What are leadership qualities but..: A function of circumstances

There is little that happens, in the world of living beings, where the quality of leadership is not evident. Whether it is a war that is going on, a game or sport being played, or the piloting of the affairs of the governance of a country, effectively competent leadership plays a significant role in leading to success.

In the formal sense, leadership is defined as the ability of an individual, or a group, or an organization, to influence or guide others to work together to accomplish what they could not have done individually. It calls for the ability to be supportive and to solve problems effectively. Charm, honesty, and the ability to read rooms, and make sound judgements, are all necessary Ingredients of good leadership.

Great leaders believe that learning is the key to growth. They are not just ‘better’ than good leaders, but are a class apart. In short, they are game-changers. The quality of leadership also comes to the fore when tyranny, injustice and denial of legitimate rights, force people to rise and revolt against the perpetrating such evils. For example, in the late 18th century, France was going through a financial crisis and there was widespread social distress in the country. Consequently, the people revolted and ended the repressive regime of King Louis XVI, thus abolishing feudalism and a state control over the Catholic Church. The revolution, popularly called the French Revolution is famous for the motto ‘liberty, equality and fraternity’. Emmanuel Joseph Sieyès and Germaine de Staël, among many others, are still remembered for their exemplary leadership in that rebellion.

The American War of Independence was the result of a number of events, of including disputes, which arose between Britain and the colonies it had established in America. It culminated in the unanimous ratification of the Declaration of Independence by the colonies. George Washington, Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson, were among the important leaders that led the revolution to success.

The name Mahatma Gandhi is etched in golden letters. The British finally recognised the sovereignty of the colonies, or United States in the annals of world history. He was the first, and most successful leader who led the Indian independence movement, against the repressive imperialist regime of the British, through the unique and unprecedented approach of non-violence or ‘Ahimsa’. He organised several novel forms of protest such as the Salt Satyagraha, the Quit India movement and the Civil Disobedience Movement. The example he set was subsequently followed successfully in many countries of the African continent.

The repressive and tyrannical military Junta regime in Myanmar resulted, during 2021, in a series of protests, initially non-violent and peaceful. The movement for restoration of democracy, one of the most extraordinary examples of civil courage in Asia in recent decades, was led by Aung Sang Suu Kyi who was awarded the Nobel Prize for 1991 for her nonviolent struggle for democracy and human rights.

Leadership plays an important role not only in human beings, but also in the case of other living beings such as animals, birds and insects. Among the most striking of such examples is that of a beehive. The Queen Bee is the heart and soul of a bee colony with thousands of workers under her command. Still, she is not the sole leader. On the contrary, she is part of a democratic system in which decentralisation of authority is encouraged. Far from being an overload of the hive, the Queen is an indispensable servant of the hive, constantly laying eggs, to ensure that the colony has enough workers to sustain its continuity. She stays put in her nest, while a swarm of workers tends to her, paying close attention to her needs and sensitive to changes in her performance. When she has outlived her utility, however, the hive is quick to replace her. There is a good lesson here, for human beings to learn, in the sense that it is the worker that determines the desirability of continuing the queen in authority and not the other way round. Leaders, in other words, should serve the common goals rather than be served by those whom they lead. This underscores the principle that leaders in organizations often tend to forget, that they are there to serve the common goals, and not be served by their employees.

A similar relationship exists, as among leaders groups, in species of other animals, such as elephants, lions, wolves, and chimpanzees. The members, expect the leaders to keep them safe, have their back up at all times and act with the best interest of the group at heart.

In this context, I remember a fascinating incident which happened while I was a member of a group which was on a visit to the Corbett National Park in Uttar Pradesh. Our group was on Bharath Darshan, a part of the training which is imparted to IAS officer trainees at the (then) National Academy of Administration. We were going round the park in a bus and, strangely enough, I was sitting on the roof of our vehicle, strumming a guitar!! Whether my music was appreciated by my colleagues or not, it certainly upset a herd of elephants passing by. What was worse, there was, in the herd, a just born baby elephant of which it was, quite naturally, very possessive. The leader of the herd charged at the bus and threatened to topple it down. Fortunately, after a few unsuccessful attempts, he gave up and retreated into the forest along with his herd. It is a tribute to my determination that, to the misfortune of my listeners for decades to come, I continued to persist with playing the guitar!

Both as an individual and as a civil servant, I have had several opportunities to play the role of a leader – of organisations as well as individuals. I have pleasant and satisfying recollections from my times as the President of the Hyderabad Cricket Association, Chairman of a committee constituted by the government of the (then), Andhra Pradesh for investigating into the reasons for the declaration, by the farmers in East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh, of a ‘crop holiday’ as a mark of protest against the government’s indifference to the problems of farmers, Chairman of a Committee constituted by UNICEF to judge the best Telugu TV channel in the matter of depicting the travails of the Girl Child, and as the Chief Secretary of the state of Andhra Pradesh. As the Chief Secretary, I was the head of all the three All India Services, as well as a vast army of state government officials and their staff.

The one experience, as amusing as it was frustrating, and I would like very much to forget, is the time I was asked to lead a night patrol (as part of the customary army attachment), with the 5th Grenadiers Battalion, at Jabalpur during my training at the National Academy of Administration as a Probationer (as the Officer Trainees of today were then called). I was part of a platoon during that petrol, and the Officer Commanding (OC), suddenly asked me to take over the leadership. Armed with a torchlight and a compass and zero knowledge of the topography of the area I marched on trusting my instinct. An instinct, sadly, that had often led me astray in the past. Very soon we were in the middle of nowhere and an alarmed and nervous OC had to retrieve leadership of the unit from me, and lead us back to the warmth and comfort of the battalion headquarters! Clearly leadership qualities, or, rather the lack of them, are a function of circumstances!

(The writer is formerly Chief Secretary, Government of Andhra Pradesh)