Appreciating Gandhijee and Teaching Leadership

On October 30th 2009, the day of Gandhi’s Jayanati, CEO of ISM/OmniMD Divan Dave appreciated Gandhijee’s leadership and immense contribution to India’s struggle for freedom. He taught leadership basics to the ISM/OmniMD team through Gandhijee’s efforts. Quoting Maharishi Patanjalee: "When you are inspired by some great purpose, some extraordinary project, all of your thoughts break their bonds, your mind transcends limitations, your consciousness expands in every direction, and you find yourself in a new, great & wonderful world. Dormant forces, faculty and talents, come alive and you discover yourself to be great person by far than you ever dreamed yourself to be." Divan believes, “While leaders are both born and created, leadership cannot not be taught. A leader to be must want to be a leader. Many leaders are made out of necessity, while few are born with certain leadership traits.” We’ll be taking example of Gandhijee.
A) Have a Self initiated objective to achieve, which inspires you. Don't do something for heck of it. Life is too short and too precious to waste on mediocre achievements. Take an example of Gandhijee, he had life mission to free India from British rule.
B) Find a solution commiserated to your nature to achieve the objective. Gandhijee devised the non-cooperation and the non-violent movement, as that was his TRUE nature. He wouldn’t have been too successful on the path of violence.
C) Believe in that objective and solution fully and unwaveringly. Stay committed throughout - even in toughest of times. Tough times are the true testaments of one’s leadership and set examples to your team, how committed and focused you are. Throughout his struggle of freedom of India, Gandhijee was endearing to his commitment to non-violence.
D) A true leader devices an effective method to communicate his/her objectives and solutions to the masses. Your team must buy into your project & methods to achieve it. Win Followers, Friends, converting foes into friends to communicate your objectives and its solution; making everyone to buy-in. Remember everyone is on the Frequency WIFM (What's IN For Me?). Show them why, how, when and what they need to do. Gandhijee orchestrated many acts to gather masses like the Dandi March to collect salt.
E) Leadership is full-time. Be a Fulltime and Fully committed leader, there is no part-time leadership. It’s said Gandhijee was used to work 18 hours/day for seven days week.
F) Be a likable leader. Though leadership in NOT a popularity contest, one must make oneself a likeable leader. You'll have far less resistance. Lead by inspiring, rather then fear. Many decisions will be hard and unlikable, but everyone you're dealing with must follow you. One of the key achievements for a leadership trait is willing followers. Many disagreed with Gandhijee. There were many freedom fighters, even who believed in violent struggle against British rule, but Gandhijee was able to convince the majority of masses; a great achievement on his part.
G) Produce results. W/o results there is no leader. Leaders don’t make excuses, they get things done. Gandhijee, with help of many freedom fighters, did achieve freedom from British rule in India.
H) Leave a legacy. A leader creates his/her legacy. During his life and after, Gandhijee created many leders who still follow his vision today. An organization or Philosophy created by a leader should not fall apart after his/her going. A leader creates a principle based organization, not based on his/her personality. Because people come and go, they can make mistakes and their image can be tarnished. A principle based organization will not have such an issue.

Divan in a surprised revelation to the group revealed a picture. “I’m glad to reveal a picture of my own grand father, who was not only a true Gandhian, but Chief Minister of Gujarat and five times Member of Indian Parliament, Shri Ghanshyambhai Oza. Here is he with Gandhijee on a train station in Gujarat. This picture was taken somewhere in the 1930’s. The man in a black hat with raised hand in front of Gandhijee is my beloved grandfather.”