Was reading Navi Radjou's blog which had some interesting perspectives on leadership. The hard-hitting facts about leadership are unfortunately not taken seriously these days, which is increasingly evident in the collapse of many businesses across the world. Today, leaders focus on short-term goals - attaining leadership instead of 'creating a future' that will bring with it leadership. Example of Apple and how it changed the digital music industry is an example.
Dr Kalam, ex-President India, in a speech stated that corporations as well as nations desperately need what is called "creative leaders," a new breed of visionary and empathetic leaders who act less as commanders and more as coaches, less as managers and more as facilitators, and who foster self-respect rather that demand respect.
To illustrate his point, Dr Kalam cited leaders he has personally encountered who are/were imbued with these eight wisdom qualities. For instance, when India's first satellite launch mission failed in 1979, the chairman of the Indian space agency Prof Satish Dhawan took full responsibility for the failure, even though Dr Kalam was actually the mission director. But the following year, when they successfully placed the first Indian-built satellite in orbit, Prof Dhawan didn't attend the ensuing press conference; rather, he asked Dr Kalam to share the success story with the media, thus giving him full credit for the mission's success.
