Intolerance – Leadership and Beyond..

Recently a while I was having a good time, a friend of mine asked me to write about the most sought word “ Intolerance” and the leadership lessons which can be learned from the latest Fiasco!!. The most used word in India is “Intolerance” these days, I suppose for many of us the word “Intolerance” is a fascinating word like the “Freedom”. I was appalled when I searched in Google there are about 1,51,00,000 links which talks “Intolerance”.

Many of you might have been thinking “What the hell is Intolerance”. Google defines Intolerance as “Unwillingness to accept views, beliefs, or behaviour that differ from one's own. This seems like a joke in a country which was ruled by every religion, caste, creed and sect. We let British rule of hundreds of years and previously it was ruled by many and history has the best answer. “The problem with the Hindu Religion or Mythology or Philosophy, we treat anybody as a guest. And History is the proof what the guests did to us”?

Bygones are bygones, we cannot crib about what has happened, but we can surely think of ways how we can make it better. What must a leader do to avoid such instances where in one sect of people feel Intolerant!! Although it could be mere media gimmick to gain so called “Attention and bit of Marketing. They Say in marketing there is nothing called a “Bad Marketing”!!

Leadership is for all:

Being a leader, you are for everyone! The challenge every political leader today faces are manifold, they do not want to detach themselves from their core group who supported him/her. One must also understand that “Intolerance is word which is used by some intellectuals to get attention”. However as a leader it is his/her responsibility to address and create an environment wherein people feel important and inclusive.

How can I create such environment, listen to all and most importantly share the “Vision”.

Vision:

I have the experience and exposure of working with many business leaders and heads. One of the key objectives of a leader is to ensure to have a “strong vision and you translate that vision into reality”. Remember everyone is behind those “Achche Din”, the problem with this statement is universal. How do we define what is “Achche Din”? Do we say making rich more richer or making poor more accessible to basics of living?

With vague vision it’s hard to achieve, have a clear vision, although you might have one the key is to communicate with people and ensure the vision is seen and felt as reality.

Communicate the Vision:

One of the key attributes of any leader is the way he/she communicates his/her vision. One must understand the communication is the key, there are different methods and modes one can use to communicate. One of the best examples I can think of at this moment “the way Martin Luther King” communicated his dream of fighting against color system”.

Let me end this blog with a quote from Chanakya “The fragrance of flowers spreads only in the direction of the wind but the goodness of a person spreads in all directions”.

Until next time.. May learning Karma be with you...