Sunday, 26 November 2017

LEADERSHIP

                                                                   LEADERSHIP
It is better to lead from behind and to put others in front,
especially when you celebrate victory when nice things occur.
You take the front line when there is danger.
Then people will appreciate your leadership.
                       Nelson Mandela
The roots of leadership have been a long debated question! For decades people have been asking; are Leaders Born or Made? Whatever be the answer, but leaders are ones who take up responsibilities at adverse moments without leaving his team in the lurch. The leader stands as a great motivator an inspiratory encouraging a group of people to achieve...
We can thus say, a leader sets direction, builds an inspiring vision, and creates something new. Leadership is about mapping out where you need to go to "win" as a team or an organization; and it is dynamic, exciting, and inspiring. A leader needs to master managerial skills to guide their people to the right destination, in a smooth and efficient way.
History is replete with leaders…who toiled for their brethren and left behind a culture for their team to follow. When we name leaders in the world front Mahatma Gandhi stands predominately as a great leader whose name stands indelibly in the stands of time. Great leaders instill a sense of purpose in their team that touches each and every staff member.
It is lonely at the top, but that's no excuse for not giving generously of your time, your experience and your encouragement to your team — and never expecting any of that in return. You are the person in the unique position of finding or uncovering strengths in people, leveraging them and celebrating them. If you're going to lead, and lead well, you have to put it all out there every day, regardless of the outcome. Leaders who hold back will eventually hold their teams back.
A true leader always nurtures an ambition; an ambition is the path to success. Only when the leader has an ambition to hitch his dream for the team to the stars, he can lead his team to success. A true leader never allows his ambition to fade.. . Ambition creates hard work, determination and an unconditional desire to achieve. It generates an absolutely contagious energy that people follow and join naturally.
Good leaders have a good attitude. A good leader can hold his or her emotions in check, especially in tough situations. For example, maybe you lost your best client, or a deal you've been working on falls through. Regardless, it's important for leaders to guide a team through challenging times, encouraging them and remaining positive along the way. Team morale is heavily contingent upon a leader's attitude.
Leaders should be in touch with his people. He must have a patient ear. He should be able to redress the problem and instill in his team the never die attitude. The feeling he would never fail them. Treat situations with equanimity and composure. This allows the leader to address problems before they become big issues. It is always said ‘A spark neglected burns the house’
Leadership qualities are almost like the pearl in the oyster, not force but understanding, discussion, a ready ear a patient heart, can only make a leader. He has to be a leader of the multitude.  A passionate and compassionate leader can energize a team. Set an example of cooperation, trust and openness. Focus on solutions and positivity instead of finding faults and blame for actions. Learn the words of encouragement and immediate appreciation.
A leader cannot stand alone, instead of empty words of hope, helping, and teamwork. His message should be… we are more powerful together. He needs to demonstrate his deeds…Netaji, Martin Luther King..former President of India A P J Abdul Kalam…stand as  examples for the leaders of posterity. A leader has to bank on trust…his team should believe him…and He a Man of true words. Say a people’s person…a Virtuous person because he not only leads but lives his team’s dream.
I end my talk with these words of Patrick Lencioni :

"Remember, teamwork begins by building trust.
And the only way to do that is to
overcome our need for invulnerability." –


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Enigma to Reality


                                                         “Humankind cannot bear very much reality.”
                                                               ― T.S. Eliot, Four Quartets
Yet mankind meanders about the real definition of Reality and pits that against Enigma. Traveling to English from Greek by means of the Latin word for "riddle," enigma refers to something or someone that is mysterious, puzzling, or difficult to figure out. Reality is the way things actually are, not the way you might want them to be. The only actual reality is the life that happens every day. “Reality is never and nowhere more accessible than in the immediate moment of one’s own life. It’s only there that it can be won or lost.”
Both these words have the ability to befuddle any one; there are times when Reality leads to Enigma or vice-versa. Jayaran V, in his essay points out some of the latest discoveries, in modern physics and quantum mechanics regarding the nature of reality, and how they influence our understanding of the causality, unpredictability and uncertainty of the universe.
He believes at some point of time we have to rewrite our knowledge and understanding on the reality and the enigma of the Universe. We may require new philosophies and approaches to explain the enormous contradictions that exist in the universe at the subatomic level and in the dimensions of space and time. There are moments when we believe that -It happens as a scientific means to explore dimensions beyond the physical.
Uncertainty and unpredictability seems to be the essential nature of existence. The known or the manifested universe has some predictability but what makes it possible, visible or active is not always predictable. At the quantum level, the universe is foggy, uncertain and unpredictable. Thus, the causality and know ability of the universe is a mystery and huge challenge to both the scientists and the philosophers alike. We do not know whether there is any organized and continuous intelligence which is responsible for all these phenomena. If there is one, it must be God or the Creator. Someday we may perhaps find that force or we may not at all. Like the universe, God may remain forever an enigma, the silent and mysterious force who exists in between the play of particles and in the silence of the interval between appearance and disappearance of things. Even if you see him, you may not know that it is the One.
Our survival is also a matter of probability. We possess only a fraction of the knowledge of the universe. We have yet to know the quantum mechanics of our own brains and bodies and how they manifest consciousness, thoughts and interactions. May be sometime in future all the pieces of the puzzle fall into their place and give us an extraordinary ability to interact with the universe on our terms.

               
Franz Kafka… He was what I would call one of the godfathers of enigma craftsmanship would say of Enigma… It kindles the spirit to life with wonder. A powerful enigma is a slingshot into the Unknowable. There, with our eyes closed and our hearts fully observant, we behold the touch of infinity. Beckoned by awe and wonder, the yearning to grow and evolve unfolds. We return to our daily lives feeling enriched, albeit in a vague way, having briefly visited with the mystic inside of us.
Thus bringing us close to reality… To be profoundly moved by a mystery which can neither be explained nor scrutinized by the intellect, this is the proper form of an enigma. Some enigmas point to insights which lie just beyond the horizon of conscious understanding and yet we dawdle into chance reality. The rutted path of Enigma encourages us to explore dimensions at the physical level. We start a journey from   illusion to the subtle. A sojourn from the unknown to the real, we hit upon realms of discoveries, thus taking time to accept stark reality.
Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don't resist them - that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like.’ Lao Tzu


Wednesday, 8 November 2017

LINES FOR DEAR CHILDREN…


14 NOVEMBER, 2017
Children there is no bigger responsibility,
And yet a relationship with a child can bear the greatest reward.
You reward us with your traits; you reward us with your ways.
Innocent they may be, but with huge amount of affection.

A friend of friends; a crew yourself, allowing somebody else to Captain the ship.
Shielding your friends and facing  reprimands on their behalf.
How I marvel at the magnificent ways you tread each day.
Soon to forget, and not tarry awhile.

You handle all slights so deftly…I cannot restrain but say, Bravura!
Worry is left behind and you have subjected yourself to TIME.
Between the dark and daylight, all the hours are Children’s hours.
Your contribution though small occupies all our space.

Children you do make a world of difference.
May the Almighty make a real variance in your Life.
Happy Children’s Day to You! God bless.
Mamta Banerjee

Co-ordinator