“Remember, Leadership Is A Function To Be Performed And Not An Entitlement To Be Enjoyed”
Except that they took place simultaneously, the recent assembly elections in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh as well as those to the Municipal Corporation of Delhi seem to be unrelated to the soccer World Cup in Qatar. Even so, they provide pretty similar insights into the essence of organizational effectiveness.
First, the role of the regulator or a referee to ensure a fair contest can never be overemphasized. The Election Commission conducted the elections with credibility according to a well set protocol. The results were announced on the counting date itself; likewise, no team in the World Cup has seriously complained against the standard of refereeing at the World Cup.
Compare the elections in India with those in the US: the election procedures there differ from state to state, sometimes county to county, and the counting itself is spread over days, if not weeks. Great credit is therefore due to the Election Commission of India for the seamless and efficient manner in which it carries out its duties.
The World Cup has shown us that star studded teams do not always succeed. Teams from Croatia and Morocco, small countries with very few stars, reached the semi-finals, while many powerhouses – Germany Spain, Portugal etc- fell by the wayside. Both Croatia and Morocco did well because they executed their strategies well. The players focused on their allotted roles and played unselfishly as a team.
The BJP did this in Gujarat but was unable to replicate its success in Himachal Pradesh where it lost to the Congress for the opposite reason- indiscipline. Kejriwal bested BJP in Delhi. So in the end the score was one-one-one and the party that performed better on the voting day won. This proves that democracy in India is alive and kicking and the criticism that it is slowly degenerating into one party rule is far from justified. The world’s largest democracy by a long shot can undoubtedly improve. But so also can many other democracies in advanced countries whose deficiencies are seldom discussed.
These elections also tell us something about the essence of leadership in all areas- sports, politics, public administration, business, academia, social service etc.
The Congress suffered a humiliating defeat in Gujarat because it appeared to have lost all connect with the average Gujarat voter, losing 60 seats and 14.1% vote share. But this is not a onetime affair; the party has been in secular decline since 1965. It was always stretching its luck when it confined its leadership to just one family.
Gujarat is the latest consequence of this fatal flaw. For truth be told the configuration of genes that produces an outstanding leader is difficult to replicate and does not always pass on from one generation to the next. The Marwaris have an interesting saying, “Haveli ki zindagi challis saal,” they say. This implies that just as the economic life of a family mansion is limited to forty years; so too is the duration of the contribution that one family can make to a successful business. The founder of a successful organisation therefore must pass on the baton not to his progeny but a younger professional who possesses leadership skills.
In Gujarat, the Congress party lost because it failed to communicate; and when it did, its messaging lacked resonance with the voters. Contrast this with the BJP who implemented its strategy brilliantly. Its messaging too resonated with its workers and the masses.
And this really is the essence of effective leadership in any field: The leader devises a strategy and monitors its implementation, and ensures effective communication with all stakeholders. If he is a politician, he also enthuses both grassroots party workers and voters.
Ordinarily, these skills are not hereditary. Reminded a CEO of a large pharma multinational to his audience comprising middle level officers of the Income-tax department, forty years ago, “Remember, leadership is a function to be performed and not an entitlement to be enjoyed.”
( The writer was Chief Commissioner of Income-tax and is the author of the Moral Compass- Finding Balance and Purpose in an Imperfect World, Harper Collins India, 2022 )
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