everywhere, but I can

assemble a team of people who are really good, really smart and really committed,

who care about their mission and have integrity. Give them the tools and get rid of

their barriers, and help coach them so that they can do a great job. If they do, then by

definition I will to, because that's my job. Leaders who think that their primary job is

to make everyone just do what they want, as opposed to really organize people to

collectively go where we need to go, typically stumble."

94

Thought Leadership

12. Set a course and stick to it

"You need to set a general direction, and then hopefully unify that team around that

general direction. Often I have to rely on other people to implement and execute in

order to get there. Setting a direction requires listening to what is important to people."

13. Listen, but don't get distracted

"It is very useful as a leader to sit around a table and hear a lot of different points of

views and get to the heart of the problem. What is the essential conflict that we're

trying to resolve? Get everyone to see what the problem is. But it's easy to get distracted

from the essential issue."

14. Keep going

"Reject those calls to pull back. Reject the notion that we're gripped by forces that we

can't control. Take a longer and more optimistic view of history and the part we can

play in it. Embrace the advice of one of my predecessors, John F Kennedy: 'Our

problems are man-made, therefore they can be solved by man. And man is as big as

he wants.'

15. Don't be disheartened

"Reject pessimism and cynicism. Know that progress is possible. Problems can be

solved. Progress requires the harder path of breaking down barriers, building bridges

and standing up for the values you believe in. Progress is not always inevitable; it

requires struggle, perseverance, discipline and faith."

16. Always try to do the Right Things

"It is more important to do the right thing than to do things right. You can hack away

and clear a path through the jungle, but if you're headed in the wrong direction then

it's a waste of time."

95

Thought Leadership

BILL GATES

“Humanity’s greatest advances are not in its discoveries,

but in how those discoveries are applied to reduce

inequity.” – Bill Gates

Passion, intensity, and tenacity. That’s one way to describe

Bill Gates. Entrepreneur Bill Gates founded the world's

largest software business, Microsoft, with Paul Allen, and

subsequently became one of the richest men in the world.

Entrepreneur and businessman Bill Gates (born October

28, 1955) and his partner Paul Allen founded and built the world's largest software business,

Microsoft, through technological innovation, keen business strategy and aggressive business

tactics. In the process, Gates became one of the richest men in the world. In February 2014,

Gates announced that he was stepping down as Microsoft's chairman to focus on charitable

work at his foundation, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation32.

Lessons on Leadership from Bill Gates

Bill is full of lessons and insights. His exceptional success and humanitarian attitude towards

the inclusive welfare of the masses confirms us with his exceptional thought leadership qualities

and make an apt case to learn the lessons of leadership from his kind persona and professional

traits and ethic.

Here are twenty five illustrious lessons from the pages of his successful life33 :

Change the world, or go home

Blaze the trail

Make an impact

Humanities greatest advances are the ones that level the playing field

A Sense of Urgency

The market does not always drive the right things

Live your values

32. Bill Gates, the Biography. Available at : https://www.biography.com/people/bill-gates-9307520.

33. JD (2016), Lessons Learned from Bill Gates, Sources of Insight : Better Insights, Better Results.

96

Thought Leadership

Your best gets better with the right people

Innovation is the heart and soul of a business

Be the platform

Build a better system

Build an ecosystem

Know how to turn the crank

Take Care of Your People

Divide and conquer the problem

Improving your odds doesn’t guarantee success

You don’t have to be first to win

The toughest feedback to hear, is the feedback you need the most

Business and technology go hand in hand

Frame the problem

Celebrate success, but learn from failure

Technology is just a tool

Don’t automate inefficiency

Empower people

Go digital

1. Change the world, or go home

There is a little sign on many doors at Microsoft. It features the blue monster and it

reads: “Change the world, or go home.” Not only does that phrase capture the spirit

of thousands of Softies. It speaks to the way Bill Gates drives his life. He lives to build

a better world, whether it’s one version, one platform, one system, one idea, one

cause, one innovation at a time. The beauty is, he knows how to scale and amplify his

impact in powerful ways – he’s on top of his game.

2. Blaze the trail

The path is not always there. Sometimes you have to make it. Sometimes people will

think you’re crazy. Sometimes you are just ahead of the curve. It is a dream for a

reason, and sometimes making your dreams happen takes going out on a limb and

97

Thought Leadership

giving your all for what you believe in. Bill Gates believed that the personal computer

was the future and that there should be one on every desktop and in the living room

and it would change the way we work and how we live in unimaginable ways.

3. Make an impact

Drive from impact. Bill Gates makes choices based on impact. Whether it’s following

his passion or investing in a cause, he drives from making impact. He doesn’t just do

things because he can. He does things because they matter and he can make them

scale.

4. Humanities greatest advances are the ones that level the playing field

Bill Gates has a strong belief that “All lives have equal value.” Help those that cannot

help themselves. Everybody deserves a chance at their best life. Lift the underdogs

of the world up. In his speech at Harvard, Bill says, “Taking a look back, one big regret

is, I left Harvard with no real awareness of the awful inequities in the world. The

appalling disparities of health and wealth and opportunity that condemned millions

of people to the lives of despair. I learned a lot here at Harvard about new ideas and

economics, and politics. I got great exposure to the advances being made in the

sciences. But humanities greatest advances are not in its discoveries, but in how

those discoveries are applied to reduce inequity.”

5. A sense of urgency

The world changes fast. The market changes faster. Bill says, “In this business, by the

time you realize you are in trouble, it is too late to save yourself. Unless you are running

scared all the time, you are gone.”

6. The market does not always drive the right things

In one of his powerful talks, Bill says, “There are some very important problems that

98

Thought Leadership

don’t get worked on naturally. That is the market does not drive the scientists, the

communicators, the thinkers, the government to do the right things. And only by

paying attention to these things, and having brilliant people who care and draw other

people in, can we make as much progress as we need to.”

7. Live your values

When you let the world know what you are about, you become a lightning rod and

you attract people with the same values. At Microsoft, Bill Gates attracted people

with a passion for changing the world and joining him on a journey to help create

better lives through technology and innovation. On the philanthropy side, Gates

connects with U2’s Bono beyond the music when it comes to sharing their global

mission to end poverty, disease, and indifference. In 2005, TIME named Bono, Bill

and Melinda Gates, “Persons of the Year” for their humanitarian work.

8. Your best gets better with the right people

Don’t go it alone. You are better when you have got the right people around you. Bill

Gates built a culture of the best and brightest and was good at convincing his friends,

such as Paul Allen and Steve Ballmer to join him on his adventures. By surrounding

himself with smart people, Bill was able to scale. He also had a sounding board for

ideas. More importantly, ideas could get better from the combined smarts and

perspectives. Bill also knows how to complement his strengths by having the right

people around that make up for his weaknesses.

9. Innovation is the heart and soul of a business

It is about bringing ideas to market and applying research. If you do not innovate you

die. The world keeps changing. To stay ahead of the game, or even to stay in the

game, you have to keep innovating: innovate in your products, innovate in your

process, innovate in the markets, etc. Bill Gates uses innovation as a way to drive

impact whether it’s shaping software or saving the planet.

10. Be the platform

Be the platform people can build on. See the role that you play in building something

that let’s other people build on what you do best.

11. Build a better system

Don’t just solve a one-off problem. Make the solution systematic and make it

repeatable. Find, create, or leverage systems. There is always a system, whether it is

at the micro-level or the macro level. The system has inputs and outputs, cycles, and

99

Thought Leadership

levers. Whether you are creating the system or leveraging the system, you are more

effective when you realize that there is a system.

12. Build an ecosystem

There are systems and ecosystems all around us. Bill says, “Personal computing today

is a rich ecosystem encompassing massive PC-based data centers, notebook and Tablet

PCs, handheld devices, and smart cell phones. It has expanded from the desktop and

the data center to wherever people need it — at their desks, in a meeting, on the road

or even in the air.” On creating partners for your ecosystem, Bill says, “Our success

has really been based on partnerships from the very beginning.”

13. Know how to turn the crank

Take action. Execute. The problem is not a shortage of ideas, it is execution. Lots of

people have ideas. There is an overload of ideas. The real gap is bringing ideas to

market in a way that matters. The secret sauce is ruthless prioritization of the ideas

that make the most impact.

14. Take Care of Your People

Bill Gates says, “Great organizations demand a high level of commitment by the people

involved.” He set a powerful example of taking care of employees, from private offices

for developers to creating a workplace of extreme empowerment, engagement, and

passion.

15. Divide and conquer the problem

There is always a way to chunk up the problem and prioritize more effectively. Whether

it’s slicing the problem into versions over time, or simply taking the most meaningful

or highest ROI (Return on Investment) pieces of the problem and tackling them first,

you can make progress on the worst of problems or the best of opportunities. No

problem withstands sustained, focused effort that learns and improves over time.

16. Improving your odds doesn’t guarantee success

One of Bill’s stories during his speech at Harvard is how he learned this lesson: “Radcliff

was a great place to live. There were more women up there and most of the guys

were mad science types. The combination offered me the best odds if you know what

I mean.”

17. You don’t have to be first to win

Bill says, “Microsoft has had its success by doing low-cost products and constantly

100

Thought Leadership

improving those products and we’ve really redefined the IT industry to be something

that’s about a tool for individuals.”

18. The toughest feedback to hear, is the feedback you need the most

You get better by listening to your toughest critics. Your greatest source of growth can

come from the people that will tell you what you need to hear, not just what you want

to hear. Bill says, “Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.”

Bill also says, “You’ve got to want to be in this incredible feedback loop where you get

the world-class people to tell you what you’re doing wrong.”

19. Business and technology go hand in hand

Bill says, “Information technology and business are becoming inextricably interwoven.

I don’t think anybody can talk meaningfully about one without talking about the other.”

We’re truly living a knowledge worker world, where information technology is front

and center. Bill says, “It’s pretty incredible to look back 30 years to when Microsoft

was starting and realize how work has been transformed. We’re finally getting close to

what I call the digital workstyle.”

20. Frame the problem

Bill says, “I believe that if you show people the problems and you show them the

solutions they will be moved to act.” Framing a problem is simply how you look at a

problem, just like how you frame a picture. It’s about choosing what to focus on,

what’s in and what’s out. When you frame the problem, you bound it. Framing also

helps you get a better perspective on the problem, as well as share the problem more

effectively with others. Some questions to help frame a problem include: Who’s the

customer? What are their needs and priorities? What’s happening in the market?

What are competitors doing? What are our options for responding? How do we

differentiate? How is technology changing and what possibilities does it offer our

customers? What are the priorities for our business?

21. Celebrate success, but learn from failure

Don’t repeat the same mistakes and don’t

wallow in your wins. Bill says, “Its fine to

celebrate success but it is more important

to heed the lessons of failure.”

22. Technology is just a tool

Don’t lose sight of the end in mind or the difference that makes the difference. Bill

101

Thought Leadership

says, “Technology is just a tool. In terms of getting the kids working together and

motivating them, the teacher is the most important.”

23. Don’t automate inefficiency

Make sure something actually makes sense to automate, otherwise you compound

the problem. Bill says, “The first rule of any technology used in a business is that

automation applied to an efficient operation will magnify the efficiency. The second is

that automation applied to an inefficient operation will magnify the inefficiency.”

24. Empower people

Put the right information into the hands of the people that can make the most of it.

Bill says, “The vision is really about empowering workers, giving them all the

information about what’s going on so they can do a lot more than they’ve done in the

past.”

25. Go digital

Connect people, process, and technology. Create a digital landscape or a virtual world

to reduce friction and to create new possibilities. Bill says, “One of the wonderful

things about the information highway is that virtual equity is far easier to achieve than

real-world equity. We are all created equal in the virtual world and we can use this

equality to help address some of the sociological problems that society has yet to

solve in the physical world.”

Few Famous Quotes of Bill Gates guiding the way for thought leadership are as

under:

• “As we look ahead into the next century, leaders will be those who empower others.”

• “If you give people tools, and they use their natural ability and their curiosity, they

will develop things in ways that will surprise you very much beyond what you

might have expected.”

• “If you show people the problems and you show people the solutions they will be

moved to act.”

• “In terms of doing things I take a fairly scientific approach to why things happen

and how they happen.”

• “Never before in history has innovation offered promise of so much to so many in

so short a time.”

• “Often you have to rely on intuition.”

102

Thought Leadership

• “Success is a lousy teacher. It seduces smart people into thinking they can’t lose.”

• “It’s fine to celebrate success but it is more important to heed the lessons of failure.”

• “You’ve got to want to be in this incredible feedback loop where you get the world-

class people to tell you what you’re doing wrong.”

“Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.”

103

Thought Leadership

MOTHER TERESA

Mother Teresa (1910–1997) was born in 1910 in Skopje, the

capital of the Republic of Macedonia. Little is known about

her early life, but at a young age, she felt a calling to be a nun

and serve through helping the poor. At the age of 18, she

was given permission to join a group of nuns in Ireland. After

a few months of training, with the Sisters of Loreto, she was

then given permission to travel to India. She took her formal

religious vows in 1931 and chose to be named after St

Therese of Lisieux – the patron saint of missionaries.

On her arrival in India, she began by working as a teacher;

however, the widespread poverty of Calcutta made a deep

impression on her, and this led to her starting a new order

called “The Missionaries of Charity”. The primary objective

of this mission was to look after people, who nobody else was prepared to look after.

Lessons on Leadership by Mother Teresa

Mother Teresa, a Roman Catholic nun who devoted her life to serving the poor and destitute

around the world. She spent many years in Calcutta, India where she founded the Missionaries

of Charity, a religious congregation devoted to helping those in great need. In 1979, Mother

Teresa was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize and became a symbol of charitable, selfless work.

In 2016, Mother Teresa was canonized by the Roman Catholic Church as Saint Teresa. This

shows how thoughtful she was while leading the masses on the path of growth, development

and welfare. Some lessons that we could learn from her dedication and commitment are as

below:

There is no greater hunger than the hunger of the heart

Loneliness is the leprosy of the modern world

No man is an island

Judgment prevents us from seeing the good in people

You don’t have to love the whole world. You only have to love one another

We have all been created for great things

Your work matters. Do it with Love

104

Thought Leadership

Love and peace begin with a smile

God’s one and only voice is silence

If you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt, only more love

You are never given more than you can handle

You only have today, and when tomorrow comes, it will be today

Peace begins at home

Prayer is not about asking

Don’t wait for leaders to change your world

Patience is a great teacher

The greatest science in the world is Love

1. There is no greater hunger than the hunger of the heart

“The greatest disease in the West today is not

TB or leprosy; it is being unwanted, unloved,

and uncared for. We can cure physical

diseases with medicine, but the only cure for

loneliness, despair, and hopelessness is love.

There are many in the world who are dying

for a piece of bread but there are many more

dying for a little love. The poverty in the West

is a different kind of poverty — it is not only

a poverty of loneliness but also of spirituality.

There’s a hunger for love, as there is a hunger

for God.”

• “The hunger for love is much more difficult to remove than the hunger for bread.”

• “Let us not be satisfied with just giving money. Money is not enough, money can

be got, but they need your hearts to love them. So, spread your love everywhere

you go.”

2. Loneliness is the leprosy of the modern world

• “Loneliness is the leprosy of the modern world.”

• “Loneliness and the feeling of being unwanted is the most terrible poverty.”

105

Thought Leadership

3. No man is an island

• “If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each

other.”

4. Judgment prevents us from seeing the good in people

• “If you judge people, you have no time to love them.”

5. You don’t have to love the whole world. You only have to love one another

• “Jesus said love one another. He didn’t say love the whole world.”

• “Go out into the world today and love the people you meet. Let your presence

light new light in the hearts of people.”

• “Spread love everywhere you go: first of all in your own home. Give love to your

children, to your wife or husband, to a next door neighbor . . . Let no one ever

come to you without leaving better and happier. Be the living expression of God’s

kindness; kindness in your face, kindness in your eyes, kindness in your smile,

kindness in your warm greeting.”

6. We have all been created for great things

• “We must know that we have been created for greater things, not just to be a

number in the world, not just to go for diplomas and degrees, this work and that

work. We have been created in order to love and to be loved.”

7. Your work matters. Do it with Love

• “We ourselves feel that what we are doing is just a drop in the ocean. But the

ocean would be less because of that missing drop.”

106

Thought Leadership

• “Work without love is slavery.”

• “We know only too well that what we are doing is nothing more than a drop in the

ocean. But if the drop were not there, the ocean would be missing something.”

• “I can do things you cannot, you can do things I cannot; together we can do great

things.”

• “It’s not how much we give but how much love we put into giving.”

• “I am not sure exactly what heaven will be like, but I know that when we die and

it comes time for God to judge us, he will not ask, ‘How many good things have

you done in your life?’ rather he will ask, ‘How much love did you put into what

you did?”

• “Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.”

8. Love and peace begin with a smile

• “Let us always meet each other with smile, for the smile is the beginning of love.”

• “Peace begins with a smile.”

• “Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving

happier.”

• “Every time you smile at someone, it is an action of love, a gift to that person, a

beautiful thing.”

107

Thought Leadership

9. God’s one and only voice is silence

• “We need to find God, and he cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the

friend of silence. See how nature – trees, flowers, grass- grows in silence; see the

stars, the moon and the sun, how they move in silence… We need silence to be

able to touch souls.”

• “In the silence of the heart God speaks. If you face God in prayer and silence, God

will speak to you. Then you will know that you are nothing. It is only when you

realize your nothingness, your emptiness, that God can fill you with Himself. Souls

of prayer are souls of great silence.”

10. If you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt, only more love

• “I have found the paradox, that if you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt,

only more love.”

11. You are never given more than you can handle

• “I know God won’t give me anything I can’t handle. I just wish he didn’t trust me so

much.”

12. You only have today, and when tomorrow comes, it will be today

• “Yesterday is gone. Tomorrow has not yet come. We have only today. Let us begin.”

13. Peace begins at home

• “What can you do to promote world peace? Go home and love your family.”

14. Prayer is not about asking

• “Prayer is not asking. Prayer is putting oneself in the hands of God, at His disposition,

and listening to His voice in the depth of our hearts.”

15. Don’t wait for leaders to change your world

• “Do not wait for leaders; do it alone, person to person.”

• “Never worry about numbers. Help one person at a time and always start with the

person nearest you.”

16. Patienceis a great teacher

“Without patience, we will learn less in life. We will see less. We will feel less. We will

hear less. Ironically, rush and more usually mean less.”

17. The greatest science in the world is Love

• “The greatest science in the world; in heaven and on earth; is love.”

108

Thought Leadership

STEVE JOBS

“The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.”

Steve Jobs, the American businessman and technology

visionary who is best known as the co-founder, chairman, and

chief executive officer of Apple Inc., was born on February

24, 1955. He is one among the successful inventors who played

a key role in the success of Apple computers and the

development of revolutionary new technology such as the

iPod, iPad and MacBook.

Lessons on Leadership from Steve Jobs

Steve Jobs cofounded Apple in his parents’ garage in 1976,

was ousted in 1985, returned to rescue it from near bankruptcy

in 1997, and by the time he died, in October 2011, had built it into the world’s most valuable

company. Along the way he helped to transform seven industries: personal computing,

animated movies, music, phones, tablet computing, retail stores, and digital publishing. He

thus belongs in the pantheon of America’s great innovators, along with Thomas Edison, Henry

Ford, and Walt Disney. None of these men was a saint, but long after their personalities are

forgotten, history will remember how they applied imagination to technology and business.34

The essence of Jobs was that his personality was integral to his way of doing business. He

acted as if the normal rules didn’t apply to him, and the passion, intensity, and extreme

emotionalism he brought to everyday life were things he also poured into the products he

made. His petulance and impatience were part and parcel of his perfectionism.

34. Walter Isaacson (2012), The Real Leadership Lessons of Steve Jobs, Harvard Business Review, April, 2012.

109

Thought Leadership

Here are some reflected keys to his success

110

Thought Leadership

1. Focus

Focus was ingrained in Jobs’s personality and had been honed by his Zen training. He

relentlessly filtered out what he considered distractions. Colleagues and family members

would at times be exasperated as they tried to get him to deal with issues—a legal

problem, a medical diagnosis—they considered important. But he would give a cold

stare and refuse to shift his laser like focus until he was ready.

Near the end of his life, Jobs was visited at home by Larry Page, who was about to

resume control of Google, the company he had cofounded. Even though their

companies were feuding, Jobs was willing to give some advice. “The main thing I

stressed was focus,” he recalled. Figure out what Google wants to be when it grows

up, he told Page. “It’s now all over the map. What are the five products you want to

focus on? Get rid of the rest, because they’re dragging you down. They’re turning you

into Microsoft. They’re causing you to turn out products that are adequate but not

great.” Page followed the advice. In January 2012 he told employees to focus on just

a few priorities, such as Android and Google+, and to make them “beautiful,” the

way Jobs would have done.

2. Simplify

Jobs’s Zen like ability to focus was accompanied by the related instinct to simplify

things by zeroing in on their essence and eliminating unnecessary components.

“Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication,” declared Apple’s first marketing brochure.

To see what that means, compare any Apple software with, say, Microsoft Word, which

keeps getting uglier and more cluttered with no-intuitive navigational ribbons and

intrusive features. It is a reminder of the glory of Apple’s quest for simplicity.

Jobs aimed for the simplicity that comes from conquering, rather than merely ignoring,

complexity. “It takes a lot of hard work,” he said, “to make something simple, to truly

understand the underlying challenges and come up with elegant solutions.”

3. Take Responsibility End to End

Jobs knew that the best way to achieve simplicity was to make sure that hardware,

software, and peripheral devices were seamlessly integrated. An Apple ecosystem—

an iPod connected to a Mac with iTunes software, for example—allowed devices to be

simpler, syncing to be smoother, and glitches to be rarer. The more complex tasks,

such as making new playlists, could be done on the computer, allowing the iPod to

have fewer functions and buttons.

Jobs and Apple took end-to-end responsibility for the user experience—something

111

Thought Leadership

too few companies do. From the performance of the ARM microprocessor in the

iPhone to the act of buying that phone in an Apple Store, every aspect of the customer

experience was tightly linked together.

4. When Behind, Leapfrog

The mark of an innovative company is not only that it

comes up with new ideas first. It also knows how to

leapfrog when it finds itself behind. That happened

when Jobs built the original iMac. He focused on

making it useful for managing a user’s photos and

videos, but it was left behind when dealing with music.

People with PCs were downloading and swapping

music and then ripping and burning their own CDs.

The iMac’s slot drive couldn’t burn CDs. “I felt like a

dope,” he said. “I thought we had missed it.”

5. Put Products before Profits

When Jobs and his small team designed the original

Macintosh, in the early 1980s, his injunction was to

make it “insanely great.” He never spoke of profit maximization or cost trade-offs.

“Don’t worry about price, just specify the computer’s abilities,” he told the original

team leader. At his first retreat with the Macintosh team, he began by writing a maxim

on his whiteboard: “Don’t compromise.” The machine that resulted cost too much

and led to Jobs’s ouster from Apple. But the Macintosh also “put a dent in the universe,”

as he said, by accelerating the home computer revolution. And in the long run he got

the balance right: Focus on making the product great and the profits will follow. He

once explained, “My passion has been to build an enduring company where people

were motivated to make great products. Everything else was secondary.

6. Don’t Be a Slave to Focus Groups

When Jobs took his original Macintosh team on its first retreat, one member asked

112

Thought Leadership

whether they should do some market research to see what customers wanted. “No,”

Jobs replied, “because customers don’t know what they want until we’ve shown them.”

He invoked Henry Ford’s line “If I’d asked customers what they wanted, they would

have told me, ‘A faster horse!’”

Instead of relying on market research, he honed his version of empathy—an intimate

intuition about the desires of his customers. He developed his appreciation for

intuition—feelings that are based on accumulated experiential wisdom—while he was

studying Buddhism in India as a college dropout. “The people in the Indian countryside

are stronger believer of intuition instead,” he recalled. “Intuition is a very powerful

thing—more powerful than intellect, in my opinion.”

7. Turn Reality

Jobs’s (in) famous ability to push people to do the impossible was dubbed by colleagues

his Reality Distortion Field, after an episode of Star Trek in which aliens create a

convincing alternative reality through sheer mental force. An early example was when

Jobs was on the night shift at Atari and pushed Steve Wozniak to create a game called

Breakout. Woz said it would take months, but Jobs stared at him and insisted he could

do it in four days. Woz knew that was impossible, but he ended up doing it.

8. Impute

Jobs’s early mentor Mike Markkula wrote him a memo in 1979 that urged three

principles. The first two were “empathy” and “focus.” The third was an awkward word,

“impute,” but it became one of Jobs’s key doctrines. He knew that people form an

opinion about a product or a company on the basis of how it is presented and packaged.

“Mike taught me that people do judge a book by its cover,” he told.

9. Push for Perfection

During the development of almost every product he ever created, Jobs at a certain

point “hit the pause button” and went back to the drawing board because he felt it

wasn’t perfect.

Jobs’s perfectionism extended even to the parts unseen. As a young boy, he had helped

his father build a fence around their backyard, and he was told they had to use just as

much care on the back of the fence as on the front. “Nobody will ever know,” Steve

said. His father replied, “But you will know.” A true craftsman uses a good piece of

wood even for the back of a cabinet against the wall, his father explained, and they

should do the same for the back of the fence. It was the mark of an artist to have such

a passion for perfection. “Real artists sign their work,” he said.

113

Thought Leadership

10. Engage Face-to-Face

Despite being a denizen of the digital world, or maybe because he knew all too well its

potential to be isolating, Jobs was a strong believer in face-to-face meetings. Creativity

comes from spontaneous meetings, from random discussions. You run into someone,

you ask what they’re doing, you say ‘Wow,’ and soon you’re cooking up all sorts of

ideas.”

11. Know Both the Big Picture and the Details

Jobs’s passion was applied to issues both large and minuscule. Some CEOs are great

at vision; others are managers who know that God is in the details. Jobs was both.

Time Warner CEO Jeff Bewkes says that one of Jobs’s salient traits was his ability and

desire to envision overarching strategy while also focusing on the tiniest aspects of

design.

12. Combine the Humanities with the Sciences

“I always thought of myself as a humanities person as a kid, but I liked electronics,”

Jobs told me on the day to one of the author writing on a biography. “Then I read

something that one of my heroes, Edwin Land of Polaroid, said about the importance

of people who could stand at the intersection of humanities and sciences, and I decided

that’s what I wanted to do.” It was as if he was describing the theme of his life, and the

more I studied him, the more I realized that this was, indeed, the essence of his tale.

He connected the humanities to the sciences, creativity to technology, arts to

engineering.

13. Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish

Beneath it were the words: ‘Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.’ Jobs stayed hungry and foolish

throughout his career by making sure that the business and engineering aspect of his

personality was always complemented by a hippie nonconformist side from his days

as an artistic, acid-dropping, enlightenment-seeking rebel.

114

Thought Leadership

WALT DISNEY

Walter Elias "Walt" Disney was born on December 5, 1901,

in Hermosa, Illinois. He and his brother Roy co-founded Walt

Disney Productions, which became one of the best-known

motion-picture production companies in the world. Disney

was an innovative animator and created the cartoon

character Mickey Mouse. He won 22 Academy Awards

during his lifetime, and was the founder of theme parks

Disneyland and Walt Disney World.

Lessons on Leadership from Walt Disney

One of the most successful people that we all know and adore is none other than Walt Disney.

Walt Disney is the famous voice and creator of Mickey Mouse and the founder of Disneyland.

His achievements in the world of animation garnered him multiple awards and international

fame.

Walt Disney had humble beginnings; he was not born a success, instead he made his own

success. Here are few major things that you can learn from one of the most successful

entrepreneurs in history35.

1. Do What You Love

Walt Disney Passion: The first thing that we can learn from Disney as an entrepreneur

is his love for drawing. He loves to draw so much that he draws in his spare time and

he even draws while working as an artist. He devoted most of his life to his art that he

was even willing to work other jobs just to fund his passion.

Just imagine how fun it would be for him to wake up every day to go to his studio and

do what he loves to do. That scenario is a lot more enticing compared to waking up

every day and going to a job that drains the life out of you.

Disney went through a series of odd jobs and even became an ambulance driver in

the army during World War I along with his friend Ray Kroc (the man who made

35. See, Brown Joe (2012), The Five Great Lessons Walt Disney Taught Us, The Success Advice.

115

Thought Leadership

McDonalds what it is today); and throughout this journey, Disney found his love for

drawing and succeed as a pivotal leader in the world through his drawings only.

2. Take What You Do Seriously

Walt Disney Motivation: Whenever Walt Disney made his cartoons he always did so

with the focus of a lion stalking his prey. He always paid attention to every detail and

dealt with things with the utmost care. He never took his art and talent for granted.

Never would you find Walt Disney in his studio just slacking off and procrastinating on

his projects; he always took the lead when it came to doing what he loves and he

would never put his passion on the back burner.

116

Thought Leadership

3. Do It for Others

Walt

Disney

Famous:

Whenever Walt Disney created

animated shorts back then he

never did it just for himself; he

never hid his creations from the

world, but instead he would

always find ways in which he

could share his work with

others.

He had a lot of comics back in

the day and he would always find ways to share it with the public. He joined his

school’s publications as a comic artist, and he even took a job in a local newspaper as

none other than a comic artist.

Walt Disney’s works teach us a lot of things, such as the value of love for friends and

family, hope for the good and his most important lesson: good will always triumph

over evil.

4. Never Just Settle With Your First Success

Walt Disney Inspiration: One thing that you would definitely notice about Walt Disney

is that after one accomplishment he would immediately start on another project.

After finishing his legendary film “Snow White and the Seven Dwarves”, Disney

immediately went to work on other feature films such as “Bambi”, “Fantasia” and

many others.

After creating Mickey Mouse, Disney didn’t stop at just him. Instead he went on and

created Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Pluto and many other iconic characters even

for today’s generation. He was never content with what he had done because he

always wanted to achieve more and grow with his dreams. He also didn’t stop with

just one Mickey Mouse design, he kept redesigning his creation so that it would be

better every time.

5. Don’t Let Obstacles Stop You

Walt Disney – Disneyland: When Walt Disney first started to work on Snow White, his

wife and own brother did all they could to convince him to stop. The Snow White

project was even termed as “Disney’s Folly”, and halfway across production he ran

out of money to continue the work.

117

Thought Leadership

Most people in this situation would just quit and get whatever they can out of what’s

left, but for Disney he persevered. He decided to travel around and show clips of the

raw film to producers in hopes of them funding his project; in the end this attempt was

what saved his studio and allowed him to finish the classic Snow White film.

When Snow White was finally featured it received nothing short of a standing ovation.

The success of the film put Disney in the Golden Age of Animation, and allowed him

to start on all of his other feature films. He could have cashed in and went his separate

ways from the animation world, but his hopes and his dreams where too strong to

fold. Walt’s decision to ‘full steam ahead’ is really what allowed him to define a

generation with his iconic creations.

There are a lot of other things that you can learn from other successful people, but

most likely those things are either the same or at least, they are related. Here are only

5 things that you can learn from Walt Disney. His success has definitely served as an

inspiration to a lot of people and even after his death, his legacy still carries on.

6. Vision and Values

At Disney Institute, it is believed that every leader is

telling a story about what he or she values. These values

must be aligned with the vision for an organization or

team. If a leader’s personal values do not align with

organizational values, it will be difficult to genuinely

express a vision that motivates others.

7. Behaviors over Intentions

Individuals within an organization will look to a leader

as a model to develop their own behaviors and

decisions. While people tend to judge themselves based

on intentions, they judge others based on actions. As a

leader, it is essential that your behaviors reflect your values and your vision. When

rallying a team around a new initiative, it is crucial that you demonstrate its importance

through your words and deeds. The best motivation can come from a leader’s example

every day.

8. Purpose before Task

When assigning new projects to a team, it is important to discuss the purpose behind

the task. Tasks that are isolated from the larger goal can become tedious and confusing,

finding their way to the bottom of the priorities list. However, if a team understands

118

Thought Leadership

the common purpose behind individual responsibilities, they will be more inspired to

own the tasks as well as the goal.

9. Leadership is inspiration, innovation and focus

“You can design and create, and build the most wonderful place in the world. But it

takes people to make the dream a reality”. -Walt Disney

The key to Walt Disney’s leadership is that he was an incredible storyteller. It’s one

thing to tell your employees to do something, it’s another to inspire them to action.

Walt would tell them a story. He would go into extreme detail and make it come alive

for them. He would inspire his workers and make them a part of that story and as a

result he would get more from them. When he was first pitching his animators on the

story of Snow White, he went through the entire story, acting out the characters, even

doing their different voices and movements. Walt had a unique ability to hire people

more talented than he was and to focus and coordinate their attention towards a

common goal. He admitted that he was a terrible animator. So he hired the best he

could afford and focused on innovating the company. He also knew his workers. He

knew what they were capable of and didn’t accept anything less than their best. He

may not have been quick to compliment, but he was always clear about what he

visualized and expected.

10. Change your attitude towards failure

“All the adversity I’ve had in my life, all my troubles and obstacles, have strengthened

me… You may not realize it when it happens, but a kick in the teeth may be the best

thing in the world for you.” – Walt Disney

Walt Disney failed, a lot. His first studio, Laugh O’ Grams never made a profit. But the

most notable is the fiasco of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. He lost everything, his studio,

his equipment, his animators and his creations. But from the ashes of that immense

failure rose one of the most beloved characters ever created. On the train home from

learning he had lost Oswald, Walt created Mickey Mouse.

Renowned Quotes by Walt Disney

• “All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.”

• “When you believe in a thing, believe in it all the way, implicitly and unquestionable.”

• “You can design and create, and build the most wonderful place in the world. But it

takes people to make the dream a reality.”

119

Thought Leadership

• “If you can dream it, you can do it. Always remember that this whole thing was

started with a dream and a mouse.”

• “It’s kind of fun to do the impossible.”

• “Too many people grow up. That’s the real trouble with the world, too many people

grow up. They forget. They don’t remember what it’s like to be 12 years old. They

patronize, they treat children as inferiors. Well I won’t do that.”

• “The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.”

120

Thought Leadership

WARREN BUFFET

Known as the "Oracle of Omaha," Warren Buffett is an

investment guru and one of the richest and most

respected businessmen in the world.

Born in Nebraska in 1930, Warren Buffett

demonstrated keen business abilities at a young age.

He formed Buffett Partnership Ltd. in 1956, and by

1965 he had assumed control of Berkshire Hathaway.

Overseeing the growth of a conglomerate with holdings

in the media, insurance, energy and food and beverage

industries, Buffett became one of the world's richest

men and a celebrated philanthropist.

Lessons on Leadership from Warren Buffet

One of the world’s wealthiest people and perhaps the most influential philanthropists of our

times, Warren Buffett does not really need an introduction. He is the chairman, CEO and the

largest shareholder of Berkshire Hathaway, a multinational conglomerate holding company

headquartered in Omaha. He is much respected by his peers and the world alike for his

personal frugality and adherence to ethical principles when it comes to successful business

management. Called the ‘Oracle of Omaha’, Buffett rose from a modest beginning to become

one of the richest men on earth through his sheer hard work and keen sense of investing. He

started demonstrating his financial abilities from his early years when he would go from door

to door selling candies and soft drinks. He began investing as a teenager and had saved

almost $10,000 dollars by the age of 20. He had great business acumen and started out on

his career as a stock broker. He developed his own investment principles which helped him

acquire a lot of wealth; he was already a millionaire by the time he was in his early thirties. As

his wealth grew, so did his desire to give back to the society—he is a notable philanthropist

and has pledged to give away a significant portion of his fortunes to charity36.

Everyone would be inspired by Warren Buffett, who is not only worlds’ most leading

entrepreneur, but also a known philanthropist after promising 99% of his wealth to charity.

That wealth is worth about $40 billion. He started selling newspapers at the age of 11 and in

36. Biography, Warren Buffett, The Famous People, https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/warren-edward-buffett-3160.php

121

Thought Leadership

his long journey of almost eight decades, he is dedicated to his goals with no intention of

retiring.

He once said that “I would say that life at 87, I am having as much fun as I’ve ever had in my

life. I mean I get to do what I love every day with the people I love—and it just doesn’t get any

better than that.”

He has written extensively about his business success and is in great demand as a speaker on

leadership. Here are ten powerful lessons that he has taught us.

1. Love what you do

“There comes the time when you ought to start doing what you want. Take a job that

you love. You will jump out of bed in the morning. I think you are out of your mind if

you keep taking jobs that you don’t like because you think it will look good on your

resume. – Warren Buffett

Listen to any dialogue with Warren Buffett and you will hear how passionate he is

about his job. He is convinced that this will give anyone in business a competitive

edge. If you are thinking of taking a new job which you are not enthusiastic about, it

might be worth thinking again.

122

Thought Leadership

2. Learn to communicate effectively

“You’ve got to be able to communicate in life and it’s enormously important. Schools,

to some extent, under emphasize that. If you can’t communicate and talk to other

people and get across your ideas, you’re giving up your potential.” – Warren Buffett

Read any letter to shareholders in Warren’s company, Berkshire Hathaway Inc. You

will be immediately struck by the non-technical language, the clarity of thought and

how he gets his message across, with the minimum of jargon. His success is also due to

his intimate knowledge of the business.

One must know that Warren Buffett was alarmed of public speaking and had to enroll

in a course to overcome his fear. Aim for easy and clear communication in your own

business whether it is a memo to your staff or speaking in public.

3. Choose your business associates wisely

“It’s better to hang out with people better than you. Pick out associates whose behavior

is better than yours and you’ll drift in that direction.” – Warren Buffett

He was able to spot successful and talented people and used a few basic networking

skills to keep up contact and be inspired by their success. If you hang out with mediocre

associates, they will never inspire you to do better and aim higher.

Read about Guy Spier who was prepared to pay $650,000 for a lunch with Warren

Buffet because he wanted to be inspired by an extraordinary entrepreneur. The money

went to charity, of course. Yes, there is no such thing as a free lunch!

4. Don’t micro manage

“Hire well, manage little.” – Warren Buffet

He strongly believes that great leaders need to spot and hire great talent. He also lets

them get on with it and rarely interferes so that they feel empowered by this

independence. The lessons for future leaders are clear. Have fewer meetings and call

your CEOs and managers less often.

123

Thought Leadership

5. Plan for the future

“The primary job of a board of directors is to see that the right people are running the

business and to be sure that the next generation of leaders is identified and ready to

take over tomorrow.” – Warren Buffet

Buffett already knows that his job will be divided into three, once he decides to step

down. The board has already chosen a CEO candidate and a non-executive chairman

plus an investment manager.

Future leaders need to think ahead about their successors and how they will be

groomed for success. It is no surprise to learn that the most successful companies

have predictive models in place for their promising talent for the next five years at

least. They also place heavy emphasis on education and skills development for their

staff.

6. Transparency is highly appreciated

“If anything, taxes for the lower and middle class and maybe even the upper middle

class should even probably be cut further. But I think that people at the high end—

people like myself—should be paying a lot more in taxes. We have it better than we’ve

ever had it.” – Warren Buffett

Bill Gates admires Buffett for many reasons. Even on such a sensitive issue as taxation,

Gates admires him because his transparency is invaluable even though it might not

be in his own best interests.

Transparency at every level pays off handsomely in every business field. Employees

are tired of surprises and there is a growing demand for delivering the truth.

7. Patience is a virtue

“No matter how great the talents or efforts, some things just take time. – Warren

Buffett

There is no doubt that Buffett has demonstrated patience throughout his career. This

great quality goes hand in hand with a certain bravery and perseverance. Great leaders

need to resist pressure and have the tenacity to see the project through to the end.

8. Manage your time wisely

“You have to keep control of your time and you can’t unless you say no. You can’t let

people set your agenda in life.” – Warren Buffett

124

Thought Leadership

When Guy Spier had lunch with Buffett, he was shown his diary. It was remarkably

empty. The billionaire explained that he preferred to have time for serendipity. It also

gives him the freedom to spend the time in ways that he sees as priorities. It also

means that he has learned how to say ‘no’ when necessary. The lack of appointments

for meetings was noticeable!

Learning to organize their office space, their emails and how much time they spend

online are usually great ways leaders can manage their time more effectively.

9. Be prepared to take risks and learn from mistakes

“Risk comes from not knowing what you are doing.” – Warren Buffett

Buffett has followed basic principles when looking at the risk factor. He prefers to

avoid any investment opportunities that carry a catastrophe risk. He always tried to

invest in high probability and low risk scenarios.

He has learned too from his mistakes. He made costly errors with U.S. Airways,

ConocoPhillips (COP) and Energy Future Holdings. Like any successful leader, he has

analyzed his mistakes and used this to make better decisions in the future. Unsuccessful

leaders avoid failure at all costs.

“I make plenty of mistakes and I’ll make plenty more mistakes, too. That’s part of the

game. You’ve just got to make sure that the right things overcome the wrong ones.” –

Warren Buffett

10. Treat everyone equally

“Personally, I really hope I can treat everyone equally. I think I have done a pretty

good job so far but I know I can do it better.” – Warren Buffett

Nobody is left behind. Treating everybody equally and avoiding favoritism is the true

mark of a leader. Buffett’s golden rule is about reaching out to the silent, competent

workers.

125

Thought Leadership

Lessons on Thought Leadership : A Concise View

The above discussions on the successful mantras of the thought leadership from the personas

of eminent thought leaders in the world who created their remarkable mark of success,

dedication, commitment and triumph in their work and effort towards invincible growth and

development. Their versatile perspectives of thoughtful leadership directing their goal for

progression and advancement is indeed an inspiration for the thought leaders of the

contemporary times in discharging their role more efficiently and effectively towards

achievement and accomplishment. Whether you are leading a huge team on a challenging

project or just trying to climb the career ladder as a budding entrepreneur, these lessons of

leadership can help provide some useful wisdom in ensuing your best to deploy your

leadership strategy.

Based on the discussions on the leadership mantras of the above discussed thoughtful and

eminent leaders, here we are sharing a concise view on the attributes, a thoughtful leader

must possess on becoming a better leader and serving his professional excellence for the best

executed endeavors. This great advice from some of our most inspirational leaders just might

make you rethink your current leadership strategy, renew your passion to lead, or point the

way for how to better inspire your troops:

1. Transparency is highly appreciated

The keys to brand success are self-definition, transparency, authenticity and

accountability. The successful leaders have always lead the way on the ladder of

transparency and accountability.

“Truth never damages a cause that is just.” – Mahatma Gandhi

“Sunlight is the best disinfectant, Stay Transparent." – William O. Douglas

“Transparency, honesty, kindness, good stewardship, even humor, work in businesses at

all times.” –John Gerzema

“Eyes so transparent that through them the soul is seen.” – Theophile Gautier

“Transparency is not the same as looking straight through a building: it’s not just a

physical idea, it’s also an intellectual one.” –Helmut Jahn

“I just think we need more accountability and more transparency.” – John Thune

“Honesty is the first chapter in the book of wisdom.” – Thomas Jefferson

126

Thought Leadership

2. Provide Inspiration

Good leaders are trailblazers, making a path for others to follow. Great leaders, however,

inspire their people to reach higher, dream bigger, and achieve greater. Perhaps the

most important leadership skill you can develop is the ability to provide inspiration to

your team. If you inspire them to reach for the stars, they just might bring you back

the moon.

“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more,

you are a leader.” - John Quincy Adams

“Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality.” - Warren Bennis

3. Teach and Learn

Smart leaders know what they don’t know. Learning is a constant process throughout

your professional life, and it doesn’t stop when you’ve become a team leader. Make

sure to never stop looking for opportunities for professional development, and pass

on the wisdom you’ve learned to your people.

"Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other." - John Fitzgerald Kennedy

“A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops.” - Henry Adams

4. Be Bold

To be a good leader, you sometimes need to go down the untraveled path. Being bold

in the face of uncertainty will help give your team courage and motivate them to keep

striving when the going gets tough.

“I cannot give you the formula for success, but I can give you the formula for failure,

which is: Try to please everybody.” - Herbert Swope

“You don’t lead by pointing and telling people some place to go. You lead by going to

that place and making a case.” - Ken Kesey

“A man who wants to lead the orchestra must turn his back on the crowd.” - Max

Lucado

5. Be Humble

If learning is an important part of leadership, then it follows humility is an essential

attribute as well. After all, you can’t learn new things if you cannot admit you’re a

work in progress. Be open to recognizing your own faults, so you can grow as both a

leader and a human being.

127

Thought Leadership

“No man will make a great leader who wants to do it all himself, or to get all the credit

for doing it.” - Andrew Carnegie

“Outstanding leaders go out of their way to boost the self-esteem of their personnel. If

people believe in themselves, it’s amazing what they can accomplish.” - Sam Walton

6. Listen To Your People

Your people are your greatest resource; listen to their feedback and encourage their

dreams. You never know where your next great idea will come from, so empower

everyone up and down the corporate ladder to contribute and innovate.

“To lead people, walk behind them.” - Lao Tzu

"The best leader is the one who has sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants

done, and the self-restraint to keep from meddling with them while they do it." -Theodore

Roosevelt

7. Strike a Balance

Being a good leader is a balancing act. Your leadership strategy should never rely on

just one type of management. It might at first feel like walking a tightrope, but soon

balancing multiple leadership attributes will become second nature, and allow you to

lead in multiple dimensions.

"The challenge of leadership is to be strong, but not rude; be kind, but not weak; be bold,

but not bully; be thoughtful, but not lazy; be humble, but not timid; be proud, but not

arrogant; have humor, but without folly." - Jim Rohn

“Leadership is a potent combination of strategy and character. But if you must be without

one, be without the strategy.”- Norman Schwarzkopf

8. Tackle Challenges

To be a great leader, there’s no such thing as a challenge too big to handle. Once you

adopt this attitude, your people will follow suit, and every problem will present an

opening for greater achievement.

“Don’t find fault, find a remedy.”- Henry Ford

“Anyone can hold the helm when the sea is calm.” - Publilius Syrus

“Successful leaders see the opportunities in every difficulty rather than the difficulty in

every opportunity.”- Reed Markham

***

128

Chapter - IV

New India, 2022 : A Transformation under

Thoughtful Leadership Leading the Path of

Inclusive Development

Thought Leadership

Republic of India: An Overview of Incredible Progression and Advancement

Well stated that “the country grows on you and you grow with the country.” Under this

perspective to understand the role of professionals in a country and specifically of the Company

Secretaries, it becomes essential to understand and analyze the impression of our country

from ancient times to the time of independence and from the time of independence to the

present times of contemporary and reformatory changes taking place in our governance.

The thoroughgoing snapshot of the incredible progression and advancement of republic of

India could be better understood under the following heads:

India : Pre Independence Era

India: Post Independence Era

India: A Transition from India to New India

India: Pre Independence Era

Since the very inception, India, as a civilization has witnessed the antiquity of great

achievements and numerous attainments and triumphs, whose glorious set of skills, resources

and possessions had attracted various bright minds to study and develop the graph of

marvelous history of India. India has attracted some of the finest minds from early days.

These include travelers and scholars from distant lands as well. Several of them tried to unravel

India and in the process wrote perceptively about Indian people, their history and culture,

beliefs and economy, polity and ways of living.

To name few are Xian (337-422 CE), a Chinese Buddhist monk, came to India on a pilgrimage

during the reign of Chandragupta II and penned A Record of Buddhist Kingdoms. His

compatriot Xuan Zang (602-664 CE) journeyed across India for seventeen long years and

wrote an epic treatise names as Journey to the West. Another person of eminence was the

Greek ethnographer Megasthenes (350-290 BC) who is well-regarded for his pioneering

work Indica.

They all have unanimously written about the rich heritage, culture and the world class

advancement India was witnessing since its inception.

In the medieval period also, Al-Biruni (973-1048 CE), an Iranian Muslim scholar, gave us an

130

Thought Leadership

incisive description of early 11th century India. In the thirteenth century, Marco Polo (1254-

1324 CE) arrived on the Coromondel Coast and was astonished to find that the kings of the

Tamil kingdom took pride in holding law of the land as above anyone including the kings

themselves. This clarifies the fact, Rule of Law was very well present in the medieval times

too. Further the traveler of that time declared India as the 'richest and most splendid province

in the world'. The French physician and traveler, Francois Bernier (1625-1688 CE) wrote a

book in which he provided a photo-image of the Mughal system of governance. Another

French scholar Jean-Baptiste Tavernier (1605-1689 CE) wrote extensively on India37.

During the British era too, several scholars and civil servants wrote on different aspects of

India. The famous German scholar Freidrich Max Muller (1823-1900 CE) delved deep into

Indian philosophy and mysticism and brought it to the attention of the world. The Asiatic

Society of India was set up in Kolkata on 15 January 1784 by Sir William Jones (1746-1794

CE). It gradually became a reputed center of learning on Indian history and culture and

attracted scholars from different parts of the world and encouraged Indian scholars as well.

At the outset, it needs to be mentioned that India can be understood in many ways. One

credible approach is to look at ideas that have shaped our lives; encounters between values

and beliefs that have gone into the making of our civilization and continue to play a significant

role in our day to day lives.

The early beginning nineteenth century witnessed numerous briefs of transformations in

religion and politics. On one side where the thoughts of versatile thinkers including Swami

Dayanand Saraswati, Swami Vivekananda and alike were compiling their efforts at a cultural

resurgence and social development in the society, one the other side, the reformative political

leaders were driving India towards “Purna Swaraj” with a view to make India free from the

bounds of British regime. Similar reform movements covered the entire length and breadth

of India and the day has come where India has witnessed independence on August 15, 1947.

It is noteworthy that in the pre independence era also, India has perceived various versions

of governance which are clearly indicated with the presence of various laws and courts

including Mayor’s courts, High Court of Judicature, Federal Court of India, Government of

India Act, 1909, 1919 and 1935. The presence of this skeleton of governance has given

enough reasons for India to come up a more refined and more governed civilization even

after its independence.

37. See Singh Balmiki Prasad (2012), Our India, National Council of Educational Research and Training, Revised Edition, ISBN 978-93-5007-155-7

131

Thought Leadership

India : Post Independence Era

Though the Independent India's first years were marked with tempestuous events with a

massive exchange of population with Pakistan, the Indo-Pakistani War of 1947 and the

integration of over 500 princely states to form a united nation, yet with the credit for the

political integration of India, a written and one among the largest constitution was ensured to

the people of Independent India with the attributes like sovereignty, democracy, republic,

socialism, secularism, equality, liberty and integrity to all.

Since Independence till contemporary time of the transformative regime of governance,

India has gone through a marvelous journey of transition including various political reforms,

economic reforms, social reforms, technological reforms and the strata of governance taken

place in India towards inclusive growth and development of the country. A True picture of

this marvelous move of reform from making India as one of the fastest growing economy of

the world today can be briefly accessed after analyzing the parallel reforms taken place in the

political, economic, social, technological and regulatory growth of the country.

Innovatory Phase of Governance in India

India is a parliamentary system of democracy based on universal adult franchise. India is

ruled through federal system of government with clear definition of jurisdictions of state and

central government. It had a far stronger centralizing trait for federal polity. Local government

below the level of state unit is weak in various parts of rural India. It has a very large bureaucracy

with a substantially large state controlled economy and developmental activities.

It is the preamble of the country, which ensures the people of India, a democracy which is

sovereign, republic, socialist and secular and wherein they are ensured of their equality, liberty,

justice, unity and integrity. To achieve the parametrical victory over the objectives of the

Indian Constitution, various reformatory changes in the governance have taken place which

are transforming governance into good governance and now to sustainable governance. To

name few are:

1. Welfare State

Article 38 of the Constitution of India imbibes the concept of welfare state in India. As

per various definitions, a welfare state is a concept of government where the state

plays a key role in the protection and promotion of the economic and social well-

being of its citizens. It is based on the principles of equality of opportunity, equitable

distribution of wealth, and public responsibility for those unable to avail themselves of

the minimal provisions for a good life. In India, various laws to protect and promote

the uplifting rights of the citizens are confirming the very fact of the concept of welfare

state.

132

Thought Leadership

2. Supremacy of Rule of Law

The inclusive development of the nation requires that a fair, predictable and stable

legal framework enforced impartially. Full protection of human rights, especially

minorities should be covered. Impartial law enforcement requires a judiciary to be

independent and police force should be impartial and incorruptible38. Therefore to

ensure the equitable and fair implementation of law and administration of justice,

India has upheld the supremacy of law. In India nothing is supreme except law and

everyone whether the leader or reader, all are equal in the eyes of law.

3. Accountable and Responsible Governance

It is a key requirement of good governance. Both Public and private sector and civil

society organizations must be accountable to the public and to their institutional

stakeholders. An organization or an institution is accountable to those who will be

affected by its decisions or actions. Accountability can be enforced only with

transparency and the rule of law. In the last few decades, government initiated for the

accountable and responsible governance to its people.

4. Independent Judiciary

As per the United Nation’s Commission on Human Rights, successful governance of

the developed and emerging countries ensures to its people, the standard of living of

the members of its society by creating and making available the basic amenities of life;

providing its people security and the opportunity to better their lot; instill hope in

their heart for a promising future; providing, on an equal & equitable basis, access to

opportunities for personal growth; affording participation and capacity to influence,

in the decision-making in public affairs; sustaining a responsive judicial system which

dispenses justice on merits in a fair, unbiased and meaningful manner; and maintaining

accountability and honesty in each wing or functionary of the Government. In view of

Justive Y.K. Sabarwal39, Judiciary plays a crucial role not only in development and

evolution of society in general and but also in ensuring good governance by those

holding reins of power in particular. Further, Independence of Judiciary ensured that

all the pillars of governance are supporting the idea of welfare state as a priority and

governance is taking place in the country more effectively and more efficiently.

Therefore, the elevation of independence of judiciary is seen as a crucial reform in the

era of good governance.

38. See Good Governance: Meaning and Concept, General Knowledge Today, Available at http://www.gktoday.in/blog/good-

governance-meaning-and-concept/

39. Justice Y.K Sabarwal (Past Chief Justice of India), Role of Judiciary in Good Governance, High Court of Punjab and Haryana. See, http://highcourtchd.gov.in/sub_pages/left_menu/publish/articles/articles_pdf/goodgovernance.pdf

133

Thought Leadership

5. Local Self Government

With a view to ensure effective governance from uppermost layers to roots of the

country, 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments40 established the concept of

Panchayati Raj System in India. This system is desired to ensure decentralization of

power and effective traits of governance in three tier system of administration of power.

This is indeed seen as a floristic development of the governance in the roots of the

country.

6. Strategic Growth and Development for All

In the recent decades of governance and growing demand serving cross border

participation of Indian skills at par, political move of the country is visioning the strategic

growth and development of all. It is established time and again that the best interest of

the community should be analyzed and achieved which requires a broad and long-

term perspective on what is needed and how to achieve the goals of sustainable

development. At present, majorly all the initiatives of the government are directed

towards the strategic growth and inclusive development of all.

7. Transparency

Transparency in government is an important precondition for good governance, and

those decisions taken and their enforcement are done in a manner that follows rules

and regulations. Transparency ensures that enough information is provided and that

it is provided in easily understandable forms and media. In the last few decades, the

initiation of Right to Information and mandatory requirements for the disclosure of

vital details of business and venture confirms the revolutionized move towards

transparency.

8. Participation

Good governance requires that civil society has the opportunity to participate by

both men and women during the formulation of development strategies. This aspect

of governance is an essential element in securing commitment and support for projects

and enhancing the quality of their implementation. Participation needs to be informed

and organized. This means freedom of association and expression and an organized

civil society should go hand in hand.

40. The Constitution (Seventy Third Amendment) Act, 1992, The Gazette of India, Ministry of Law, Justice and Company Affairs, New Delhi, 1993.

134

Thought Leadership

9. Equity and Equitable Justice

Along with the above mentioned revolutionary steps in leading towards good

governance and sustainable governance, the polity of the country is actively engaged

in delivering equitable justice and maintaining equity among the populace which

ensures the equality among the equals.

Revolutionary Phase of Indian Economy

Presently Indian Economy as the sixth largest41 in the world on the measurement of Nominal

GDP42 and the third largest43 through the measure of Purchasing Power Parity44, is emerging

as one of the fastest growing major economy in the world. As per the estimates of Central

Statistics Organization (CSO) and International Monetary Fund (IMF), it is forecasted that

Indian economy would grow by 7.1% in an around. These improvement in the India’s

economic fundamentals as enhanced in year 2016 and going forward in year 2017 is a direct

upshot of strong governmental reforms taking place in the present regime of governance.

This clears the very fact that Indian economy which represents one of the largest democracy

with around 1.2 billion people is growing with significant achievements. Since independence,

when we have seen the phases of remarkable agricultural reforms to the time when we have

entered to the era of liberalization and industrialization in the early 90’s, today is the time,

when we are witnessing momentous changes of unfolding, unleashing a host of new

opportunities in the verve of 21st century nation.

It has taken plethora of reforms and transformative steps for the Indian economy to come

forward as an emerging world leader of the contemporary times.

With the acquisition of independence from the British, an independent India was bequeathed

with a shattered economy, widespread illiteracy and shocking poverty. The governance of

the country has remarkably revisited and revived the Indian economy in two phases, one

41. List of Countries by GDP (Nominal), "World Economic Outlook Database". International Monetary Fund, April 2017. See

http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2017/01/weodata/weorept.aspx

42. Gross domestic product (GDP) is a monetary measure of the market value of all final goods and services produced in a period (quarterly or yearly). Nominal GDP estimates are commonly used to determine the economic performance of a whole country or region, and to make international comparisons.

43. List of Country by GDP (PPP), Report for Selected Country Groups and Subjects (PPP valuation of country GDP)". IMF.

Retrieved 19 April 2017.

44. Purchasing power parity (PPP) is an economic theory that states that the exchange rate between two currencies equal the ratio of the currencies' respective purchasing power.

135

Thought Leadership

being the phase before liberalization in year 1990 and other being the phase post liberalization

after 1990 till today. The Contemporary economists also divide the history of India’s economic

growth into two phases – first 45 years after independence and the two decades of free market

economy. The years preceding the economic liberalization were mainly marked by instances

wherein economic development got stagnated due to a lack of meaningful policies.

The economic reforms came to India’s rescue with the launching of a policy of liberalization

and privatization. A flexible industrial licensing policy and a relaxed FDI policy started getting

positive responses from international investors. Among the major factors that drove India’s

economic growth following the economic reforms of 1991 were increased FDI, adoption of

information technology and an increased domestic consumption.

Growth of Agriculture Sector

Since 1950s, the progress in agriculture has been somewhat steady. The sector grew at about

1 percent per annum in the first half of the 20th century. During the post-Independence era,

the growth rate nudged about 2.6 percent per annum. Expansion of farming area and

introduction of high-yielding varieties of crops were the major factors of growth in agricultural

production. The sector could manage to end dependency on imported food grains. It has

progressed both in terms of yield and structural changes.

Consistent investment in research, land reforms, expansion of scope for credit facilities, and

improvement in rural infrastructure were some other determining factors that brought about

an agricultural revolution in the country. The country has also grown strong in the agri-

biotech sector. The Rabobank report reveals that the agri-biotech sector has been growing at

30 percent since the last few years. The country is also likely to become a major producer of

genetically modified/engineered crops.45

Service Sector Growth

A major development in the nation’s services sector has been the tele services and information

technology. A trend that started some two decades back is now well in its prime. Several

multinational firms continue to outsource their tele services and IT services to India. The

acquisition of expertise in information technology has led to the generation of thousands of

new jobs, which in turn increased domestic consumption and naturally, more foreign direct

investments happened to meet the demands.

45. Smyth et al. (2014), Handbook on Agriculture, Biotechnology and Development, Edward Elgar Publishing Limited, Northampton, Massachusetts, USA.

136

Thought Leadership

Presently, the services sector employs 23% of the Indian workforce and this process of

development started back in the 1980s. In the 60s, the sector employed only 4.5% of the

working population. According to the Central Statistical Organization, the services sector

accounted for 63% of Indian GDP in 2008 and the figure continues to grow.

It must be noted that the transformed moves of Indian economy gave more power to the

consumers and reduced poverty significantly. The economy became more customer-centric

with prime focus on services.

Infrastructure Development

The Indian road network has become one of the largest in the world with the total road

length increasing from 0.399 million km in 1951 to 4.24 million km as of July 2014.

Moreover, the total length of the country’s national highways has increased from 24,000

km (1947-69) to 92,851 km (2014). Governmental efforts have led to the expansion of the

network of State highways and major district roads, which in turn has directly contributed

to industrial growth.

As India needs power to drive its growth engine, it has triggered a noteworthy improvement

in the availability of energy by adopting a multi-pronged approach. After almost seven decades

of Independence, India has emerged as the third largest producer of electricity in Asia. It has

increased its electricity generation capacity from 1,362 MW in 1947 to 1,13,506 MW as of

2004. Overall, power generation in India has increased from 301 billion units (BUs) during

1992-93 to 558.1 BUs in 2003-04. When it comes to rural electrification, the Indian

government has managed to bring light to 5,93,732 (2013 figures) villages as compared to

3061 in 1950.

The above mentioned growth register of different sectors confirms that the economic ecosystem

of India has undergone extreme overhaul at all levels since the time it gained Independence

on August 15, 1947. The reforms commonly known as economic reforms have completely

changed the way Indian economy is now being perceived by other nations. The economic

reforms in year 1969, in year 1991, 2005 and lately in year 2016 have brought about positive

changes and effective expansion of all the sector of economic growth.

The economy received a massive boost after it was liberalized and changes were brought in

the trade regime with the induction of Foreign Direct Investment and with the elimination of

corruption and malpractices of trade and business. Out of many the major economic reforms

taken place in the history of Indian economy are as follows:

137

Thought Leadership

Major Reforms of Indian Economy

Below we list eight major reforms that changed the face of Indian economy at global forum:

S.No. Year

Reform

1.

1969

Banking Reforms : Nationalization of banks: Owing to growing demand

to nationalize banks in 1969, Prime Minister Indira Gandhi took a major

step in the history of independent India by nationalizing 14 banks. Due to

unavailability of enough credit, and the sector was not working rapidly

enough, the decision was taken.

Because of nationalization of banks, today, we are witnessing a surge in

private players entering the banking sector and setting up Non-Banking

Financial Institutions (NBFCs) and Banking Financial Institutions (BFIs).

2.

1971

Abolishing Privy Purse in India : Privy Purse was a form of payment

made to the royal families of all erstwhile princely states as it was made a

part of their agreement in order to integrate with India in 1947, and later to

merge their states in 1949, whereby they lost all ruling rights.

Privy Purse was discontinued under Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s regime,

after the 26th Amendment in 1971, by means of which all their privileges

and allowances from the Centre were rendered invalid.

If Privy Purse continued, our tax money would have gone to the royal families

for no reason.

3.

1991

Economic liberalization : The economic liberalisation process that

began in 1991, had the goal of making the economy more market-oriented

and expanding the role of private and foreign investment.

Specific changes were incorporated which include - reduction in import

tariffs, deregulation of markets, reduction of taxes, and greater foreign

investment.

Liberalisation has been credited by its proponents for the high economic

growth recorded by the country in the 1990s and 2000s.

Ever since the liberalisation process, the Indian markets opened to both

private and public sector companies. India started carrying out businesses

with foreign establishments as well.

138

Thought Leadership

S.No. Year

Reform

4.

1991

End of Licence Raj : Putting an end to “Licence Raj” was one of the chief

goals of the 1991 economic liberalisation process.

The Licence Raj was a system of licences, regulations and accompanying

red tape that were needed in order to set up and run businesses in India

between 1947 and 1990.

The Licence Raj was a result of India's decision to control the economy and

give out licences to only a select few. During that period, nearly 80

government agencies had to be satisfied before private companies could

produce something and, if a licence was granted, the government would

regulate the production.

However, reforms since 1991 significantly reduced these regulations and

the business houses could work without having to worry about unnecessary

“red tapism.”

5.

2015

FDI in Several sectors : From the beginning of 2015, the government

announced fresh liberalization of FDI rules throwing open food retail,

airlines, private security firms, and defence companies to higher overseas

investment.

Other sectors in which FDI norms have been relaxed include e-commerce

in food products, broadcasting carriage services, private security agencies

and animal husbandry.

Here's a look at the changes in FDI:

-

Up to 100% FDI in defence sector

-

Up to 74% FDI in brownfield pharmaceuticals under automatic route

-

100% FDI in brownfield airport projects under automatic route

-

100% FDI in civil aviation

-

FDI up to 49% in civil aviation under automatic route, beyond 49%

through govt approval

-

Local sourcing norms for FDI in single brand retail for products having

"state of art" and "cutting edge" technologies

-

100% FDI under automatic route for cable networks, DTH and mobile

TV

139

Thought Leadership

S.No. Year

Reform

Foreign investment is considered crucial for India, which needs around $1

trillion for overhauling its infrastructure sector such as ports, airports and

highways to boost growth. A strong inflow of foreign investments will help

improve the country's balance of payments situation and strengthen the

rupee value against other global currencies, especially the US dollar.

6.

2015

Move to curb Black Money : On May 11, 2015, the Lok Sabha passed

a bill to deal with black money stashed abroad, even as the government

announced that a separate Benami Bill to deal with domestic black money

was being prepared.

The bill provides for rigorous imprisonment of up to 10 years for offenders.’

Earlier, piloting the Undisclosed Foreign Income and Assets (Imposition of

Tax) Bill, 2015, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said there would be short

compliance window for persons having undisclosed income abroad to come

clean by paying 30 per cent tax and 30 per cent penalty.

Once the compliance window closes, anyone found having undeclared

overseas wealth would be required to pay 30 per cent tax, 90 per cent

penalty and face criminal prosecution.

7.

2016

Demonetization of Rs. 500, Rs. 1000 currency notes : Prime Minister

Narendra Modi's demonetization announcement on November 8 took the

entire country by surprise. The move was initiated to curb black money,

bring in cash into the banking system to the greatest possible extent, put an

end to fake currency and plug all funding that could be used for terrorism.

The government instructed people that whatever money they have in Rs.

500 and Rs. 1,000 denomination notes should be deposited into their bank

accounts. At the same time, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley also made it

very clear that the demonetization move will in no way create any form of

immunity.

After November 8, public cannot deal with high denomination currency

notes and sales invoices cannot be issued by accepting high denomination

notes.

If anyone deposits undisclosed money in banks, then this may invite the

Income Tax Department to act against him/her. With the I-T department

140

Thought Leadership

S.No. Year

Reform

keeping an eye on suspicious transactions, the person involved could be

slapped with 30 per cent tax and a huge penalty.

Any person making transactions above Rs. 10 lakh in a year into any savings

bank account might get issued a notice from the I-T Department.

Pursuant to these reforms, Indian economy is witnessing various emerging trends which are

paving the way of the populace for emerging prospects and opening. With the emerging

trends in Indian economy, India now stands at a juncture of marking outstanding growth and

development and even registering herself as one of the global leader in the coming years. At

this moment, it would be apt to briefly analyze the recent trends in India economy, which in

turn clarifies the perspective for growth and development of Indian economy as well as

opportunities opening up for all the stakeholders of economy and governance.

As per the reports of various economist, the important emerging trends in the Indian economy,

deserve to be called “mega trends” owing to the fact that they have large emergent effects

along with the directed future and looking to provide inclusive growth to each and every

stakeholder of Indian Economy.46

The first trend at the evaluation mentions “Acquiring of Scale” , which refers to the growing

“concentration and centralization” of Indian capital. This aims to the strengthening of a process

that inevitably accompanies the development of capitalism. The growth of concentration

and centralization would lead to self-confident enterprises making best of their businesses in

India and abroad.

The second trend aims for “Spread of Connectivity and Awareness” throughout the country.

This talks about the trends enriching technological advancement, in specific to the

developments in information and communication technology. Time and again, it has been

affirmed that technology has contributed immensely to the advancements and inclusive

development of various nations. The role of a technologically educated population in

promoting social and economic development has long been recognized at par. Technology

advancements have allowed for the distribution of information through many modes of mass

communication such as computers, telephones, television, radio, and newspapers in several

developing countries and hence made them to grow beyond leaps and bound. Government

of India has also initiated a strong move of “Digital India”, so that the fruits of inclusive

46. See, Some Important Trends in the Indian Economy, at Radical Notes, Available at https://radicalnotes.com/2007/07/07/

some-important-trends-in-the-indian-economy/

141

Thought Leadership

economic growth, focused policies, transparent governance, equality of opportunities and

like could be reaped and realized appropriately.

The third trend in line is the “the Growth of Each and Every Strata of the Society with a

special focus to Middle Class”. This refers that equitable opportunities should be provided to

each and every strata of the society wherein a balance of opportunities and its realization

towards inclusive growth could be maintained at par and the available skills could also be

acquired which are useful for capital generation in the country.

The fourth trend focuses on “Effectively Resolving the Challenges” coming in the way of

inclusive growth. These challenges include issues countering sustainable environment, capital

accumulation in fewer hands, escalation of resources in the right direction, poverty

eradication, knowledge updating and comprehensive awareness about the socioeconomic

reformative schemes for the people at large. What is all required here is a wholesale, radical

socio-economic transformation, which would render the mechanism to resolve the challenges

coming in the way of the escalation of Indian economy with rapid growth and development

and would turn the challenges into opportunities for the Indian masses.

The fifth trend relies on “India’s growing openness to the world”. This embraces the opening

of Indian economy at the global platform confirming the regime of globalization,

Industrialization and Liberalization. This refers to the growing penetration of the Indian

economy by imperialist capital; being supplemented by the growing “export of goods and

services from India to foreign economies, inflowing foreign investment in India, transfer of

technologies which turning India a global ruling bloc. This intents to benefit the majority of

the population.

The sixth trend sees, what we call as “Youth Empowerment” which confirms the continuing

dominance of youth in attending and realizing the opportunities of global fora. This refers to

the fact that the availability of manpower in the large democracy is serving the needs of

qualified and skills labour at various ventures coming up in the revolutionary world of

opportunities.

Regulatory Reforms in India

It would be apt to state that it is only after independence that a regulatory system for protecting

the due rights and liberties of citizen under a mechanism of equality, justice and liberty has

been established in India. During the British reign in our country, though laws were there,

but they were more centered towards the government, yet the post-independence era has

witnessed the laws which are people centered and are led for promoting welfare state as well

as an all-encompassing development of nation as a whole.

142

Thought Leadership

In supporting the regulatory welfare and progression of our country, regulation in India is

mapped under three broad categories, which include47 :

a. Economic Regulation;

b. Regulation in Public Interest;

c. Environmental Regulation.

The above scaled reformative era of regulatory reforms in India is guided by three general

principles of

a. Separation of power;

b. Democratic accountability, and

c. The federal principle.

Under this regime, to secure democratic accountability, the regulator has been made

responsible to the legislature and to the people at large. The federal principle has also been

followed through distribution of subjects of economic regulation between Union and State

competencies47.

Accordingly, the rule-making and enforcement functions have been separated from judicial

functions, which have been vested in appellate tribunals.

Few major regulations taken place in Independent India are as below:

Major Regulatory Reforms in India

Regulation

Purpose

Securities Contracts (Regulation) Act,

To prevent undesirable transactions in

1956

securities by regulating the business.

The Foreign Exchange Management

To facilitate external trade and payments

Act (FEMA), 1999

and to promote the orderly development

and maintenance of the foreign exchange

market.

47. Singh Vijay Vir and Mitra Siddhartha (2014), Regulatory Management and Reform in India, Backgrounder Paper for OECD, CUTS International, Available at https://www.oecd.org/gov/regulatory-policy/44925979.pdf

143

Thought Leadership

Regulation

Purpose

The Foreign Trade (Development and

To provide for development and regulation

Regulation) Act, 1992

of foreign trade by facilitating imports into

and augmenting exports from India and for

matters connected herewith.

The Industries Act, 1951

To empower the Government to take

necessary steps for the development of

industries; to regulate the pattern and

direction of industrial development; and to

control the activities, performance and

results of industrial undertakings in the

public interest.

The Indian Contract Act, 1872

For Governing legislation for contracts,

which lays down the general principles

relating to formation, performance and

enforceability of contracts and the rules

relating to certain special types of contracts

like Indemnity and Guarantee; Bailment

and Pledge; as well as Agency.

The Sale of Goods Act, 1930

To protect the interest of buyers and sellers.

Indian Patents Act, 2005

To grant significant economic exclusiveness

to manufacturers of patented products with

some in-built mechanisms to check

extreme causes of competition restriction.

The Companies Act, 1956

To regulate setting up and operation of

(Now we have The Companies Act, 2013)

companies in India: it regulates the

formation, financing, functioning and

winding up of companies.

Competition Act, 2002

To ensure a healthy and fair competition in

the market economy and to protect the

interests of consumers. It also aims to

144

Thought Leadership

Regulation

Purpose

prohibit the anti-competitive business

practices, abuse of dominance by an

enterprise as well as regulate various

business combinations such as mergers and

acquisitions.

The Trade Marks Act, 1999

To amend and consolidate the law relating

to trade marks, to provide for registration

and better protection of trade marks for

goods and services and for the prevention

of the use of fraudulent marks.

The Information Technology Act,

To provide legal recognition for

2000 (Amended in 2008)

transactions carried out by means of

electronic data interchange and other

means of electronic communication,

commonly referred to as "electronic

commerce", which involve the use of

alternatives to paper-based methods of

communication and storage of information;

to facilitate electronic filing of documents

with Government agencies

The Consumer Protection Act, 1986

To protect consumer rights and providing

(amended 1993, 2002)

a simple quasi-judicial dispute resolution

system for resolving complaints with

respect to unfair trade practices.

The Industrial Disputes Act, 1947

To facilitate investigation and settlement of

all industrial disputes related to industrial

employees and employers.

The Factories Act, 1948

Umbrella legislation to regulate the working

conditions in factories.

The Indian Trade Unions Act, 1926

To facilitate the registration of trade unions,

their rights, liabilities and responsibilities as

well as ensure that their funds are utilized

145

Thought Leadership

Regulation

Purpose

properly: it gives legal and corporate status

to registered trade unions and also seeks to

protect them from civil or criminal

prosecution so that these could carry on

their legitimate activities for the benefit of

the working class.

The Bureau of Indian Standards Act, 1986

To set standards (quality, safety etc.) for

various kinds of products to protect

consumer safety.

The Companies Act, 2013

The Companies Act, 2013 replaced the

Companies Act, 1956. The Companies Act,

2013 makes comprehensive provisions to

govern all listed and unlisted companies in

the country. The Companies Act, 2013

implemented many new sections and

repealed the relevant corresponding

sections of the Companies Act, 1956. This

is a landmark legislation with far-reaching

consequences on all companies

incorporated in India.

The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016

Before the enactment of Insolvency and

Bankruptcy Code, 2016, there were

multiple overlapping laws and adjudicating

forums dealing with financial failure and

insolvency of companies and individuals in

India. The current legal and institutional

framework does not aid lenders in effective

and timely recovery or restructuring of

defaulted assets and causes undue strain on

the Indian credit system. Recognizing that

reforms in the bankruptcy and insolvency

regime are critical for improving the

business environment and alleviating

distressed credit markets, the Government

146

Thought Leadership

Regulation

Purpose

introduced the Insolvency and Bankruptcy

Code, 2016. The Act has the objects to

consolidate and amend the laws relating to

reorganization and insolvency resolution of

corporate persons, partnership firms and

individuals in a time bound manner for

maximization of value of assets of such persons,

to promote entrepreneurship, availability of

credit and balance the interests of all the

stakeholders including alteration in the order

of priority of payment of Government dues

and to establish an Insolvency and Bankruptcy

Board of India, and for matters connected

therewith or incidental thereto.

The Real Estate (Regulation and

The Real Estate (Regulation and

Development) Act, 2016

Development) Act, 2016 that became fully

effective from May 1, 2017 (some of the

provisions came into effect from May 1,

2016) is a national regulation and

promotion regime for the real estate sector.

As per the Act, each state and union

territory shall have its own Real Estate

Regulatory Authority. Overall objective of

RERA is to create a regulatory regime and

to undertake consumer protection firm

regulation and speedy redressal of disputes

related to the sector with the participation

of states and UTs. The Act protects the

interest of the home buyers by promoting

accountability and transparency in real

estate deals especially from the part of the

developers. Besides the promoters and

allottees (buyers), the Act covers the real

estate brokers also.

147

Thought Leadership

Other Reforms

Apart from the above mentioned few other major reforms have also taken place in

independent India which were majorly focused on the social and technological development

of the nation. These include:

Progress in Education Sector

Pulling itself out from widespread illiteracy, India has managed to bring its education system

at par with the global standard. The number of schools witnessed a dramatic increase during

the post-independence era. The Parliament made elementary education a fundamental right

for children in the age group of 6-14 years by passing the 86th amendment to the Constitution

in 2002. At independence, India’s literacy rate was a paltry 12.2 % which increased to 74.04%

in 2011. The Government launched the Sarva Siksha Abhiyan in 2001 to ensure education

for the children from 6 to 14 years. Prior to that, it had launched an effective initiative –

Sponsored District Education Programme, which increased the number of schools across

the country. In a bid to attract children to schools, especially in the rural areas, the government

also started implementing the mid-day meals programme in 1995. Recently under the Digital

India drive, a move has been initiated to caret digital literacy in India.

Achievements in the field of Healthcare

A decrease in death rates is considered one of the major achievements that came India’s way

in this sector. While life expectancy was around 37 years in 1951, it almost doubled to 65

years by 2011. Infant mortality has also seen a marked decline with death rate coming down

to half of what it was during the 50s. Similar improvement was noticed in maternal mortality

rate also.

After a long-drawn struggle, India has finally been declared a polio-free country. Malnutrition

in children under five years came down to 44% in 2006 from 67% in 1979. Government’s

efforts yielded result as the number of tuberculosis cases also got reduced to 185 per lakh

people in 2009. The cases of HIV-infected people are also witnessing a declining trend. Besides

increased public health spending (about 6% of the GDP), the government has launched a

series of ambitious initiatives including ‘Healthcare for all by 2020' and distribution of free

medicines to the people falling under lowest-income group.

Achievements in the field of Science and Technology

Independent India has taken confident strides in its road to scientific development. Its prowess

is being manifested in a gradual scaling up of ambitious projects. India takes pride in its space

programs, which began with the launch of its first satellite Aryabhatta in 1975. Since then,

India has emerged as a space power that has successfully launched foreign satellites. Its first

148

Thought Leadership

mission to Mars was launched in November 2013 which successfully reached the planet’s

orbit on 24 September 2014.

India is also aggressively pursuing both nuclear and missile programs. That has simultaneously

augmented the country’s defense strength as well. BrahMos inducted into the defence system

is the world’s fastest cruise missile that has been jointly developed by India and Russia. After

more than six decades of independence, India has now come closer to being an independent

force to reckon with in the field of nuclear and missile technology.

In the sector of business and trade, e-commerce opportunities have been provided under

the realm of the Information and Communication technological development of the country.

India’s e-commerce sector has evolved rapidly in recent years as a growing middle class

demands more branded goods and online deals. The increasing prevalence of debit and

credit cards and better online payment security systems are encouraging more people to

shop online.

India also offers very favorable demographics for e-commerce — nearly half of the population

is under age 24. A Bank of America/Merrill Lynch report predicts the country will have a

combined annual gross e-commerce merchandise value of around $220 billion by 2025, making

it a hub for foreign companies looking to invest or increase their presence in the sector.

Laws are currently favorable towards e-commerce, though the government has stated it

wants to make sure online shopping doesn’t drive traditional brick-and-mortar retailers out

of business.

Along with the above mentioned development, plethora of transitions have taken place which

have paced the country to emerge as world leader at the platform of global economy.

India: A Transition from India to New India, 2022

India has raised herself as an emerging leader of the world while ensuring encompassing

growth and development of the nation as a whole. Soon, India is going to celebrate her 75th

year of independence in 2022, and to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee year of her Independence

and sovereignty, Government of India is dedicatedly attentive in unveiling “New India” under

the perspective of Rainbow Power of India. With an objective to set 2022 as a milestone in

India’s journey to shine as a leader among the community of nations, the Rainbow Power is

directing the governments’ initiative with the seven focus areas including knowledge, natural

resources, youth power, women empowerment, sustainable governance, empowered

democracy and India’s rich cultural heritage.

These seven focus areas are duly seeing the light of day with the initiation of government

initiatives like Smart Cities, Housing for all, Strengthening of Rural Economy, Clean and Green

149

Thought Leadership

India, Advanced Education, Digitalization of Knowledge Economy, Promoting Make in India

for creating India a hub of manufacturing with the advanced set of Skills, Encouragement of

the spirit of Entrepreneurship and alike. To implement and enforce these initiatives, various

legal and regulatory reforms are taking place in the present regime of governance and

compliance. To name few are Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016; The Real Estate

(Regulation and Development) Act, 2016; Regulation related to Cross Border Merger, Rules

relating to Foreign Investment and so on.

It is certainly an era of transition, wherein,

• Government is focused in providing an inclusive and all-encompassing progression

and succession to all and to the nation as a whole at global platform;

• Numerous innovative and pioneering initiatives including Bharat Nirman, Mission

Indradhanush, Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojna and Soil Health Card, Sabka Saath

Sabka Vikas, Pradhan Mantri Mudra Yojana, Skill India, Beti Bachao Beto Padhao,

Pradhan Mantri Krishi Sinchai Yojna, Kaushal Bharat Kushal Bharat, Pradahn Mantri

Jan Dhan Yojna, National Solar Mission under Ujjwal Bharat and many more are

150

Thought Leadership

taken by the government to take the state of governance to good governance and

finally to a sustainable governance;

• Stakeholders are ready to take the abundant opportunities in this transition change of

the governance and are keen to have refreshing viewpoints that overturn status-quo

thinking and trigger change towards the desired growth of the nations;

• Professionals, especially the governance professionals are ready to upturn each and

every opportunity under their thought leadership to provide the platform with a means

to substantially raise the impact of these initiatives among the stakeholders (e.g., People,

Professionals, Industries, Businesses, Regulators, the Government and non-government

organizations).

• Under this perspective, it would be apt to enquire as well as establish that governance

professionals better known as Company Secretaries are operating their professional

expertise, skills and thought leadership towards constantly seeking novel perspectives

151

Thought Leadership

and new insights into the present day vision of governance and are leading to

judiciously implementing these mechanism towards an inclusive and livable future in

the face of soaring populations.

Emerging Trends vis-à-vis Role of Professionals

Kautilya in his treatise Arthashastra propounded the qualities of good governance by the

ruling king as follows: In the happiness of his subject lies his happiness, in their welfare his

welfare, whatever please himself he shall not consider good. India follows republic, democratic

and secular form of governance, and the values that are enshrined in our constitution. The

term “governance” means a political unit for the functioning of policy-making for both the

political and administrative units of Government. Good governance is based on the conviction

that man has the ethical and rational ability, as well as the absolute right, to govern himself

with motive and just. The concept of good governance is associated with capable and real

administration in democratic set up. In practical terms, there are three particular features of

good governance that make it significance in the working of the government.

• First, the empowerment and capacity of government to frame and implement policies

and discharge functions.

• Second, the form of political will.

• Third, the process by which authority is exercised in the management of country’s

economic and social resources for development.

It also reflects the attitudes of the people towards the functioning of the so many agencies of

the government. “Good” governance promotes gender equality, sustains the environment,

enables citizens to exercise personal freedoms, and provides tools to reduce poverty,

deprivation, fear, and violence.

The UN views good governance as participatory, transparent and accountable. It encompasses

state institutions and their operations and includes private sector and civil society

organizations. Good governance is significant in public institutions to conduct and manage

public affairs and resources to guarantee human rights in free of abuse and corruption, and

with due regard for the rule of law. It is significant because it promises to deliver on the

promise of human rights: civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights. Good governance

is thus, a function of installation of positive virtues of administration and elimination of vices

of dysfunctionalities. It makes the government work effective, credible and legitimate in

administrative system and citizen-friendly, value caring and people-sharing.

The present regime of governance is observing various credible and positive changes which

are opening the gate of abundant opportunities for all the stakeholders to register a marvelous

growth of the millennium.

152

Thought Leadership

If we do not recognize the opportunities that come our way because of the challenges that

accompany it and its capability to alter the status quo we are bound to be only a mute

spectator to the growth in this world. A well-known author and a novelist Mark Twain remarked,

“I was seldom able to see an opportunity until it had ceased to be one”.

In India, we are witnessing some of the most important landmark reforms being brought in,

through different policy measures taken by the Government of India, which have a capability

of taking the nation much ahead of where it stands today.

The governance in the present state of the country has become more people-centric and

started giving importance to habitué satisfaction. These changes at global platform have

witnessed emerging trends in corporate world too. With the ever enhancing and up-brightening

trends has also open a world of opportunities for the professionals including Company

Secretaries under Companies Act, 2013; GST, Real Estate Act, 2016; Insolvency and

Bankruptcy Act, 2016 and alike. It is a good time for the professionals to act as catalysts and

facilitators to the whole growth process initiated in the country and thus capitalize on the

opportunities. Emerging trends like Goods and Services Tax, Promotion of Entrepreneurship,

Utilization of Skills, Resolution of Insolvency and Bankruptcy, Real Estate Regulations and

many alike cater the specialized needs for the promotion of trade and business in the economy

as well as to stimulate exceptional boost in the growth of Indian economy at global platform.

153

Thought Leadership

These specialized set of changes in governance require specialized set of professional skills

for the following reasons:

• To ensure an effective and efficient implementation of these ground breaking

transformations;

• To multiply the opportunities of growth and development for all;

• To encounter the challenges, if any impending the way of success directed in these

emerging trends;

• To provide and promote awareness among the masses about the real objectives and

action plans of these contemporary trends so that a way for the inclusive growth of all

could be paved forward of time.

Therefore, under the above content it could be aptly said that on one hand where the emerging

trends in governance are ensuring transitional phase for India to emerge and come up as a

world leader in the coming years, on the same end, it is the professional commune of the

country which would ensure the precise, exact and directed implementation of these initiatives

of governance to settle India under the regime of empowered and sustainable governance.

***

154

Chapter - V

India on the Path of Inclusive Development:

Role of Company Secretaries

Thought Leadership

In the wake of liberalization, India has become a centerpiece of the larger program of

"economic reform". Much of the prescriptions of the western world found their echo in the

post-1991 economic reform program in India. It began with a radical program of stabilization

and structural adjustment, financial monetarization, and others. These stabilization measures

were duly supplemented by structural reform measures, which included industrial

deregulation, liberalization of foreign direct investment, trade liberalization, overhauling of

public enterprises and financial sector reforms.

The overhauling economic status of India at the global platform has given a call for making

India an emerging and self-reliant country at the global matrix. Therein came the regime of

various reforms toward making India a country with inclusive growth and development at

international fora.

In the last few years, India has done very well in terms of growth in all its segments, be it

economic, political, social, governance, technological, regulation and alike. No doubts, India

has secured sixth rank in the great powers of year 201748. This is owing to the revolutionary

reforms of taking place in the verve of new age India. All the contributory centers of growth

and power are getting due emphasis, motivation and boost in the present set of governance.

The emphasis on the governance reforms is growing around the world. The above discussion

clearly states that at present India too is witnessing one of its most transformative and

reformative regime for the concerns of governance and development. Be it the economy,

polity, society, technology and even the international ties of the country, all are seeing the

light of reforms in taking India towards the path of inclusive growth and development.

Reflecting the spirit and the changed dynamics of the new India, the institutions of governance

and policy have to adapt to new challenges and must be built on the founding principles of

the Constitution of India, the wealth of knowledge from our civilizational history and the

present-day socio-cultural-economic contexts. The aspirations of India and its citizens require

institutional reforms in governance and dynamic policy shifts that can seed and nurture

unprecedented change.

Henceforth, in the wake of taking India towards the road map of inclusive growth and

development to all and to serve enormous standards of progression and advancement to the

entire citizenry on equitable basis, government has commenced with various initiatives

registering growth and development from economic to technological, social, political and

48. India ranks sixth on eight great powers in 2017: American Foreign Policy Magazine, The Economic Times. Available at http:/

/economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/politics-and-nation/india-ranks-sixth-on-eight-great-powers-in-2017-american-foreign-policy-magazine/articleshow/56794889.cms

156

Thought Leadership

legal segments of the society. To name a few are Make in India, Start-Up India, Stand-Up

India, Entrepreneurship promotion and development, Sabka Sath, Sabka Vikas, Digital India,

Ease of Doing Business, Simplified regime of compliances, and many more.

On one hand where these reforms and government initiatives are writing the glorious era of

sustainable and self-reliant India, on the other hand, professionals are playing an excellent

role in channelizing the smooth execution and implementation of these reforms with directed

approach and focused aptitude.

In the words of Sue Graffon, “Ideas are easy. It’s the execution of ideas that really separates

the sheep from goats”. Well adapted to the quite, a true implementation of these initiatives

requires a channelized governance so that a true graph of sustainable growth of the country

could be drawn at par. Indeed, one must say that the parameters of good governance

channelize the directed implementation of government’s strategy for inclusive growth and

development and a well implemented government’s strategy for inclusive growth and

development develops the figures of growth, succession, progress and development of all

beyond leaps and bound.

157

Thought Leadership

The above discussion clearly indicates that if it the standards of sustainable governance which

lead to sustainable growth of the country and subsequently support the inclusive growth and

development of the nation –equitably and globally, then it is the thoughtful leadership which

helps in attaining sustainable governance throughout all the initiatives of government in the

direction of inclusive growth and development.

Thought Leadership of Governance Professionals: Ancient Context

The thought leadership of the professionals in governance indeed is supported by the ancient

verses of India. Vedas in the rich cultural India have told that following qualities would settle

the long running good governance and would be a key to open the locks of comprehensive

success of all. These qualities are:

Sathyam – Truth

Tapah – Austerity

Damah – Sense Control

Samah – Tranquillity of mind

Dharma – Righteousness

Danam – Charity

Daya – Mercy

Nyasa – Renunciation

Thought Leadership of Governance Professionals: Contemporary Context

In the present context also, various literature has identified qualities of thoughtful governance

professionals. Few of the mandatory qualities49 are as below:

Competence

Competency is among the important qualities of an effective leadership. In its most basic

form, the anatomy of leadership is a matter of character and competence. As a leader, the

leader must be seen by his followers being an expert in our field or an expert in leadership.

Unless his followers see as highly credential--either by academic degree or with specialized

experience--and capable of leading his group or organization to success, it will be more difficult

for him to be respected, admired, or followed.

49. See, Legas Addisu (2014), Qualities of Effective Leadership and its impact on Good Governance, AbyssiniaLaw, and Made for People. Available at http://www.abyssinialaw.com/blog-posts/item/1473-qualities-of-effective-leadership-and-its-impact-

on-good-governance

158

Thought Leadership

Practically speaking, not all leaders immediately possess all of the qualities that spell success.

Many leaders learn along the way with hard work. As crises and challenges arise, those at the

top of the hierarchy have key opportunities to demonstrate to others that they are in fact,

qualified to be leaders. In actuality, greater competency can be achieved as a leader gains

more on-the-job experiences.

For a leader to be genuinely competent, he needs to demonstrate both professional and

leadership competencies. Leader’s professional competency rests on a particular expertise

of certain professional area. This shows that based on the area of expertise, professional

competency varies. The other important aspect of an effective leadership quality is leadership

competency, which refers to how the leader understands different levels of leadership

responsibility and kinds of leadership approach applied appropriately to the right level.

Leadership in private institutions is exercised differently from leadership regarding public

institutions. This shows that in each case the leadership skills are different based on the nature

of the institutions.

Even though, both professional and leadership competencies are important, the former is

not indispensable to a great leadership (Bell, 2006). Hence, one can lead an organization

with only leadership competency if his leadership competency is strong. Moreover, even

though professional competency is important quality for an effective leadership, a person

may not become competent in all professions. Putting it in other words, a leader may not

need to be an expert on every area of the organization; rather he may need to demonstrate

professional competency in some area. Competency does not necessarily refer to the leader’s

technical abilities. Rather it refers to the ability to challenge the challenge. It is the leader’s

quality to inspire, enable, being a role model and encourage others. Above all, it is leader’s

quality to be visionary with regard to the organization they lead with sufficient understanding

about the vision, mission and the goal of their organization.

Accountability

Accountability is a concept in ethics and governance with several meanings. It is another

important quality for an effective leadership and often used synonymously with such concepts

as responsibility, answer-ability, blameworthiness, liability and other terms associated with

the expectation of account-giving. As an aspect of governance, it has been central to

discussions related to problems in the public sector, nonprofit and private (corporate) worlds.

In leadership roles, accountability is the acknowledgement and assumption of responsibility

for actions, products, decisions, and policies including the administration, governance, and

implementation within the scope of the role or employment position and encompassing the

obligation to report explain and be answerable for resulting consequences.

159

Thought Leadership

Through accountability, a leader fosters trust. Accountability can be manifested by taking

risks for both success and failure of an organization. Accountability is not something blaming

others for failure. Rather it is taking part in every process or journey to reach at best the

destination by learning from the current events be it good or bad. It is a true leader that acts

in this by taking a risk.

To sum up, as a leader, above all, we have to accept personal accountability for our actions.

In the same way we have to also accept accountability for our omissions –which means not

doing what we ought to do.

Openness/Integrity

Openness is the other essential quality of an effective leader. Openness as a leadership quality

has many things in it. The first is openness to accept change or new idea. Since change is an

undeniable part of life, the leader has to be ready to accept this. The reality is that life stops

when change stops. A key part of leadership is recognizing and adapting to change, and

making choices about how change happens when you need to Change is feared by most

people, so it is understandable that they resist it.

Our ability to choose the direction of change, and to recognize the opportunities that present

themselves when uninvited change occurs is enhanced by our self-awareness. It results in an

openness to change that is the second key to what makes a good leader. When we become

open to change we could get to choose the kind of change that happens and how it will work

for us and our organization. Openness, among others, consists integrity in it. Through openness,

we build our personal integrity which implies that our strong internal guiding principles that

one does not compromise.

Language/Relationships

In our everyday life, the way we communicate with others may have its own positive or

negative impact on the relationships we have with others. Whatever the case, in order to

have a positive relation with others, we have to use positive language instead of negative

language. Negative languages are “killing languages”. When we say language, it is not mere

types of language we speak; rather it is the style of receiving and giving certain information

by using any language. While communicating with others, the leader has to use constructive

words, terms or phrases instead of killing words or terms or phrases. We have to wash our

destructive words by using more constructive terms.

Effective communication skills undoubtedly top the list of most important leadership qualities

- irrespective of which field is being taken into consideration. An individual shouldn't just

have ideas, but should also exercise the means of communicating these ideas across the table

in an effective manner.

160

Thought Leadership

The concept of effective communication is not just restricted to the act of delivering speeches

from the stage or addressing a gathering of people, it includes any communication with

individuals at the grass roots and taking their feedback. As a leader of certain organization we

may address various issues with people at different levels, but ignoring these differences while

communicating costs us a lot if we did not use constructive terms while communicating with

others based on the context at hand. The leader is expected to communicate positively even

towards irritating issues or persons by using “GREEN BINOCULAR LENSES”. By these lenses

we can see not only the negative aspects of a given issue, but also the positive side of that

issue. Without seeing and understanding things with these lenses, we may not reach at the

targeted goals {emphasis added}.

Above all by using positive language, through effective communication, first the leader builds

his relationship with his followers and other persons. Second, effective communication is

important because it provides the leader and followers with great access of information relevant

to important organizational decisions. Good communication should be supplemented by good

listening skill; because it helps to understand the idea of others and to respond accordingly.

Values/Community

Value is another important quality that effective leaders must posses. Value is the intrinsic

worth, quality or excellence that renders a thing useful or desirable. It is a core belief what is

right and fair in terms of one’s actions and interactions with others. It is the tool we use in

making decision. What we build through a process while living in a given society is our own

character. And it is our character that ultimately determines the course of our lives. Values

may be based on knowledge, aesthetic consideration, moral grounds or combination of these.

A leader must choose the values that are most important to him; he has to select the value

that he believes in and defines him more. And he has to live them visibly every day at work.

If we object lying we have to keep ourselves from lying. Because living our value is one of the

most powerful tools available for us to lead and influence others.

Values are influenced by culture and society. Given the difference in culture in our globe,

values are interpreted by each of us in our own way. Putting it in another word, value reflects

culture and has social elements, principles, or standards that are accepted by a group of

society over a long period of time.

Relating it to leadership, it is an essential quality for effective leadership. It helps the leader to

be aware of different philosophical beliefs and values even if they do not agree with them.

Adherence to the values accepted by the leader is the most important factor in an organization’s

success. Because it tells us what is right and wrong while making a decision that affects positively

or negatively certain organization or society while we are acting as a leader.

161

Thought Leadership

Perspective/Balance

This is another essential quality that is important to be an effective leader. Having this quality

gives you the ability to see the world from different angles. A leader who is equipped with this

quality expectedly says “the way I see the world is not the only way it is” His thinking is

changed to “the world is the way we all see it”. Perspective here means that, there is a possibility

to change my view to give me new insights for my action. This quality entails great

intellectuality and philosophical humbleness from member of certain organization.

To sum up, whatever our task may be, it always helps to have the right perspective or approach

towards various work-related issues. A true and an effective leader is able to visualize his/her

goals from different angles and plans things accordingly. This would enable proper distribution

of tasks and ensure productive results.

Power/Influence

Power is another important quality that the leader must posses. Power or the way the leaders

behave emanate from the principles on which organizations are crafted. Hence, the power

that is exercised is the other side of the coin. Due to the system’s tenets, individuals are

influenced and have some kind of “shape” in their performance and leadership style. It is

through this kind of power that individuals impose influence over others.

In the past we have been taught that leadership is position, so we go for position, but when

we are in the esteemed position, we realize that it does not follow that everyone follows us.

We do not lead through structure, through influence. Positional leaders only influence

positional followers, whereas, real leaders influence everyone. From this one can understand

that having a position does not mean influencing others. Position does not make the leader,

but the leader makes the position if he influences others willingly and enthusiastically. For an

effective leadership, power is influencing people to commit to the vision and mission of an

organization. It is not having position of certain level and exerting force over others.

Humbleness

This is one of the effective leadership qualities. Thought leaders have the maximum

responsibility, and though they are the ones who work harder than anyone else in the group,

a leader needs to be down-to-earth. He should not think of himself as someone special, he

should understand that he is just a leader and not the owner of his people. Only if the leader

is humble, people will approach him. It is the duty of a leader to motivate his people, and

only if a leader is humble will he be able to guide and support his group members.

Company Secretary as Thought Leader

Before, understanding the role of Company Secretary as a Thought Leader, it is must to gain

162

Thought Leadership

an insight about the meaning, significance and features of thought leadership and therefore,

the next chapter in consequence discusses in detail the meaning of thought leadership,

characteristics of thought leaders as well as significance of thought leadership in the emerging

society of sustainable governance.

In the previous chapters, detailed confab has taken to lead on discussing about the global

trends of growth and development, India is at the approach of becoming a world leader,

comforts and opportune actions India has adopted for its holistic development, a period of

new transition in India towards New Age India, government initiatives in the light of welfare

state and development to all, role of professionals in the era of new age India, professionals

turning to the concept of thought leadership for realizing the directed implementation of

government’s efforts in serving a sustainable governance and empowered citizenry in India

and as well as meaning, significance, characteristics and role of Thought Leaders in any domain.

For Company Secretaries, it is said that governance and compliance cannot be realized in its

true sense and spirit without the connotation of Company Secretaries who are better known

as Governance Professionals in the era wherein the good governance and now the sustainable

governance is the key driver towards inclusive growth and development of the nation at a

global platform.

The initial synthesis of this work was focused on the major objective of deliberating upon the

role company secretaries play as a thought leader in our country and henceforth contributing

outstandingly in making our government for effectively and efficiently implementing the

flagship initiative of turning India as a world leader of all-encompassing growth and

development.

Change and growth are inevitable constituents of a prosperous economy. The economy and

society has been a witness to the proliferation of professions over the ages. The influence of

the Company Secretaries as the governance professionals in making of the society and the

economy has been growing, as they contribute to competitiveness of the nations, and

sustainability of the posterity with prosperity. They ensure fair play in market place and

inculcate ethics in the enterprises and the society. The State relies on them for second order

state functions. In recognition of their strategic role, the State and the Society have evolved

an institutional framework to develop and regulate various professions. The ever changing

economic dynamics require keen, zealous and adaptable attitude for ultimate growth of the

professionals and the profession.

In the present state of affairs, where sustainable governance is in the priority of the cards for

India to become global leader, Company Secretaries as the dedicated governance professionals

have assumed centre-stage not only in India but across the globe as Chief Governance Officers/

Governance Professionals.

163

Thought Leadership

The need to continually redeem our pledge and commitment to the trust and confidence

placed on the Company Secretaries, by the Society and regulators is important and crucial

in guiding the persistent significance of the profession of Company Secretaries.

With the changing time along with the persistent initiatives to establish sustainable governance

in the country, the profession of Company Secretaries has also taken an edge in playing

varied role and serving various sectors of the society with their expert know-how and

proficiency. The real testimony to this is the Companies Act, 2013 which makes company

secretaries Key Managerial Personnel and makes Secretarial Audit mandatory for certain

class of companies. Various provisions in the Act showcase strategic importance of the

Company Secretary in governance architecture of any company. With the enactment of

Companies Act, 2013, Company Secretary Professionals or the Governance Officers are

now recognized as the “Guardians of Company’s Governance and an independent adviser

to any corporate.”

Along with this, the recent enactment of various progressive laws including Insolvency and

Bankruptcy Code, 2016, Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Act, 2016, Goods and

Services Tax Law and many others have opened a plethora of opportunities and prospects

for Company Secretaries to serve their professional excellence and expertise as a thought

leader towards the growth of the nation at global platform.

Under this perspective, this chapter highlights the varied role played by the Company

Secretaries in the specialized area of compliance and governance and how the professional

excellence served by them is attributed to the characteristics of a Thought Leader.

Company Secretary vis-a-vis Thought leadership: A Perspective Analysis

Before, establishing Company Secretaries as the Thought leaders, one should determine the

synthesis of features between both of them.

Company Secretaries as Thought Leaders: A Synthesis

Thought Leaders

Company Secretaries

As per the definition of Thought Leaders,

In this content, indeed a Company

Forbes in their research asserted that “A

Secretary is a Thought leaders while

thought leader can refer to an individual

creating a synthesis with the essentials of

or firm that is recognized as an authority

Thought Leadership, as

in a specialized field and whose expertise

1. Services provided by the Company

is sought and often rewarded.”

Secretaries could be in the form of

164

Thought Leadership

Thought Leaders

Company Secretaries

It speaks that to become a thought leader,

individual entity or a firm counting

the essentials are:

the specialization of this profession;

1. It can be an Individual or a Firm;

2. They are recognized as an authority

2. It should be recognized as an Authority

in the field of Governance and

in a Specialized Field;

Compliance;

3. Whose expertise is often sought; and

3. They are even better known as

4. The expertise is often rewarded.

“Governance Professionals” of

present times50;

4. They are well recognized in various

laws and their expertise is often

sought for legally abided

governance and compliance;

5. Their expertise is rewarded

financially as well as socially;

6. Further they are recognized

internationally.

The above comparative table clearly indicates the Company Secretaries are the Thought

Leaders in true letter and spirit.

50. See, Srivats K.R (2013), Rename Company Secretaries as “Governance Professionals”: ICSI, Business Line, The Hindu.

165

Thought Leadership

Further, it has to be noted at par that they as an expert and proficient governance professionals

bear all the virtuous potentials of successful thought leaders of the day.

The Seven (7) theory is correspondingly applicable to the expertise of Company Secretaries

and along with this, they also possess various characteristics, which makes them “Successful

Thought Leaders” of class apart. Following are the few skills of Company Secretaries which

inhabits them as a “Thoughtful Thought Leaders” for governance and compliance.

Characteristics of CS as Thought Leaders

Company Secretaries as a specialized cadre of professionals in compliance and governance

have the following characteristics which in detail deliberated them as a true replica of Thought

Leaders of the modern day governance and compliance:

Looking Into The Future : Thought leaders are always looking ahead. They keep their

hand on the pulse of their industry to make sure that they are prepared for what is

coming next. For example, computer companies with thought leaders had to be aware

that consumers were going to want to tablets and smaller devices. These leaders were

able to produce a product in time to meet this trend whereas leaders that were not

thoughtful fell behind.

Open to Questions : Thought leaders are open to questions. They encourage their

team members to question them and challenge them on actions and plans. This helps

them to hear new ideas and provokes them to see new points of view. This assists with

creativity and prevents getting stagnant with just the ideas of the leadership team.

Making Planned Decisions : All leaders are bound to make decisions on a daily basis.

Thought leaders try to have a process in place for making decisions and don't just

base decisions on their instinct. They look at all options before making a decision.

They consider all the pros and cons of a decisions but still try to make decisions in a

timely manner.

Looking for Opportunities to Improve : Thought leadership is using both successful and

unsuccessful examples as opportunities to improve. Thought leaders want to learn

from everything. If a project was a success they will look at ways they still could have

improved. If a project was a failure they will use it as opportunity to improve for next

time. This encourages the team to take chances because they are not afraid of the

consequences if they fail.

Distribute Responsibility : Thought leadership relies on the principle of equitable

distribution of responsibility while analyzing the ability of each member of their team.

166

Thought Leadership

Honest and Loyal about Information : Thought leadership implies that the leaders

should be honest and loyal about the information they receive, they pass on and they

act.

Create Multiple Path for Raising and testing ideas : Thought leadership not only implies

for motivating and taking new ideas from the team, rather it also leads in creating

multiple path for raising and testing ideas in longer platform.

Make it safe to fail : Thought leaders not only predict the future prospects for the

company’s growth, but also prepare the precautions in raising safe from the failures, if

any happens in the course of venture.

Transparency and Honesty : Thought leadership advances the culture of transparency

and honesty among the organization for inter-organizational as well as intra-

organizational transactions.

Find time to reflect : Thought leadership entails that the qualities of the thought

leadership should be reflected for other team members also for nurturing the future

thought leaders.

Recognize leadership development as an ongoing practice : Thought leadership ensures

that leadership development should be constant with time and keep developing with

the changing facts and facets of time.

Judicious Use of Power : Thought leaders believe in judicious use of their power and

keep their team updated with their judicial implementation and use of power.

Wider Perspective and Outlook : Thought leaders always perceive wider perspective

and outlook of things and concerns they got while making their venture a successful

one.

Others:

Apart from above mentioned characteristics, a Thought leader also entrusts the

following principles of their thoughtful leadership:

• Provide access to others strategies

• Develop Opportunities for experience-based learning

• Adapting the Transformation

• Bring your whole self to work

• Find time to reflect

167

Thought Leadership

• Recognize leadership development as an ongoing practice

• Motivation and Compassion

• Judicious Use of Power

• Wider Perspective and Outlook

The above mentioned characteristics of Company Secretaries under the realm of Thought

leadership confirm the holistic development of the society under the expert services of the

company secretaries while serving benefit to each and every stakeholder of the societal union.

Concluding Remarks

Beyond reasonable doubt, various reports have confirmed that India is treading on the path

of inclusive development wherein various initiatives of the government have been initiated

at priority. Among others, even the one coordinating it’s all agenda’s towards success is

“Sustainable Governance”. The discussing of the governance and the establishment of

sustainable governance is piecemeal without the vivid role played by Company Secretaries.

Aptly stated that “abilities without efforts are useless; true potential of one’s ability needs to

be properly channelized and exploited to create the world of wisdom.” Under this fore, the

professional excellence and the proficiency they carry in compliance and governance have

made the professional community to be catapulted as ‘Governance Professionals’.

A diverse role of company secretaries not only ensures the directed implementation of

government policies and schemes and rather they catapulted the theme of various opening

in these trends in accelerating their profession as well as helping Indian to attain inclusive

development. As a specialized professional, Company Secretaries play a proactive role in

driving the gist of government’s efforts in settling a regime of sustainable governance in

India.

With the specialized services of the Company Secretaries with the professional dedication

towards the nation and its building, no doubt the members of the professional commune

have become thought leaders of today. Company Secretaries under their thought leadership

lead to the implementation of sustainable governance with novel perspectives and solutions

the opportunity to substantially raise their contours and remain on the cutting edge of

developments at global platform. Stakeholders under the management of thought leaders

earn the acumen and insights of their holistic development with their refreshing viewpoints

on wider issues and challenges that matter to them and as a result, come to regard the

company secretaries as their trusted advisor in the market. In short, it could be quoted that

Company Secretary has essential role in development of objectives, strategies and policies of

the government for ensuring sustainable governance and inclusive growth of the nation.

168

Thought Leadership

The above discussion clarifies the following points:

• That since ancient times, principles of good governance are followed in true letter

and spirit to settle done the welfare of the entire populace;

• In the modern world too, a lot much of emphasis has been given to good governance

and the professionals implementing good governance;

• In the present day of Constitutional regime of India, Welfare State and Good

Governance have been paramount guide for the government.

• In the modern times, the emerging leadership of India in world is calling for sustainable

governance, where the leader is bound by his duties and ethics in driving force to run

the nation effectively and efficiently and governance professionals, company secretaries

in specific are driving the duty to implement the governments’ initiative in the targeted

direction;

• In present scenario also much weightage is given today for selecting right person

through open representation so that governance can uphold the principles of dharma,

ethics and righteousness as propounded by the ancient thinkers in Vedas and

Upanishads.

• A thoughtful leader implementing the principles of good governance not only ensures

the equitable growth of the citizenry in all the sectors, rather it ensures sustainable

growth of the nation at global platform;

• Under the Concept of Welfare State along with the Directive Principles of State Policy

enshrined under Indian Constitution one could clearly embark the virtues of thought

leadership which includes Sathyam – Truth; Tapah – Austerity; Damah – Sense Control;

Samah – Tranquility of mind; Dharma – Righteousness; Danam – Charity; Daya –

Mercy and Nyasa – Renunciation as the qualities for the thoughtful leader of

governance;

• The varied qualities, expertise and professional dedication of Company Secretaries to

ensure excellence in effective and efficient governance, indeed mark the inclusion of

the above mentioned qualities.

• The presence of the qualities of the thoughtful leaders including the one referred in

the ancient times for governance and its effective implementation as well as in the

modern day concept of sustainable governance are almost similar which are:

I.

Competence

II.

Truth

169

Thought Leadership

III.

Accountability

IV.

Transparency

V.

Integrity

VI.

Balanced Professional Relationship

VII.

Values for Community/ Professional Ethics

VIII.

Balanced Perspective of Knowledge

IX.

Influence

X.

Humbleness

As discussed in detail in the previous chapters, the company secretaries in the virtue of their

commitment towards professional excellence in governance and compliance are carrying

all these upright qualities of thought leaders which ease out the establishment of sustainable

governance in the country and subsequently lead to the sustainable growth and development

of nation as a whole by putting in place all the government initiatives more effectively and

more efficiently.

It is worth to conclude at this end that though form of government and lead of government

has been millions in last countless centuries, but the establishment of Rule of Law under

sanction and governance has been the biggest element of creating developed India at global

platform.

Yesterday was for people of India, Today is for people of India and Tomorrow will be for people

of India as “We the people India constitute this nation and the Company Secretaries were serving,

are serving and will be serving good and welfare of the people of India under the compliance

set of effective and efficient sustainable governance”.

* * *

170

Thought Leadership

REFERENCES

• Carl Adams (2015), Proceedings of the 15th European Conference on e-Governance,

2015, ECEG, 2015.

• Dalton Joe (2016), What makes a Good Thought Leadership, The Longitude Research,

United Kingdom.

• Desai and Patel (2015), Goods and Services Tax in India: Opportunities and Challenges,

Internaional Journal pf Current Research, Vol. 7, Issue 11.

• E-Governance, Know India, india.gov.in, National Portal of India.

• E-Governance – Reforming Governance through Technology, Digital India, Power to

Empower, Ministry of Electronic and Information Technology, Government of India.

• E-Governance in India: Concept, Initiatives and Issues (2014), The Insight.

• The Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016, Ministry of Corporate Affairs, Government

of India.

• Hall John (2014), 6 Key Business Goals Thought Leadership Will Help to Achieve,

The Little Black Book of Billionaire Secrets, Entrepreneurs, Forbes.

• Jijo Deepak (2014), Role of Company Secretaries in the Growth of Indian Economy,

Linkedin.

• LLopis Glenn (2017), The Importance of Thought Leadership to Grow and Evolve,

The Innovation Mentality, The Gen Llopis Group.

• Omar and Miah (2012), Technological Advancement in the Developing Countries

during Digital Age, International Journal of Science and Applied Information

Technology, Vol. 1, No. 1, USA.

• Overview of Goods and Services Tax, Central Board of Excise and Customs, Department

of Revenue, Ministry of Finance, Government of India.

• Rasmus Danial W (2012), The Golden Rules for Creating Thoughtful Thought

Leadership, Fast Company.

• Real Estate (Regulation and Development Act), 2016, Ministry of Law and Justice,

Government of India.

• Report on Using Thought Leadership to Grow, (2005), Forbes Insight.

• Role of Company Secretary, Fact Sheet, The Institute of Company Secretaries of India.

171

Thought Leadership

• Singh Balmiki Prasad (2012), Our India, National Council of Educational Research

and Training, Revised Edition, ISBN 978-93-5007-155-7

• The Changing Role of the Company Secretary, Focus on Governance, The Insights,

Deloitte.

• Vijay Pavan Kumar (2012), Information Technology and Company Secretary, Slide

Share.In

Websites

http://www.cbec.gov.in

http://www.digitalindia.gov.in

http://www.india.gov.in

https://www.india.gov.in

http://www.mca.gov.in

http://www.pmindia.gov.in

***

172

Document Outline

cover

1

2

3

4

5