Power Of Position
A flight departing without boarding a pre-booked VVIP passenger certainly makes the headlines. A recent news item reported that the passenger, the Governor of a State, apparently reached the airport two minutes after its scheduled departure time. By then, not only had the aircraft doors been shut, but it had already pushed back to head towards the runway. The Governor – more likely his staff – were livid that the aircraft did not wait for him (reminiscent of King Canute and the sea waves) and was not recalled. The outcome was an abject “regret” and probe by the airline, and suspension of its Station Manager and possibly two others.
In another state, an ambulance carrying a sick patient was stopped to make way for the Chief Minister’s convoy, despite fervent pleas by the patient’s relatives. Again, probably the work of minions and all-powerful “security”, rather than the CM. Though not common, there are reports of similar incidents from time to time.
Most politicians love ostentatious power. They gain gratification, even as they lose respect, but they have their own priorities, views, and ways of dealing with these issues. However, there are lessons for corporate professionals too from such incidents. The wielding of power for questionable purposes is fraught with danger. A powerful person may receive profuse apologies and, in further abuse of his position, even have dismissed those involved.
Such actions, though, have repercussions. Misuse of position erodes moral authority and, with it, the ability to motivate and lead. CEOs with untrammelled authority would do well to keep this in mind. How they wield the power bestowed on them, perceptions of their team about what is right, following commonly agreed procedures (and, obviously, laws) and supporting those who do so: these are amongst the important factors which define leadership qualities.
Flouting rules or demanding that others do so is a sure recipe for personal and organisational disaster. Cases of CEOs forcing their staff to commit financial irregularities or coercing a junior into a sexual relationship are not unheard of, and the same for bullying or using abusive language. All these are known to inevitably end up in disaster – sometimes, for the whole organisation. The best CEOs understand that the power of their position is to be used sparingly, for organisational or general good, and not for personal vanity or benefit. They lead by facilitation, motivation, and teamwork, rather than by command; by respect, rather than authority; they carry a big stick but speak softly.
The responsibility of the CEO extends beyond this, to supporting and protecting his team against unfair and vindictive action from other authorities. One wonders what his employees think of the CEO who ordered suspension of employees for doing their job: following procedures, rules and systems that exist for smooth and safe functioning in an organisation responsible for hundreds of lives every day. Whatever the outside pressure, this story (assuming it was correctly reported) reflects poorly on the organisation’s leadership and rubs off on corporate India as a whole. Do industry associations have any role here as conscience keepers or are they too timid to speak up?
In refreshing contrast, to end on a positive note about VVIPs, a Central Minister was recently reported to have bicycled to AIIMS (Delhi), without any security paraphernalia, on a surprise visit to check on its functioning. If true, a great example not only for other VVIPs, but – metaphorically – for CEOs too.
*The author loves to think in tongue-in-cheek ways, with no maliciousness or offence intended. At other times, he is a public policy analyst and author. His latest book is Decisive Decade: India 2030 Gazelle or Hippo (Rupa, 2021).
