If your mentor gives applause for all the good things you did; great. If your mentor is satisfied with what you have done and never induces you to push your limits; beware! Great leaders are great followers too. Leaders ideally will have mentor(s) who shows them the way to greatness.

A little experience with LeadCap has provided with the following understanding about the roles of a mentor when developing a potential leader into a great leader and also the role of the person mentored in the process.

Roles of the mentor:

1. Keep the vision alive with actions and words
2. Assurance that s/he will become a leader
3. Push her/his limits to greater heights
4. Freedom to fail

Roles of potential leader:

1. Decision to lead
2. Very positive ‘I can’ attitude
3. Challenge the self every minute of every day
4. Raise the bars
5. Work really hard

In a movement where we are building a nation of leaders each and every person must raise their bars and aim greater heights. Meeting with the defining moment and decision to lead is just a beginning. When the worldly comforts and sloth slows you down, remember that in the leadership journey you have to push your limits and keep the leadership quotient high with string of decisions. “Never give up” should be the mantra.

Mohammad Nibras P.K.
LeadCap

Ever since liberalization, India has made huge strides economically.Movement of people from one part of the country to another for job hasbecome a norm of the day. To an extent this has bridged the gap between people. Sadly regionalism has resurfaced across the country. Peoplecoming from other states are being ridiculed, abused and attacked.

The country was divided on regional basis for administrative reasons andnot meant to create separate entities. It is time that the Government/Election Commission get tough with such regional parties/leaders and ban them for life from contesting in the elections and speaking in the public.

People coming from other states should learn to respect the sentiments of the state in which they are living in. They should make all earnestefforts to learn the local language, culture, appreciate its food, etc andget assimilated with the local population. Otherwise they can find jobs in their own states

One of the Fundamental Rights provided bythe Constitution is that “An individual can go to any part of the countryand earn his living”. That is why we don’t require Visas to travel from one state to another. So when a software engineer from up North comes and takes up a job down South, he is exercising his Constitution Right and ifyou want to question his right, better give up living in this country. It is not possible to give a software engineer’s job to a SSLC drop-out or ill-qualified person, just because he is a local.

Nobody has given their lands to the IT Parks/ Airports for charity. Such acquisitions are made at market rates. If anybody feels aggrieved , they can approach the courts and not come to the streets and disrupt development. However, it is ridiculous for a land owner to feel cheated because his one acre of land which was paid a market value of Rs.1 lakh in 1995 is now worth Rs. 2 crores. IT companies/Airports are professionally run companies and not charity institutions to give one job per family from whom the land was acquired.

Everybody cannot be and need not be a software engineer. Money flow is created in the economy when there are high paying jobs. It is upto you howto take advantage of that money flow. Were there so many taxis, PG accommodations and shopping malls in our cities a decade back? Have these people who are providing the services not benefited from the increased money flow in the economy? If the locals have not been smart enough to exploit this opportunity, it is their folly not that of a person from another state who has encashed the opportunity.Certain occupations are best left to the law of “survival of the fittest”.Nobody gets into a taxi/auto because the driver belongs to such and such aregion. There is no law prohibiting a local from driving a taxi. If you are diligent and hardworking, you will survive in the market or else youwill suffer. Similar is the case with a grocer, maid servant, etc.

When I take up a job in any State, I do pay all the taxes imposed by thatState on my income and expenditure. Further, I do create money flow inthat state whenever I spend. The concerned State Government does get amajor share of the income tax, I pay to the Central Government. Thus thestatement that “outsiders” fleece the state of its resources and do notcontribute anything to its development is an inflated bag of lies andmeant to divide incite people for political/financial gains.

No state has come up on its own or without contributions by people from other states. Let us understand that some states are less blessed than others either through nature or by man made factors. That does not mean they dont have a right to better their living. Such denials on regional basis would only create a wedge in the society which may have unimaginable woes for us in the future. Let the greed for power not turn India into a battlefield.

Balu AM

What is charismatic leadership? You just cannot stand up in a crowd, say
that I am charismatic and become its leader. So, how does anybody become
a charismatic leader? Looks, skin color, oratory skills, family lineage,
style, etc are some of the words which come to mind

Looks and skin color work but only to a limited extent. Family lineage
would make you a charismatic leader amongst a worthless set of people.
Oratory skills are essential for a charismatic leader. For it to
instantaneously connect with the people their convictions should be
emphasized, fears allayed, hopes fostered and most importantly play to the
gallery. For all these to culminate in a powerful talk, the leader should
be well informed of his audience profile. Just waxing eloquently on the
growth in capital markets, infrastructure, etc amongst a group of drought
hit peasants, you are liable to be stoned.

Style is a combination of voice, body language and dress. You cannot
address an army going to war in a saint like voice. Your voice should be
aggressive and words should be screaming for the enemy blood. Body
language reveals what the carefully planned words hide. It is impossible
for a teacher to inspire his students, if he himself yawns during the
class. There cannot be a better example on importance of dress than
Gandhiji who could easily connect with the masses because of his dress
sense. Why else do you think uniform is given utmost importance in
organizations which want people to achieve a single goal? A contemporary
example of the ultimate style package is Laloo Prasad Yadav. He has all
the style in the world that is required to mesmerize his target audience.

For a leader’s charisma to sustain over a long period of time, he should
be well organized, know the pulse of his audience and most importantly
deliver on his promises.

Balu AM

The square watermelon was “invented” in Japan in 2001. The following article briefly explains its origin, then offers some lessons that we’ve talked about before. Many of you will remember the “sacred cow” project we had a number of years ago…getting rid of those old processes that were ineffective, yet still done because “that’s the way we’ve always
done it.”

I think you’ll enjoy the story and find the lessons worth thinking about. Then consider how you can put the lessons to work and make your own ‘square watermelons’ - at work and at home.

Lessons of the Square Watermelon
Japanese grocery stores had a problem. They are much smaller than their US counterparts and therefore don’t have room to waste. Watermelons, big and round, wasted a lot of space. Most people would simply tell the grocery stores that watermelons grow round and there is nothing that can be done about it. That is how I would assume the vast majority of people would respond. But some Japanese farmers took a different approach. If the supermarkets wanted a square watermelon, they asked themselves, “How can we provide one?” It wasn’t long before they invented the square watermelon.

The solution to the problem of round watermelons wasn’t nearly as difficult to solve for those who didn’t assume the problem was impossible to begin with and simply asked how it could be done. It turns out that all you need to do is place them into a square box when they are
growing and the watermelon will take on the shape of the box.

This made the grocery stores happy and had the added benefit that it was much easier and cost effective to ship the watermelons. Consumers also loved them because they took less space in their refrigerators which are much smaller than those in the US meaning that the growers could charge a premium price for them.

What does this have to do with anything besides square watermelons? There are a few lessons that can you can take away from this story that can help you in all parts of your life. Here are a few of them:

Don’t Assume: The major problem was that most people had always seen round watermelons so they automatically assumed that square watermelons were impossible before even thinking about the question. Things that you have been doing a certain way your entire life have taken on the aura of the round watermelon and you likely don’t even take the time to consider if there is another way to do it. Breaking yourself from assuming this way
can greatly improve your overall life as you are constantly looking for new and better ways to do things. This was one of the most difficult things for me to do because most of the assumptions I make, I don’t even realize that I’m making them. They seem perfectly logical on the surface, so I have to constantly make an effort to question them.

Question habits: The best way to tackle these assumptions is to question
your habits. If you can make an effort to question the way you do things on a consistent basis, you will find that you can continually improve the way that you live your life. Forming habits when they have been well thought out is usually a positive thing, but most of us have adopted our habits from various people and places without even thinking about them. I have changed a large number of habits that I have had after taking the time to question them and continue to do so. Some of them I have no idea where they came from while others I can trace to certain people or instances in my life. It’s a never ending process, but by doing this,
you can consistently strive toward making all aspects of your life more enjoyable instead of defaulting to what you have now.
Be creative: When faced with a problem, be creative in looking for a solution. This often requires thinking outside the box. Most people who viewed this question likely thought they were being asked how they could genetically alter watermelons to grow square, which would be a much more difficult process to accomplish. By looking at the question from an alternative perspective, however, the solution was quite simple. Being
creative and looking at things in different ways in all portions of your live will help you find solutions to many problems where others can’t see them. I am not a creative person, but I’ve found that the more that you look at things from different perspectives, the more creative I have become. It’s a learned art and builds upon itself.

Look for a better way: The square watermelon question was simply seeking a better and more convenient way to do something. The stores had flagged a
problem they were having and asked if a solution was possible. It’s impossible to find a better way if you are never asking the question in the first place. I try to ask if there is a better way of doing the things that I do and I constantly write down the things I wish I could do (but
currently can’t) since these are usually hints about steps I need to change. Get into the habit of asking yourself, “Is there a better way I could be doing this?” and you will find there often is.

Impossibilities often aren’t: If you begin with the notion that
something is impossible, then it obviously will be for you. If, on the other hand, you decide to see if something is possible or not, you will find out through trial and error. Many of the lessons above are what I used to create my online income. As I’ve said many times, it’s not easy, but it’s certainly not impossible. Even for those of us that are not A-List Bloggers, creating a full time, online income is quite possible, as I have shown.

Take away the lessons from the square watermelons and apply them to all areas in your life (work, finances, relationships, etc) and you will find that by consistently applying them, you will constantly be improving all aspects of your life.

A title or a position can be akin to the Emperor’s Clothes. We can become blinded by our titles; blinded to our impact and effectiveness in our role. We can become unable to see what others around us can see. They can create a hazard to our ability to see ourselves and our motives clearly.

As John P. Kotter observed, management tends to work through formal hierarchy and leadership does not. “In a world that is continually changing, where additional leadership is necessary, more individuals outside one’s chain of command take on added importance, as do intangibles not on the organization chart, intangibles like corporate culture.” The spotlight can not be on titles.

A title can open doors, but our staying power will come from our ability to influence others. The real strength of a leader is the ability to elicit the strength of a group. Our accomplishments are restricted by our ability to lead—influence—others. But how are we doing this—by force of power?

If leadership is about influence then the acid test of leadership must be the following question:

If you were stripped of your title – the politics of leadership, the power to punish and reward people – would they still follow you? Would you still get results from them?

It’s good to ask your self this question periodically and adjust your approach accordingly.