Perils of Leadership!

Ernst Hemmingway, the much acclaimed and celebrated American author, was asked as to why he deserted his wife and little child for another woman. Hemmingway simply said ‘Because I’m a bastard!’Do we remember, Hemmingway today, as a scumbag or as a great author, who won the Nobel Prize? The latter would be true, I think.
Mahatma Gandhi will go down as one of the world’s greatest transformational leaders of all time and is remembered for that, not for the neglect that his family went through due to his enormous sacrifice. Leadership comes at a steep price that many a mortal is not ready to bear.
Winston Churchill was a washed up back bencher, when Hitler started World War 2, resurrecting his dead career. Churchill seized the moment and went on to become a great politician.
Adolf Hitler was an effective leader; till his megalomania took hold and he lost it all.
As I teach leadership, I grapple with multiple facets to a leader and leadership. Leadership is a complex area, contextual and situational, where the results determine the leader’s efficacy. There is no room for an also ran……….
Paul Gauguin the genius and post impressionist painter fled France for Tahiti, deserting his family,by sea, where he created his masterpieces..........what if the ship had sunk onvoyage.Would we have heard, of Gaugin the genius? It might have well been Gaugin the wretch!

The color pink!

For reasons that I cannot fathom, the color pink, is associated with femininity. Should men choose to wear the shade, they are looked at askance and in extreme cases, their sexual orientation is questioned.

I wonder why ? When I was growing up, pink was a pretty good color to have on you and perfectly straight people could be found in pink suits.Not today, though!

The good news is that, over the last couple of weeks, both Roger Federer and Nadal have been swatting the tennis ball in pink. Now you cannot question their manliness can you?

The genesis of the issue seems to be World War 2, Nazi concentration camps, where homosexual men were marked by a pink triangle apex down. Today this has become a symbol of gay rights!

In an era where we shun discrimination and embrace diversity, petty prejudices seem quite quixotic.

Folk, what's your take?

We no speak Americano!

Phew, the Americans have done it again!This time around, the French are up in arms, because they are pained at the Americans trifling with their culture and how? Apparently, McDonald's, the burger emperor, has put up an advertisement with Astrix, the little Gaulish warrior,eating potato wafers and biting into a burger.

Now Gaul ( France ) was a Roman colony and away from reality, it is little Astrix who along with his plump friend Obelix who keeps the Roman hordes at bay. The French are proud of their little comic hero and to have him be seen chomping on a burger, is anathema to the French.Its a non negotiable no no.....The French see it as an invasion of their culture and erroneous appropriation of a symbol of the French.

The ruckus has caught the American burger maker on the wrong foot and I'm sure the advertisement will disappear in a hurry. But, who will tell the blokes- 'It's all about culture man!' American culture gaffes in France are legendary!

A Kidds tale.....

I love today's young generation, really so. They are smart, confident, open and fun.They pursue their goals with single minded focus.They are the new India and in many ways I'm glad.........because like most others, hope is what we live on.

Having said that I'm reminded of a rather interesting story:



William Kidd better known as Captain Kidd was a superb seafarer and a simple Britisher, that is till English sent him on a mission off Africa to quell marauding pirates, close to Madagascar.

Captain Kidd, strangely , turned pirate himself and a ferocious one at that, attacking British ships that sailed those waters. He was dreaded.The British tried in vain to bring him to heel, but the pirate Captain was always one up........

Eventually, Britain offered him full pardon if he surrendered. Kidd did and was taken captive on his return from the Indian ocean. The British then, tried and sentenced him to hang. Strange for a Government that ruled an Empire.

The Captain's last words were:

'This is a fickle & faithless generation'

Of Flags & trysts!

I watched with bated breath as attempts were made to unfurl, India's flag, at our apartment complex, yesterday. Getting the flag, to unfurl, properly at the head of the mast or flag pole is tricky.
Karnataka's Chief Minister,found this out much to his dismay, yesterday, when repeated tugs at the lanyard yielded no results and he was made to look foolish at the state level function.Apparently an enquiry has been initiated, with the usual finger pointing

A few years ago, the flag was unfurled upside down in West Bengal and if I remember right Kerala followed suit.This is sometimes seen on ships which come to India.

Grave offence though, one can understand foreigners making a mistake,but Governments?
Our flag represents us as a nation and this flippancy is appalling.Soldiers die fighting for the flag that we take for granted.

On a nicer note, our flag unfurled after a couple of smart pulls and post singing the national anthem we got ourselves some welcome breakfast!

Happy Independence Day!

Problem Solving

A few days ago, a few students walked into my cabin, as they had an issue with their class presentation. I said the presentation was all right and the root of the problem lay in their English speaking skills ( which were limited )

The real issue is that, youngsters, congregate around people ( friends ) from their own region and so get little opportunity to speak English......and improve, which reminded me of the following story.

France, under Gen.Charles De Gaulle was, tenaciously holding on to their Algerian colony, amidst growing violence and opposition. The Governor General, in Algeria, Jacques Soltes, bitterly complained to De Gaulle, that his friends criticized him for following the General's policies.

De Gaulle, an impatient man, replied with a terse one liner ' Changez vos amis'.

Change you friends.It is the solution to many problems.I could not come up with better advise!

East & West!

The Great Library at Alexandria, was said to be a treasure trove of important books & classical literature ( Greek ).The Arabs, on a roll, captured the city in the seventh century.

The Arab General, is said to have asked the Caliph in Baghdad ( Omar ), as to what was to be done with the museum and its contents.

The terse reply was as follows:

If the books contain information that already exists in the Koran ( Islam's holy book ), then there is no need for such books. If they contain information that is not there in the Koran, then too there is no such need for the books ......................because the information is of no consequence.

It is said that the books in the great library were used to heat water in the public baths or 'hamams' of the city and the fires were kept burning for six months. What a tragedy?

Many years later, the German army retreating out of France ( WW2 ), were leaving Paris,when the German general overseeing the retreat received a telegraph from Hitler- 'Burn Paris to the ground'. The general was appalled and did not comply with this order. He stood his ground, even when a furious Fuhrer kept asking 'Is Paris Burning?'

Paris was saved and we get to see the wonderful monuments in Paris to this day.

For me the two stories are indicative of Eastern & Western cultures. In the East, where Power Distance, is large, we tend to follow orders, if they emanate from a superior. The West is more questioning, in its approach!

Mumbai Again......

The tragedy off Mumbai port where two ships flying the Panaminian flags collided a few fays ago was waiting to happen. With the container ship shedding oilthe situation is very serious, for the residents of Mumbai. Also, the Ports of Mumbai and JNPT have since been shut down, as the 'Chitra' has dropped an unspecified number of containers into the sea, which are a navigational hazard and preclude other ships from safely entering or leaving port.

Amidst the breast beating a couple of questions need to be answered:

1. Did the two ships have Harbour pilots on board?
2. Mumbai has a fully functional Vessel Traffic Management System, which should have been guiding both ships.
3. Our disaster response and management systems have proven to inadequate again.

A laundry list of the damages.

1. Environmental disaster which is still unravelling.
2. India's financial hub shut down.
3. Huge capital loss, in terms of damage to ships and cargo, where an insurance firm is going to take a severe hit.Maybe the ships are a total write off.
4. Cost of salvaging the sinking container ship. This task is going to be tough- tough, due to the choppy seas around Mumbai, in this time of the year.
5. The possibility that the Chitra, will prove to be a permanent wreck, impeding navigation around the ports.

Initially, it was thought that there were no fatalities. That apparently is wrong.A poor police officer with limited swimming skills fell off the police patrol boat and drowned.Trust us to have the wrong people at the wrong place.The other policemen in the speed boat ( three ) also did not know swimming!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

One can only grind one's teeth in frustration..................

Something Rotten II

Last week, a worker with a beer distributor, in the United States, was given the choice of resigning his job or being fired, for stealing beer.The Afro-American Omar Thornton, seems to have agreed to resign and then pulled a gun from his lunch box and shot ten people, eight fatally. He then took his life even as police officers were 'getting' to him.

The beer distributor apparently had zero tolerance for theft and discipline was swift with tragic effects, as we can see.Omar Thornton, the shooter, was a young man and seemingly well adjusted, but that apparently wasn't the case.It once again brings to the fore, the need to carry out thorough background checks and carry out personality checks prior to hiring people.

However the twist in the tale was yet to come. Thornton apparently, called his mother before killing himself and told her that he was being harassed because he was an African American and was victimized. His girlfriend later confirmed Thornton's grievance.Thornton's family has gone to town with his side of the story.

Thornton, had complained of racial harassment and said he found a picture of a noose and a racial epithet written on a bathroom wall, his girlfriends mother said. Her daughter told her that Thornton's supervisors told him they would talk to his co-workers.However Union officials said that Thornton had made no complaint of racial harassment.

A tragedy all around!!!!!!!What was lacking? Empathy, understanding and the Human Touch, that all of us look for.

Something Rotten!

To be or not to be, that is the question? That is the dilemma that Hamlet, The Prince of Denmark, faced. That is also, the query that many of us have to deal with on a day, to day basis- to be agreeable or not.Why did Hamlet, ask that question? Because there was something rotten in the State of Denmark. Agreeableness is one of the BIG FIVE personality traits, that many a corporate values and looks for.They do not want dysfunctional folk running riot at the workplace. Many of us are generally agreeable, but then being agreeable, while good, being agreeable all the time, leads to enormous stress, called 'Emotional Labor or Load'and can tell on our physical or mental health. I do not envy the air hostess, who has to sport that plastic smile come rain or sunshine. It's too damn tough.
The dichotomy is that some of the disagreeable folk are also some of the greatest celebrities. To name a few: *Steve Jobs. **Henry Ford. ***Bill Gates. ****John McEnroe. Of course, Alexander 'The Great'would take the cake for his drunken rages. However do you get to hear of his disagreeableness at all? The deduction is that, the more famous you get, the more disagreeable you can afford to be! If you are a small fry, you had better watch your step.
Also, next time you are at the receiving end of a disagreeable person, do not grit your teeth and bite your tongue and look meek. Maybe its worth your while to play hardball for a change. Adopt a 'No Asshole Rule'. If you have not read the book, do. It could change your life!

Shame!

I was horrified to see the accompanying picture, a few days ago and the following emotion was one of disgust. A pretty face marred. The fate that many women suffer in Afghanistan. Aisha's crime was that she fled an abusive husband. Why did she marry the man? Apparently she was given to him to settle a debt!!!!!!

How do you untangle a 'Talibanized' Afghanistan? How do you make any sense of the Aisha's? What goes through a man's mind when he cuts off a pretty girls nose and ears?

Lets look at it from the mans point of view. Aisha in running away from her husbands home, had shamed her husband and in our part of the world tantamount to 'nak katwana' or bringing shame to the family. The offending wife is made to pay with a mutilated face. That is what transpired.Is it culturally accepted? Yes it is. Is it right? No way.However it is like asking an American, as to why crazy people go around shooting innocent passerby, in their country or why they allow so many broken homes.Is it a sign of independence?

Time magazine went to town, crying that, that would be the fate of the Afghans should the Americans leave Afghanistan, now. While I'm not debating the politics of it the Americans must realize that Afghanistan has a culture which precedes their by thousands of years and their presence, is not going to alter things too much?The magazine's cover has a caption which says that 'What happens if we leave Afghanistan'. Importantly there is no question mark, it is a definitive statement.

The great news is that Aisha is travelling to the US to have her face restored. I'm looking forward to seeing that pretty picture on Time's magazine cover in the near future.Lets have some good news too......

Role Perception

It was Shakespeare who said that, life is a stage and all of us are actors! How true. There is an issue when we cannot comprehend the role that is to be played by us in different settings. Many an employee is at odds and ends at the workplace because role perception is skewed. How does he/she perceive his role? How does his/her boss perceive the role and finally how does the organization (top management) perceive the role? It is when these perceptions are at loggerheads that we have a genuine problem on our hands. Perceptions are a wonderful entity, nebulous and vague but play a major role in how we navigate life, its complexities and all that it throws in our path.In short they have a stupendous bearing on how our lives play out.

The famed and ill fated trans Atlantic passenger ship ‘The Titanic’, predominantly carried two nationalities on board on her ill fated voyage, traversing the Atlantic –American and British. When the ship went down, let us see how the passengers either lived or died. Total Americans: 306 Total Americans who died: 119 % who died: 39. Total Brits: 327 Total Brits who died: 221 % who died: 66 Aren’t the figures staggering? Sixty Six percent Brits died to thirty nine percent Americans.

The anomaly may be explained by how the passengers perceived their roles in the crisis. The British being a mature sea faring nation had well developed nautical traditions, one of them being, that in an emergency at sea, women and children would be saved first. There would be no rushing to the life boats to save themselves by the British.The Brit male played his role out and died. The American had no such perception, and saved himself first. He too played out his role and lived!

Post the event,onbeing rescued this was what a womanpassenger said-"There was no panic and the discipline of the Titanic's crew was perfect. My husband joined me on the Carpathia, and we knelt together and thanked God for our preservation."