According to John W. Gardner, the primary task of leaders should be to release human energy and talent. Toward this end, leaders must create an empowering climate, based on the eight conditions just listed, where power is decentralized and all members are held accountable for their performance. Leaders must also model community and empowerment values by maintaining and expressing confidence in followers’ ability to do their jobs and optimism about the direction in which the organization or society is heading. Leaders enhance their credibility through three primary mechanisms: clarity (are the values understood?), unity (do employees share in the values of the leader?), and intensity (is the leader committed to the values he or she espouses?).
Since the inception of the Lead India initiative, launched by the Times of India on August 15, technocrat-turned-social activist Ranjit Gadgil has emerged as the winner from Pune city.Ranjit, who pursued his Ph.D at the Cornell University in 'Nature of Dark Matter' for a couple of years before switching over to IT, is delighted with the result. "Give me some time to let this sink in," he said.
Some of the views closest to his heart can be found in his voice and opinions on the burning issues confronting the country. Some of them:
Plight of Vir Chakra Winners! Shameful.
I've been given an assignment to help Maj. Uday Sathe, a Vir Chakra winner who has been fighting single handedly for an increase in the Gallantry Award Pay (GAP). Believe it or not, this amount is a shameful 1500, 1200 and 850 a month for winners of Param Vir, Maha Vir and Vir Chakra winners. These awards are not given out to any Tom, Dick and Harry, a mere 2277 have been awarded since independence. Meanwhile over 1.6 lac "freedon fighters" get about 11000 a month, and while there are many genuine people in that list, one can't but help wonder if those numbers aren't inflated!
The thing is that the way we treat our real heroes has an effect on both the morale of those in service and on the quality of people that will get attracted to this profession in the future. Already it's getting harder to do so. I've always maintained that the Govt. should be stingy in handing out subsidies and payouts but surely this is one case that qualifies. And with such few numbers, one can hardly argue that this will strain the Govt. So what do you think?
Is a TV show with SMS votes really the way to select a leader?
This is a question that I grapple with myself. One can argue both ways.
The way I see it, this initiative is an experiment. And one can learn a lot from an experiment whether it fails or succeeds. In the end I have to judge the contest by what it has lead to so far and what it may lead to ahead.
At least 5 of the finalists are people that I have come to like, because of what they do, their passion and vision for the country. Theyve all done what I keep saying, dont just sit on the sidelines and complain, do something.
So it seems like the contest has worked to a degree. It has put in front of a national audience some capable and promising candidates, who could really make a difference.
Im proud to be one of them.
And while I want to win, after all thats why Im in it, Im going to be true to myself. In a recent quiz episode I was asked whether I support same sex marriages, my answer to be judged by whether it matches what the majority opinion is. And even though I knew that it wouldnt, I stuck to my real answer. As a liberal, I maintain that Govt. has no right to interfere in the private matters of an individual.
Im absolutely convinced that BIG Government and BIG Projects are not the right solutions. People-centric solutions, which also happen to be environmentally sustainable, are. Hence my efforts to improve Public Transport in Pune or support for ragpickers in Urban Waste Management (as opposed to mechanization).
We desperately need serious politicians, serious about charting out the right course for our large nation, if we are to aspire to higher standards of living while managing with what resources we have. This means re-thinking "development" and "growth", it means re-evaluating the role of Govt. and the responsibility of citizens and corporates.
So if nothing else, this contest has helped me articulate these ideas and provided a forum to reach out to more people. And incredibly these people have responded in an amazing fashion, especially young professionals and students who having taken inspiration from my own modest efforts are asking "what can we do?" It will be a challenge for me to deliver the opportunities that they now seek.
So I want to continue for as long as I can, and need your support to do that. Selecting a "quality" candidate in this contest may help reaffirm our own faith in the publics ability to make a right choice, if given good candidates. Yes, even while the media and mobile cos. make some bucks along the way.
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