Leaderspastpresentfuture: Knowledge ,learning and Leadership

Leaderspastpresentfuture: Knowledge ,learning and Leadership: Knowledge ,learning and Leadership Knowledge and continuous learning  are preconditions for  Effective Leadership . When we wa...

Knowledge ,learning and Leadership

Knowledge ,learning and Leadership

Knowledge and continuous learning  are preconditions for  Effective Leadership. When we want a house to be built we immediately think of engineers and architects who know about the building a house. Here also an architect will have more specialized knowledge about how to make the maximum use of space in a aesthetic way. The civil engineer will have knowledge about the  structure and other details of the construction. when we want to repair our shoe we take to a master cobbler to do the job. For almost everything we need people with special knowledge in the field. We always look for people with  knowledge and experience to do things for us .

 Socrates during his conversation emphasized that professional and technical competency   are the essential ingredients of effective leadership without which leadership will not succeed. During crisis people look  only at leaders who have knowledge and experience ,for  proper guidance .A leader will flourish in times of uncertainty .He will never be scared of new challenging situations which will give him opportunities to exercise his knowledge ,experience and the resulting power. 

Challenges normally bring out the best in people who matter. A comfort zone is not always a breeding ground for   real confidence.  And confidence itself is very fishy and vague when somebody is in a very congenial   environment: where there are no challenges .Socrates said:

 “For confidence breeds carelessness, slackness, disobedience :fear makes men more attentive ,more obedient ,more amenable to discipline. The behaviour of sailors is a case in point. So long as they have nothing to fear, they are I believe ,an unruly lot ,but  when they expect  a storm or attack ,they not only carry out all orders, but watch in silence for the word of command like choristers.”

Whatever may be theories about leadership people take instructions and work according to them only if they have conviction in that the leader knows what to do and how to do it in times of crisis. The true leader does not show any doubt about their own abilities . Just as every profession  needs specialized knowledge and skill, a soldier should know how to fight ,how to handle a gun, a doctor should know anatomy and physiology to learn medicine leaders should have thorough knowledge of what they are doing .

 Academic qualification alone may not be sufficient for leadership instead it needs the power for taking decisions, grit , determination and a gut feeling.  A true leader will not go by  the data or information  alone available to them instead they will trust in their own intuition .However the saying “at the Top you are alone “goes well with leaders of the top order. This is true of all fields : corporate, politics, knowledge industry education ,medicine sports and games ..to name a few ; IN FACT ANY ORGANIZED HUMAN ACTION .

A leader should be an eagle, an owl, a horse , a tiger, a cat , a fox, a chameleon , a sage who meditates, and what not... and finally a an excellent human being !!          

Continues....

Leadership...PLATO

LEADERSHIPPASTPRESENTANDFUTURE

PLATO

The parable of the Ship’s Captain

The sailor’s are quarrelling over the control of helm…they do not understand that the genuine navigator can only make himself fit to command a ship by studying the seasons of the year ,sky, stars, and winds and all that belongs to his craft ; and they have no idea that ,along with the science of navigation, it is possible for him to gain, by instruction or practice ,the skill to keep control of the helm whether some of them like it or not

                                         

  Plato…The Republic

Leadership is very complex and involves a lot of ingenuity ,creativity and an attitude which would make others have confidence in you to follow you or listen to you. The above passage from the classic THE REPUBLIC by PLATO contains some ideas about leadership and its complexity though new theories are being developed on a regular basis.

 

The analogy of a ship and its captain and the sailors will fit in very well with any discussion of leadership. This is very evident from many real life situations and fictional ones like Columbus, Captain Cook,Vasco de Gama,Ishmael (Moby Dick)and many others

 

Take out the some important words for the above paragraph: control, genuine navigator, command, science of navigation, instruction or practice, skill, control at the helm..like it or not.If an attempt is made to form a sentence highlighting these terms we will get a general idea about what leadership is all about.

 

A leader should know what he is doing and why he doing it (science of navigation).He should be a genuine navigator with skill and practice and should have long years of experience in different contexts. Whether one likes it or not ,one should have all these and much more to exercise control at the  helm.

 

He has to lead from the front and cannot exhibit any doubt or shadow of fear. There are leaders in all spheres of life. Nobody gives one power on a platter , instead it has to be earned through hard work and exemplary leadership qualities which will naturally lead to tremendous commanding power.

But ,all said and done ,leadership theories continuously evolve and there cannot be a final word ...

to be continued ....I respect your response ...  

 

LEADERSHIPPASTPRESENTANDFUTURE

               LEADERSHIPPASTPRESENTANDFUTURE

“Ships are safe in the harbor ..but they are not meant for it”

Leader-ship is an “attitude “towards things that matter . A person who has the willingness to test his capacity to stretch beyond his supposed limits will break rules to create new ones .This is what creative leaders do when they are challenged. Their mind WORKS in ways that we never know and only the results in action can be seen. 

The alchemy that takes place in his mind is inscrutable and perhaps even he may not be able to replay the whole process of making decisions which have far reaching consequences .The data ,made available to him is useful to only a certain level but the real decision comes out of insights and may be in a flash .He is not afraid of entering into the unknown and has no fear of what will happen ,if…something goes wrong.

Comfort zone is unknown to them. It irritates them DEMOTIVATES them. They love only unchartered waters but they have a gut feeling that guides them through the SCYLLA AND CHERIBDES of the decision making process. 

They begin like Shakespeare’s Hamlet’s dilemma “to do or not to do” but unlike Hamlet leaders does not swing like a pendulum for ever ,instead they take it as a period given to them to stop to take decision. If it has some wrong elements ,they correct it and steer in the right course. 

Leaders are not superhuman : in fact they are very human who are prone to commit mistakes ..but they are not afraid of committing mistakes instead they admit it and go forward .

Leaders are not SHIPS which like to anchor in the comfort of PORT instead they are meant to be venturing out into the unknown sea of life and their LEADER-SHIP qualities help them to steer the ship

( may be a country, an organization a political party, a small business or a big business ,a family, personal life and everything that matters)

.LEADER-SHIP opportunity is everywhere but only LEADERS see it . But anybody ,who desire to become a leader in his or her field can find it .

                                                                    

 Prof. Varma

Please comment on this ..I CONSIDER YOUR COMMENTS very VALUABLE..

GREATNESS..---LEADERSHIP

GREATNESS ... IS A POSSIBLE GOAL ...

FOR 

EVERYBODY

This is an article which I happened to read  from    WOODIPO.COM AND  I thought of sharing IT with all my readers .The article gives an interesting perspective about Greatness ..big is not great .. big could be great ..but small also could be  great ...If one fixes  greatness as one's goal he/she has to POSSESS  a very large heart which can accommodate heterogeneous IDEAS and  things fully understanding the contradictions and paradoxes involved ..Now read on and I am sure you will enjoy and learn fro it .. Varma 

If greatness is your goal, whether in your business life, your personal relationships or your own personal growth, here are some guidelines to get you on your way. Greatness is possible! You can achieve the goals you set for yourself and you can make a difference in your own life and those who live and work around you! Set greatness as your goal! Here’s how: Identify greatness for yourself. While there are some basic generalities that most people would consider great, there are broader definitions of greatness, ones that each individual sets for him or herself. For example, most people would consider Mother Theresa great while only some would consider Donald Trump great. Helping humanity is a broad generality while building a real estate fortune isn’t. So what you need to first do is ask, “What does greatness look like for this company, organization, family or for myself?” From there you can develop values and a mission statement etc. But if you don’t first identify it, you’ll never reach it. Maximize targeted end results. As Covey says, “begin with the end in mind.” What end results do you want. Be specific. Come up with all of them. Maximize them. Leave no stone uncovered. Set out for yourself all of the goals or end results you must hit in order to reach greatness. Write them down, memorize them and distribute them broadly (if doing this for a group). Maximize your targeted end results! Make distinction your endeavor. What is the endeavor of the great? Usually it is to distinguish themselves from the average. They seek to rise above the rest by the quality of their product or service. Everything goes toward the goal of making themselves distinct from the run of the mill. That is their mission. And in doing so, they make themselves great! Map your effort thoroughly. The three most important words in real estate are “location, location, location.” In reaching a goal, the three most important words are “plan, plan, plan.” Okay, “execute” and “persevere” work too, but go with me here! Too many people wish they would achieve something but never write down a plan for getting there. When I want to go on a long trip I don’t just wish to get there. I plan on how to get there. I get a map, I figure out distances, times etc. Map out your goal thoroughly. This will help you achieve greatness. Regularly take time for regeneration. Achieving greatness is hard! You will care more, work harder, and take more lumps and setbacks than the rest.  So you will need to take time to regenerate so you can fight again another day. Your body needs rest. Your mind needs rest. Your emotions need rest. Your spirit needs rest. I firmly believe that a person who rests well can do more in less time than the one works without setting aside time for regeneration. You may be able to reach goals without rest, but somewhere along the line, you will fall harder and longer if you aren’t regularly regenerating yourself. So take your vacation time this year! Have a strict evaluation process. Every plan and goal needs an evaluation tool. And it should be a strict evaluation process. This is how you objectively decide whether or not you are proceeding toward your goal. If you have the right evaluation tool and you look six months into it and you aren’t hitting the goals, perhaps you need to change the goal or the way you are going after it. The evaluation process is not to be underestimated in its importance! Take somebody else with you. True greatness is not individual. The one who becomes great spreads the reward of greatness around. Incorporate many people into the plan and let them eat of the fruit of success. I live in an area that has literally thousands of millionaires created by a company that had a vision of greatness. And while yes, they experience the reward, the rewards then go out many levels through the whole community, from businesses that support our community to non-profit groups, churches, and schools. True greatness blesses those many levels away. Learn to party! Party? Yes! What good is greatness if you can’t enjoy it? And not just the final destination but also the entire journey. Be sure to stop along the way and relish in your movement. Celebrate small and large victories. This keeps the sprit high and the big mo rolling! Spend the money, buy the food and blow up the balloons – it’s time to celebrate!

Where have all the leaders gone

 “Where have all the leaders gone ? “

This is the title of the autobiography of IACCOCA ,the former PRESIDENT  of FORD MOTOR COMPANY, where he created MUSTANG and the CHRYSLER corporation ,which he famously saved from ruin . The title speaks a lot about the present state of affairs in the world of business , politics, religion ,education and also in every conceivable field of human activity. We see many people ( both men and women ) shooting up to some high  position from nowhere and look at him or her in admiration but within a short time ( before we know what happened ) they fall down from heights in ignominy proving that they had only feet of CLAY.  (Of course some of them survive the heat of leadership and is showing signs of real leadership qualities suitable for the future- we will discuss about them later in this article ) 

The result is that the world which could boast of GREAT LEADERS like Gandhi, Martin Luther ,Churchill, JRD Tata ,Kennedy , Abdul Kalam  to name a few , lacks  living leaders who could inspire and become role models for the future generations ( GEN : X  , Y  and  Z ).   There is a lack of trust but all is not lost for the present generation has the ability to produce leaders who can influence in  a sustained manner in the midst of supersonic speed with which the world gallops forth.

Leadership is ,to a great extent  a matter of attitude. There is “leadership’ quality in everybody but the quality of that may vary fro person to person. John Adar ( Said to be the world’s first professor of LEADESHIP studies has authored many books on the subjects.)has said that ‘leadership capability can be developed by anybody with dose of” careful thought , and practice” and of course adding to it some ability to take risks with a willingness to correct.

In the recent times , the world has seen many people with tremendous leadership qualities in different countries but they have to stand the TEST OF TIME to sustain their image . But , for the present discussion on this subject of leadership let us mention the name of STEVE JOBS ,who in many ways proved to be a leaders in his own right and is sometimes called as the BEST CEO of the 20^th century and also the first decade of the 21^st century. In the book” I , STEVE ( Steve Jobs in his own words ) “ there is a reference to his Curriculum Vitae which gives an insight  into what could be some of the main ingredients of leadership.

JOB’S CURRICULAM VITAE :Objective: I am looking for a fixing upper with a solid foundation. Am willing to tear down walls, build bridges and light fires . I have great experience , lots of energy a bit of that VISION THING and am not afraid to start from the beginning. SKILLS: that “ VISION THING”, public speaking ,motivating teams and helping to create really amazing products.

Job’s idea of leadership is very clear and it has tremendous optimism and this is driven by a sort of aggressiveness and a clear sense of direction . Vision becomes the leading light and all other things follow .This came a person who was called the best CEO of the century considering his strength of vision, proactive nature built into his character , risk taking ability, the skills to motivate people towards great things ,tremendous communication skills with which he could convince people, great revolutionary ideas and what not !! He could build tams which could work with high energy and focus despite many odds under which many would have buckled. He knew the“ was  “   “ ..is..  “ , and  the “ would be “ of things .

“Knowing how things work gives the leader more real power and ability than all the degrees or titles the world can offer” John Adler  ( Jobs was a university ‘drop out ‘!! The magic of leadership depends on mainly four areas : PURPOSE , PEOPLE,PROCESSAND ULTIMATE GOAL,AND PERFORMANCE. All these should work in harmony and it is like a SYMPHONY of which the CONDUCTOR is the LEADER.

Each of the words given in capital letters can be discussed in depth but it does not fall in the purview of this article. All these traits do not exist in watertight compartments . They compliment each other and is driven forward in harmony and power only when they are fired by the most important thing in leadership “ PASSION” .

To a question < what makes a leader successful “. Charles Handy – the management GURU –in an interview to BBC replied : PASSION - . According to him leaders should have faith in what they do. Passion without a sense of direction , personal integrity, ethical standards will make leaders morally corrupt .All leaders should have a moral COMPASS within which should guide them in the proper direction . When an analysis is made of the above traits , it is very clear that – it is a rare combination and comparatively difficult to achieve without working upon it with great motivation and passion.

We have a clear dearth of such leaders the world over in all fields “ where have the leasers gone “ In fact they have not gone anywhere : they are amongst in plenty but only very few emerge into the limelight . The ultimate question is whether leaders are BORN or MADE. ythis is a million dollar  question but and there are conflicting views but we can see that all explanations in this regard are contextual and never complete and , in fact, there is no ultimate answer to this question . again CHARLES HANDY ,in his inimitable style viewed this in a beautiful way” “ I don’t think you can teach the skill, or learn them from others , but often it is a matter of finding yourself in the right place …So , while these skills cannot be taught , they can be brought out under the right circumstances. I often say that life is like an apple – it falls into your hands . But it won’t fall into your hands unless you stand under the tree. You have to find the ORCHARD ,find the TREE and then something may happen.”

When the situation is found the person who has these traits or who would like make an attempt will jump into the fray and use their knowledge , experience ,courage , conviction and CREATIVITY to effect a change in the environment keeping close to his vision. CREATIVITY has a vital part in leadership which involves imagination, visualization, going the extra mile ,thinking beyond the established conventions and should be ready to face resistance and be bold to overcome it.

All these needs an understanding of the problem, excellent communication skills to present the problem to the people and tremendous interpersonal skills and he should have excellent capability to trust his intuition and should be guided by insights .CREATIVE LEADERSHIP is the key and an analysis is made we can find that all great leaders had and have all these qualities and more – right from Gandhi to Abdul Kalam to JRD Tata to Ratan Tata to Amarthya Sen ( in India )  to many people in business  science , sports , culture  and in all fields of human activity .. the list is long… In fact leaders are everywhere but they are not seen or they do not know that they have these qualities of leadership.

Leaderships qualities can e developed through conscious training people with an inherent desire to become one that means he/she should have a passion to become a leader in the chosen field . Creativity forms the core of leadership along with many other qualities which have to be nurtured with care , warmth and dynamism. Davis listed the main qualities of the qualities of CREATIVE PEOPLE : THEY WILL BE : curious, energetic, experimenting ,independent, industrious, flexible, open minded ,original, playful, perceptive, persevering questioning, risk taker ,self aware ,sensitive …. Goldsmith listed the qualities of leaders of the future: Seek options, not plans, look for what is possible, must be flexible, pursue vision with intent, tireless, inventive, observant, risk takers who are ever hopeful builders, challenge assumptions and paradigms, empower the talent ,intelligence and creativity  of others.

KOTTER, who has written much on the  leadership, listed five points on LEADERSHIP AND LIFELONG LEARNING : Risk taking ,Humble self reflection, solicitations of opinions , careful listening, openness to new Ideas. KOTTER’S five points have great relevance with what we discussed in connection with creativity. Since KOTTER’S list of qualities of leadership are in line with the creative qualities it is highly possible to develop these in people through a well designed CREATIVITY TRAINING and it will have a tremendous impact upon leadership development .

LEADERSHIP is nothing but effecting CHANGE and leaders always think differently and influence people to accept CHANGE and execute it effectively. Leaders are few and far between but they are there …. Let us accept that fact. All organizations should open up avenues for development of new leaders and encourage people to take up responsibilities. There are millions of MANGERS but hundreds or perhaps thousands  ( ? ) of leaders who can inspire people to DREAM , VISUALIZE AND IMPLEMENT IDEAS … ideas that can change the status quo … give freedom to others …..and they will surprise you with ideas and tenacity and the willingness to execute the ideas in a very creative way.

Managers manage within a framework , Leaders inspire people to take risks and go the extra mile ….and of course take the responsibility. Search for them ,find them, the will change the world for good .Trust the true leader , leadership is a matter of choice . You can choose…

Prof: Rama Bharatha Varma    

  

  

Leadershippastpresentfuture

Welcome to all the readers

This Blog makes an attempt to present to you a lot of information (articles, clippings,quotations, interviews ,opinions ,lives, pictures etc.) about  leadership in all conceivable fields .

But the underlying theme of leadership in all places at all times  past ,present and future may have some similarities but there are tremendous variations ..in style, function,theories,people,cultures etc.

LEADERSHIP is dynamic and hence very interesting . Hope this BLOG will be useful to you. Kindly read it and respond ..

I value your comments and encouragement

If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.

John Quincy Adams