What is Leadership?

Vimla Kaul, 75, a Delhi resident was in Mumbai recently to bask in a much-deserved glory. She was among the 24 people who were given the Real Heroes Award by CNN-IBN. Her work in children’s education was being recognized finally. Or was it? Vimla is of course proud and happy but does not see this as the first recognition. Because, recognition has been coming all these years, not from big media houses but from the community—from each and every individual child whose future she has impacted.

Vimla’s story started along with her husband, Prof. Hari Mohan Kaul whom she tragically lost to cancer last year. For decades the two have worked in perfect unison serving communities wherever they lived. They did not form an NGO, or work under any banner. They just believed that doing something, everyday, for those who had less than them was good enough. They did not look for laurels or awards. Their Delhi project – a school for poor, village children- started about a decade ago. It was at first a Rotary project and they took it up. Rotary stepped out shortly. But the Kauls had already put in a lot of effort and did not want to see it go waste. They continued it on their own steam. And funds. Friends and family contributed to make the wheels continue to turn while the couple spent all its mornings ensuring that the children studied. This may sound fairly easy except that it wasn’t. The children had to study in a “garden”, which was actually a smelly dump never cultivated by MCD. Refuse lay everywhere. The Kauls have tried over a decade to get a place but in vain. The municipal corporation said it would help but again, nothing happened. This continues till today. But in these conditions, hundreds of children have finished the primary school curriculum, an impressive number has got into public schools and the older ones in vocational courses. Tens of young girls and housewives have learnt trades from jam and pickle-making to sewing to embroidery to make themselves financially independent. Without a title and without a banner they have been recognized by people who know their work. Without an office or trappings of success, they are inspiration to many. In recent years, substantial media coverage has got them the attention of others who want to emulate their model. Vimla who misses her husband today says, “The model is only a simple desire to make some difference to the world we live in.” I think this is true leadership. What about you?

What makes an employee stay or go? Researchers say that employees stay or are retained because of the pay package. This is increasingly true in the recessionary times. Today, every executive knows the value of earning a salary, of first of all having a job. Nobody today affords to just quit because the outside is bleak.

But what’s interesting is that while the package can hold them, it doesn’t have the power to make them go beyond the call of duty. And what can make your employee deliver more than his role? That’s where emotional satisfaction comes. If he feels the “connect” with his job, his manager, his team leader and his organisation only then does he go beyond the call of duty. And who’s job is it to make him feel that way in the organisation? Is this the job of the HR?

No organisation can however imagine that considering the dark landscape outside, the investment in the employee is not required. For when the sun shines again the best will be the first to leave. So how do we retain them when we are already so worried about business coming in? And what can we invest in them when the returns from the market are taking a beating? How do we keep an employee emotionally satisfied when we can afford to spend less than earlier on him? Your ideas?

I start my blog after a long, seemingly unending winter in the landscape of training. Just yesterday I attended a Meet where I met with a number of HR heads of companies ranging from MNCs to SMEs. The discussions –formal and informal- were about how to engage your employees in the bad times. Though HR heads formally claim that keeping employee learning and betterment continues, they admit in private conversations that they are sticking to low-cost activities- may be employee meets and picnics and such- that keep people’s morale going. But yes, there is a huge cutback on developmental activities especially training. There too, the technical training continues because it is imperative for daily business but soft skills development takes a back seat.
A colleague from the e-learning business echoes the same thought. He says that the corporate business is down to probably just 10 to 20 per cent of earlier annual revenues. What continues is the basic education business. So when will this season change? When will the green shoots of hope appear? When both the government and the corporate heads state that we haven’t been as hurt by the recession as have the Western economies, why then such a fear of expending on development? Your explanations and answers are welcome.