Tag: #wednesdaymorning

The leadership pandemic.

~ Parimal Aluri ~ Leave a comment

If you thought or still think, that the virus is the problem, well think about it one more time! Sure enough the Virus does what it does and brings along, all the unpleasantness and unwanted scenarios, but what really allows all of that to manifest and emerge is the quality and quantity of Leadership that you have around you! The story unfolding around us, this very moment is a story of “Leadership Pandemic”- An emerging challenge of sorts which brings us simply back to fundamental spaces of how societies are built, operate and progress! Join me here as we take a look around this space and understand, what really is happening around us and what is that you and I can do or not do in this fluid state! So here we go!

History and even the present times are a testimony to a very powerful reality, which is a simple fact that “The problem rarely is the real problem”, the way we choose to respond to a situation is what either resolves it or ends up complicating it further, making the problem more menacing and complicated to deal with! The current context of the pandemic around the world is perhaps a glaring example of this! So now the real question, why would this happen, or rather why would we allow this to happen? Well the answer to that resides in the whole social space around “expert worship” and “conformation bias” orientation!

Even as the pandemic travelled across the world, taking down one nation after the other, the inherent inertia, ignorance and colossal refusal to act in a timely and decisive manner, failed one nation after the other and what perhaps could have been a managed and controlled health risk, was overnight transferred into a global health emergency. All of this boils down to the simple one question, “who was taking the decisions- For the resulting success or failures are nothing but a manifestation of the wisdom or stupidity of the leader’s mind- the ability to gauge, analyze and think ahead! This is from where the real problem begins and this is the space where the leadership pandemic begins to take shape! With that simple act of taking or not taking a meaningful action!

What really unfolds in a leadership pandemic is that, a problem at hand ends up being more complicated and what could have been easily or with less hardship overcome, tends to just keep getting bigger and bigger with no end in sight! The current spread of the pandemic is a classic example here, sure enough when the menace started everyone was taken by surprise (which as a thought itself, is too good to believe!), so needless to say, we can overlook and say everyone did what they could do best with the limitations and access to resources that they had, but when you see the same problem persists over a longer period of time and returning in a more menacing manner, well then what you need to look at is- what was done or not done in the in-between period of perceived calm and this uptick of the second, third resurgence! It is in the crucial months and days in-between the calm that the fostering of false sense of complacency , the “everything is fine” and the usual self-centred, self-glorifying approaches of establishments have led their societies straight into the path of an even more bigger disaster! So what do we do about this? Well read on!

Sure enough by now, many leaders both public and private are pretty much exposed with regards to their proven ability to deliver and inability to rise to the occasion, this brings us to the vital space that deals with the quality of leadership! The world right now is stocked up with leaders who are accidental at their best and have ended up being where they are simply because they happen to be better then those around them- not necessarily because they bring with them some defining vison or charismatic skill to lead or be a leader! Sure enough, there are a few original and authentic leaders across the political and corporate world, but there are few and far in between; given the kind of mess that humanity has got into- it just goes to exemplify what happens when few wise whispers are overlooked by the noise and chatter of proclaimed experts and leaders! Fair enough, you may argue, but what is that we can do about this?

Well, to begin with no one is asking you to hold a protest or get on to the digital world and express your opinion, emotion and bring about a change- well these may be valuable ways as long as you want to push in some constructive and creative element for a positive way to tackle a problem and bring about the necessary empowering alignment, but the whole point here is, “what is that you are doing about a problem at hand, at an individual level? How are you leading yourself?” Very often when it comes to compelling questions that a society engages or deals with, people tend to perceive those questions to be “they” as in the society versus “me” as in the individual, the fact is that all social challenges , whether global or local start at an individual level and depending on how powerful that individual is and what position and power equation are at that individuals disposition, the challenges will either accelerate, get complex , assume a larger and widespread scale or end up being limited and localised to a pocket withing the community or even perhaps to a few units in the community or just perhaps that individual! This is the foundational bedrock that needs to be visited and addressed if any society wants to being about even an aorta of meaningful and progressive change for a few or the many!

Unlike what gets played out on the TV screens day in and day out, depicting people in important positions as success stories of failures, the whole gamut of meaningful and purpose oriented leadership begins with each individual. Unless each one of us doesn’t take responsibility of who we are and what we do, it becomes impossible to check the quality of what someone else may offer- simply because we ourselves don’t behold the flavour and essence of meaningful and directed leadership. Unless this changes and we assume charge to lead ourselves to begin with, every and any attempt to deal and engage with social or community wide issues will almost always end up being a stop gap arrangement with no enduring or long lasting solution or approach! How we treat ourselves, is how society will end up treating us!

An empowered society is not about one magical leader dictating what others must do, on the contrary it is the ability to empowered individuals to keep their chosen, qualified leadership on the toes to achieve and foster what they have as individuals for the wider audience of a society or a community. This is how and when meaningful and progressive change and development happens! The real problem is and was never the problem, it has always been and will always be the response to the problem, which either simplifies it or complicates it! That well, depends on how bad the leadership pandemic has set into a given society and within the individuals who go on to make that society!

I leave you here with these thoughts, take a pause and do think about it, what is the real problem and what is a more failing pandemic, the one on our hands now or the one that always has been! Ciao for now will be back soon with another one until then, stay safe, stay wise and think!

The many facets of poverty.

~ Parimal Aluri ~ Leave a comment

If you thought anything and everything to do with poverty is all about access to money, food, shelter and varying degrees of opulence, well think again! Sure enough, these are important indicators and perhaps the most visible signs and displays of abject poverty the world over, but the real essence of poverty resides in everything and anything that allows these sad and inhuman scenarios to manifest! Join me here as we try to decipher what poverty is all about and what is that we can do and perhaps not do to manage this, the way we can!

Perhaps the most compelling and vivid memory or a nightmare to call it rightly about poverty is all the visually disturbing imagery, social struggle and strife that we come across through our daily lives. The whole concept of money linked poverty- in terms of ability to access or not access resources and opulence is perhaps just one way of deciphering and inferring about poverty based on broadly agreed social parameters. But this, if you ask me is no real meaningful measure to deal with poverty! The real and perhaps the only meaningful way of dealing with poverty, it’s definition, spread, control and mitigation is all about striking the very root of all that causes and allows this menace of poverty to manifest to begin with!

The whole idea and manifestation of poverty begins from impoverished thinking and acting! The never ending greed and desires to have more and more and all of it only for a few, is what hijacks and steers away any meaningful human essence for a social construct. Once societies agree to create rules that propagate variance and divide resources in a way that tends to serve a few and create dis-service to the many the stage is set for poverty to arrive! Sure enough, I am not promoting or advocating a social or a communist approach either, where- everything belongs to the state and there will be equality in distribution whether someone deserves that or not- no way- the point here is that we create rules and social markers in a way that people are simply left feeling and thinking uncomfortable about how and who they are- and this creates many a times unwanted and unwarranted self imposed pressure to race ahead and surge ahead- irrespective of whether anyone around really cares for it or not! No one is arguing over the ingenuity and the human spirit to progress and make their lives better and more comfortable- the whole issue is with the new age definitions of comfort and opulence and this is where the root of all modern day poverty resides!

If you closely observe, the commonality about being associated with varying levels or poverty or opulence the world over almost always is a conversation about, “where you study”, “where your parents works”, “where do you live”, and “how and where you spend”. This is all about it! All it takes is these few seemingly innocent enquiries and our socially conformed minds are more the happy to quickly start creating buckets and mental brackets to slot in the acquaintance and then either create a sense of happiness on how you are better then the other person in a few areas or start to sulk- because the other person has access to what you are yet to achieve and perhaps have always aspired for! So in a matter of few conversations- a connect with a fellow human- which could have been so many other things and facets of enrichment and exchange of ideas- almost ends up being a transactional encounter aimed at calibrating your own myopic approach and thinking on the world that you have given to yourself- due to the limitation of your perceptions! There are hundreds of examples around us and needless to say, no matter ho well we try, we too can succumb and we do, at some or the other point of time! Whether it is the chatter among growing kids, the grapevine and gossip in the offices or the monitoring of evolving opulence among the business and political class, each one of these instances are an example of impoverished mindset at play- which is the real radical and fundamental root and facilitator for all other visible manifestations of poverty!

No one is saying comparing is bad, no one is saying growing and making progress is bad- the challenge really is within the motive behind all the hustle that gets played out! You may have a great and long successful run- but if the fundamentals of your motive are pivoted over the mistaken understanding about poverty and an impoverished mind is at work- all that achievement and success will eventually all come apart- at some or the other time- simply because all that you build and do will have nothing to offer to the many and as long as that remains- you will be vulnerable and constantly working out of this insecurity to ensure you don’t have to “go back” which again is another fallacy of the over-thinking mind!

The vivid and repulsive play of poverty; really speaking is a measure and indicator of the impoverished thinking within a society and how myopic the leadership thought is as far as the approach to the subject and the chosen solution for it! These leaders could be the mass leaders from the political class or even the community leaders, but another grim and intriguing reality to this is, also about the space of “self drive” or the ability to lead oneself meaningfully by calibrating to the social confirmation, wisely and deliberately by choosing a trim level so that one does not get sucked into the endless and meaningless rat race to seek “socially conformed narratives for not being opulent or being one”!

The real issue around poverty is more to do about impoverished minds trying to create imagery and narratives that limit the many and liberate the few! Only once this is changed and thinking transcends form being impoverished to empowered thinking, will people be really able to see with impeccable clarity- their true value, worth and perhaps carve out a purpose which is more meaningful, enduring and sustaining, irrespective of where they stand- based on what social conformation narratives! The real problem around poverty the world over is not about varying resources and inequality of access- rather it is the minds who go on to create these and foster these to facilitate the agenda of a few while dis-serving the many! The only hope for humanity with regards to doing away with the menace of poverty of all kinds- intellectual, materialistic, social, psychological and spiritual is by allowing fellow humans to have enough time and space to experiment, fail learn and develop themselves on an ongoing basis, for that alone can provide empowered thinking and it is only empowered minds that can create empowered actions to bring about enduring and sustainable lives and livelihoods! Until this happens, each one of us is living an impoverished life in some or the other area and more often then not- the control dynamics will be with someone else!

I leave you with thoughts for now, urging you to take a pause and reflect upon the kind of approach that you would want to embark upon to at least end the pattern of impoverished thinking for yourself- it is only when you are empowered that you can share the spirit of empowerment with someone else!

Ciao for now, will be back soon with another one, until then stay safe, stay wise and stay empowered with empowering thoughts!

Don’t allow others’ dream to be your nightmare!

~ Parimal Aluri ~ Leave a comment

Stories related to the working world are always compelling and the one singular factor that runs almost through all the stories which have strife, struggle and success relate to the aspect of dealing with dreams and nightmares! Yes, join me here as we explore this space to decipher what exactly does it mean to work – work for someone’s else’s dream and what is that you can do to ensure that even as you do all of what you do, you don’t end up having living nightmares of your life furthering someone else’s cause! So here we go!

Sure enough this is not call for socialism or communism or any other “ism” that you may want to think about, this is all about what unfolds around us all the time; millions over millions of people striving hard and toiling their way to simply ensure that “a golden dream” of an entity is realized- which more often then not translates into serving the few of any society that you may want to consider! Whether you are somewhere in Asia , Africa , the EU or the Americas, the fact remains that as workers day in and day out you are doing nothing more but just realizing someone else’s dream and even as you may want to come racing back at me, arguing, what’s wrong with that; well much of the clutter, drama and nightmare that you live to see in your life- actually stands on that fluid foundation of you working the time of your life for someone else!

Well, as with everything else, there is nothing right or wrong about what you choose or what you choose to believe! For some, working for others and sacrificing their lives is the goal of their life and just like that we also have those few whose goal of life is to ensure that they have an enslaved cult disguised as whatever that could be ( a large political party, a big corporation or any entity for that matter) to serve them for attaining the dreams that they have set out to achieve! You see there is no real problem collaborating, sharing and caring- that is how it is meant to be, but when any of this is done by placing gross disregard and dis-service unto yourself to begin with, rest assured all and everything that you wish to pursue and seek will eventually falter and fail! Unless you have been able to live your dream and strive for it, you will never be able to contribute anything meaningful to anyone else’s dream- by choice or compulsion and rest assured you will end up creating nightmare’s for everyone around- yourself included! So what’s the way ahead you may ask? Well read on!

Human story has indeed been one of many working for a few (whatever or whoever those few are) and it is within these spaces of willing and coerced work areas that all the greatness and darkness of human behavior, intelligence and value systems have come alive. By itself there is nothing technically wrong about working for another person’s dream,say you want to help your kid realise a dream, perhaps your spouse, perhaps your friend, so on and so forth, the problem begins when that collaborative spirit or contribution is called for in exchange of who you are , what you stand for and the very expense of your space and dreams- which very often get lost, altered or overpowered as the case may be and this is when the real nightmare starts!

We live in a world of enslaved cult type blinded concept of selfless service! There is nothing wrong to be selfless, no one is asking you to be selfish or self-centred, but being selfless by exposing yourself to the risk of being reduced to nothingness is perhaps the greatest danger and when you see carefully sieving through the numbers of jobless and the growing number of compulsive entrepreneurs, you will know that their story has been one of being enslaved to the dream of someone else which made their own existence and life nothing less then a nightmare! The real crux of the matter is the altered sly quotient which is replete with gross disregard of the concept of humanism. You see, you never see so-called human rights activists- fighting for you when you are made to work long hours even as you are paid for a few, or when your wages come in later then when they are promised,they would be happy to do a road-show on protecting the planet and uplifting poverty, even as their inaction and indifference to the menace of enslaved corporate rituals ends up pushing more and more people across the world into the same dark alleys from where they wish to rescue people! Just think around this!

Furthermore the most sad part perhaps, is not that people are part of this whole arrangement (either by choice or compulsion), but they seldom do realize what they really are trading away with for achieving someone else’s dream! Think! This is the only life, the most wonderful gift that you have and whether you are affluent or not, you have the power to make good with what you have and what will come your way- only and only if you have the time and space to observe, experience and transform- each of this being vital and critical to usher in a new empowering moment that uplifts you so that you can share the gifts coming your way with others around! The problem with the enslaved lives that we lead to fulfill others’ dreams is that it robs us from the valuable time and space that we need to rediscover and connect with ourselves and know who we really are and what is that we can really do with the gifts that we have been endowed with! Tragically enough, many end up embracing their graves never realizing why and what they were really born for! In a world that is hyped up on the compulsive obsessions of meaningless recognition through digital spaces, business cards and where meaning to life as a whole has been reduced to being connected with an organisation or a social identity, it’s no surprise that the magic of bygone era of individualistic brilliance is such a rarity in todays’ times! So what’s the way ahead? Well read on!

Perhaps the only simple, effective and meaningful way to deal and tame this nuisance of social enslavement for one or the other reason begins with getting to connect with yourself and trying to decipher who you are, what your gifts are and whats is that you can do and how to make a compelling narrative by utilizing them either all by yourself or with assistance form others! Sure enough, you may argue that, doesn’t that translate into being a slave master- when you call for others, well as long as you don’t become a parasite and rob away all of their lives meaningful time, it doesn’t matter, but the moment you do that, it does!

The real essence of human life is in a sweet spot of harnessing the greatness of solitude and of being able to creating long lasting social impact, whatever way you choose, as long as you are able to pursue it without stealing other fellow humans off their humanistic attributes, you will do well, as you miss this secret, you too will end up being among the many who embark on the bandwagon of proclaiming to bring in change and a new future while enslaving the very today of everyone around them!

I leave you with these thoughts for today, urging you only one thing, reflect and think, whether you are enslaved to someone else’s dream which is transforming your worthwhile life into a nightmare or are you one of those who create hell on earth for them by signing up them to slavery for realizing your dreams! Either-ways you need to perhaps reprogram and recalibrate your mission of life- if you really want to make that meaningful humanistic impact!

Ciao for now, will be back soon with another one! Until then, stay wise, stay safe and yes stay human!

STOP THE STEAL.

~ Parimal Aluri ~ Leave a comment

Every moment of your life, you are being robbed off something and at times unwittingly you are the one stealing away something from someone, even as the same courtesy is being extended to you! Join me on this short journey, to understand why it is so important to “STOP THE STEAL” and what really is at stake for all of us, individually and collectively as a society or a nation! So here we go!

Perhaps the most recent example of a collective voice urging to “Stop the Steal” was witnessed during the US elections! The question is not about whether did something really happen or not, but the very element that, questions were raised and there were fleeting shadows ( I say so, because nothing ever got meaningfully converted to evidence- at least in front of the beholders of law!) is an uncomfortable place to be in to begin with! The very thought that the voice of people and the expression of a choice of people can be suppressed or manipulated- proven or not- is enough to create a strong divisive line which even time finds difficult to heal- simply because with the slightest wind of tough times, the coverings and overalls that tend to cover these divisions get blown away and society remains exposed and vulnerable to fare more grave intrinsic dangers which can be manipulated and worked upon by people who want to see it align to one side ort the other! The grave danger here is that as the voice of the people and the ability of the people to make choices and see them manifest gets stolen, people are pushed to the wall only to further intensify their disbelief and mistrust and societies continue to struggle to arrive at workable mid-way and with the slightest nudge often always end up rushing to the either walls of extreme ideas- thereby manifesting everything that is simply undesirable- all of this for one simple reason- Stolen voices, stolen choices and stolen expression- whether true or not- even if that remains a matter of debate- the manifestation irrespective of the fact- is something real and there to be dealt with!

If you are starting to think, this “steal” happens only in the political theatre, think again! The big world of glass-clad corporate houses are no different, the only real difference being, the steal here takes place is hushed voices, quiet whispers and subtle nudges which more often then not get overlooked, misread, lost in the chaos of the daily work and at times missed altogether as they are superbly camouflaged to manifest as something which they never are! The result;- Furthering of Incompetence at all levels that you can imagine! I am sure you would have heard stories of good people leaving great companies to start something of their own- take a pause and reflect upon this- what does it say- sure enough, they would have had an entrepreneurial opportunity- but what does this say of the big firm that they had to move out of- a case whether ideas were being stolen- either by suppression or by hijack!? If you were to argue that people need to be wise, smart and on their toes as they wander into the corporate world- I would readily agree to your point, but how does that justify the whole concept of allowing the “steal” to go on? It is like saying, you follow the traffic rules and yet I will crash into you- just to check you driving skills!

The process of steal also goes on even on the very intrinsic or should I say personal levels that you can imagine! Those lost opportunities with regards to your business or work, because your family would not allow you to take it up, that saying “no” to a firm simply because you had a ideological difference high enough to be scaled, every aspect of our lives- is about trying to save ourselves from being stolen off something and ensuring we don’t end up stealing something- that deprives someone else of something that is so relevant and contextually important for the other person! So what does all this really signify and what is that we can do about it? What’s the way ahead?

Whether it is a nation that you want to save from a pertinent steal, or your own life- it all begins by pivoting on a strong foundation of empowering thoughts ramped up by equally empowering action! The key word here in “empowering”! When people begin to think and act (whether as individuals or collectively as a society) with an empowered mindset- they are free from acquired and perceived prejudice and dispositions, there by ensuring that whatever they think or want to act upon is almost always based, not on what is sold to them or what they “perceive”, but rather is more aligned to what their intellectual assessment is and what common-sense and rational thinking denotes! Seems, simple but is a tall order, as we live in n age of deception and in an age of competing and conflicting narratives! We live in times, when all that we see, can be an elaborate hoax and what we experience can be a continuing hallucination! So how do we really make a wise judgement to stay empowered through our thoughts and action to stop the steal?

Alongside empowerment, what you also need is an innate ability to decipher and slice through the fog of what comes your way- minute to minute- sure enough can be very tiring and that is what it is! A fatigued mind often ends up allowing the trojans to flow in and that’s why the next time when you really see some meaningful stuff coming your way, instead of trusting and gong ahead with it, you end up perhaps stalling it and thereby ending up creating more challenges then solving the ones that are already present! The real trick here is not to mistrust everything that comes your way or to trust all that comes your way- but take a incident by incident approach to all that comes your way and practise the pause before you hit that button so that you know- in that extra second that you earned for yourself- your mind was applied as it should have been- to discern based on what was presented and not owing to some prejudice or pre-meditated disposition!

The real way to “STOP THE STEAL” is to stay ever vigilant and guard what you cherish and value- as an individual, as a society or a nation on an ongoing basis- it is only when your alert mind becomes natural and stays untiring and formidable- even as it sieves rapidly through one scenario to the next on an ongoing basis. Seems, a tall order, a challenge, sure it is- but what is the price that you are ready to pay- for allowing a teal to happen? This is the million dollar question! What good is all your empowerment and intellect if you have your opportunities stolen away and what good is your ability to unravel complexities and challenges if you can’t guard your own intrinsic fort of cherished values and non-negotiable attributes which go on to define who you are as an individual and a society or a nation!

The practical truth though remains, that human mind- being fragile as it is- will fail and falter and the steal will occur now or later- big or small- irrespective of how vigilant you are or not- the real metric here to validate is not about if and when you got stolen- it is about what got stolen and how soon or well can you get it back- unless that is nit done- you will keep getting ripped off from time to time, by politicians, co-workers and people around you! Unless you don’t learn what you hold valuable around and within you- you are an open vault, waiting to be stolen! Guard what you cherish and value and if it’s that important- it must be valuable!

I leave you with these thoughts for now, take some time and do make a plan to ensure you can stall the steal coming your way and ensuring you don’t end up being a part of some orchestrated outfit that is unwittingly stealing away the future by conspiring with the low-lives today!

Ciao for now, will be back soon with another one! Until then stay safe, stay guarded and if it’s that valuable and cherish-able- do what you must to “STOP THE STEAL”!

Lessons from The Trump Presidency.

~ Parimal Aluri ~ Leave a comment

Whether you love him or dislike him, doesn’t matter, the fact remains that no matter what you do, you simply can’t ignore him! The Trump Presidency showed the world that it is possible to deploy governance with intent and there can be a result oriented and deadline driven approach even to the knotted world of politics and like business when you add intent, conviction and purpose to this- the results will emerge and manifest as you want them to! The White House since the dawn of the modern age, has been and continues to be the most powerful office in the world and when you add a flavour of potent nationalism and intent driven approach- great things happen! Sure enough politics being what it is, at times people are required to negate even the presence of the Sun and the Stars (simply because they can’t be seen in the night and day respectively!), but at the end of it, heart in heart, we all know these were perhaps the most intense, dynamic, colorful and purpose driven four years of any US Presidency in recent history! Iconic and Inspiring! Join me here as we take a quick peak into what all this means and what is that we can hold on to as the golden nuggets of learning.

For a multi-billionaire to jump in and agree to take on to the reins of the world’s most powerful nation, learn and deploy on the go for the next 48 months that too at at age, when most of us are either happy to age gracefully or wondering what hit us, to sustain, develop and enhance wit, intelligence, humour and political strategy is no easy task. Sure enough not everything and all that is done, is done all by The President, but even to be wise enough to have the select the right President’s Team to accelerate, walk, collaborate and enhance The President’s Chair and the deliverables for the nation, is no simple achievement by itself! So what are the quick takeaway’s from The Trump Presidency, well here we go!

It’s never too late to start something new: Iconic as the business story of Mr. Trump has been and continues to be, needless to say even the courage and intent to jump into the race for The White House and emerge as the winner, was no simple achievement. That goes on to prove the old adage of , it is never too late to experiment and start something new, as long as the contextual settings around and your competencies are aligned for that desire to manifest! The same intent and approach became quite clear through the Presidency as many (not so popular) decisions were taken on an ongoing basis- the first of it’s kind to address long standing concerns and issues which were thought to be of risk and un-serving to the American people.

Leadership through crisis: When President trump arrived on the scene many had already written off his tenure at The White House in months, but if there is one thing that came out of all that political maneuvering and mudslinging was a more strong President, a more focussed President and a President who was on his toes to correct his mistakes, sack the incompetent and keep moving ahead on the set course for achieving what the team was out there to achieve! This indomitable spirit and approach not only took detractors and nay sayers by surprise but also empowered the team that works for The president, simply because, when you have a strong, focussed and committed Leader, who you know will not let you down and watch you back; every team member shares that spirit of empowerment and is able to deliver and share much beyond what even they thought they could do! This space is of paramount importance, especially when you are speaking with context to the most powerful office in the world and where you receive cables from over 190 countries on an ongoing basis! This is the space where Great Leaders get the work done and Iconic Leaders break the mould and surge ahead!

Learn, Apply, Correct, Repeat: Sure enough for a business tycoon, the earlier few months would have been challenging as well, to sieve through the apparent and the real, but what this Presidency has also shown is, that there is no substitute to learning (Unlearn<>Learn<>Relearn), applying that learning at the right time, in the right amount, quickly course correct as required and repeat this on an ongoing basis is the essence of a fast paced model to govern and lead whatever you choose to!

Unconventional Communication: The trump Presidency showed the world, that even the most powerful office in the world had a duty of being transparent, communicative, driven by action and purpose that accelerates the well being of the people of the nation! Instead of allowing social handles to be just digital space holders, the Trump Presidency turned it into a parallel quasi official means to communicate and makes its point of view known to the world and for whomever the message would have been! A method, that was soon lapped up and began to get replicated by other world leaders with differing levels of tonality and communication strategy as it suits their audience! This move went on to show the world, that if you have nothing to hide and if you have a clear set agenda of governance, you can communicate and govern in tandem and pivoting on the power of social media can course correct and alter narratives to make their potency ever more greater and in-depth!

Numbers, Facts, Data and Meaningful Nationalism: Trump Presidency brought forth the single line importance that if governments wish, they too can speak only based on facts, data and numbers and this Presidency did it far better then anyone could. Perhaps this is a space where many nations have a lot of catching up to do and perhaps will never want it that way! nationalist pride was given a new definition by aligning that to, protecting local jobs, workers, enhancing and creating more meaningful access to opportunities in education- sure enough, no one can ever say everything was achieved in this space, but a beginning was done and now it is for the others to follow or detract from that route! you can never go wrong when you place your nation above and first over everything else and that is the real essence of being patriotic! As far being a protectionist or being a nationalist, political rhetoric and views have been different across social segments and the political class, but irrespective of who says what, as long as you work towards the interest of the nation and it’s people you can never be wrong!

Surprising through action and results: This perhaps has been the hallmark of The Trump Presidency, the ability to apply business acumen, to ensure that fund starved vital governmental agencies get a life, ensure effective prioritization is furthered and bring in results where none ever seemed possible! Perhaps the finest deployment and integration of business finesse and political strategy!

Deploying global resilience and staying relevant: The last thing that any superpower wants to face is a diminishing and waning global foot print and this is one area, where The Trump Presidency was able to keep everyone , friends and foes alike on their toes- simply because they never knew what new trick could come out of the bag and take them by surprise! With friends, who tried to take advantage of the skewed business engagements, corrections were made- needless to say you would end up with some not so very happy grumpy friends, but that means nothing when you are able to put up smile on the face of American workers back home! Likewise when it comes to international diplomacy, I have not known about any American President or any Head of State who would have been nominated twice for the Nobel Peace Prize- even being nominated is a big acknowledgement of the extent and impact of the work that was done and achieved!

Empowering and Re-Defining being an American: This Presidency has showed with great courage (although what came with a great cost) that putting the Nation First is never a bad idea, even if it leads to a never ending global diplomatic slugfest to protect the interest of the nation and its people! Whether it was about engaging with long isolated nations- to try and have a meaningful pathway ahead or whether it was taming the maverick ways of a few friends gone wrong- each and every diplomatic endeavor made a statement- that was USA is open to welcome, embrace and collaborate as long as you don’t end up harming the American interests and as long as there is a need to restore balance of power and uphold humanistic value systems, the world over- USA will be there like always- but at no time will it ever allow it’s own people or business being tricked and made to pay an undue price under the various opaque and confusing treaties of business which were never signed off by any businessmen but by seasoned politicians!

Your team is as good as you are and you are as good as your team: The initial phase of Trump Presidency saw multiple appointments and perhaps an equal number of exits, the way to explain this, is not what the news channels sell you, but the underlying fact of the business world- which is- when a conglomerate needs results and when stakes are as high as they could be- when it is about The White House- there can be no place for mediocre approaches and “will do” attitude. You see, if you want to be in The Best and the Most Powerful Office of the World- You have to be one of the finest- if not the finest and there is nothing second on this bit! If you are not what the chair demands, either you will end up being ejected from the team or worse still your incompetence may have a cascading rub off, jeopardizing the entire working of The Presidency!

Politics is an Art and Science, where the slightest distraction is enough to bring you to an unplanned halt: Perhaps the greatest contribution to the ejection of The Trump Presidency came not from the ongoing narrative from the opposition party- that is what their job is- that is what they will do, but the simple miscalculation of being unable to fathom the onset of the global pandemic in a time bound manner and check the conflicting narratives and further allowing all of that to snow ball into a communicative and implementation failure- and worse still allowing that to be played out in the open- has been the ultimate trigger on which every other agenda git piled up and ensured that even of far more number of people stood by The Presidency, those numbers simply weren’t enough at the end! Sure enough, there were reports of inappropriate methods being deployed through the process- but well, as long as nothing gets proven and nothing gets documented beyond doubt in the court of law- everything is but a case of political slug fest and this is wat Politics is all about-it is a game of intellectual strategy like nothing else and the moment when political strategy overtook the business side of governance , it was always going to be a tough challenge to navigate, simply because you don’t expect a business tycoon, a multibillionaire, whose focus is on rebuilding American businesses and lives to step into the muck of political games simply to hold on to the most powerful chair, high on some ego ride!

There are and am sure could be many more vibrant facets to what I believe has been one of the most colorful Presidencies that I have witnessed in the last 30 odd years, and if you ask me, I think Mr. Trump won; he won more hearts, then he had earlier and there’s no doubt, whatever the outcome has been, he has given a pathway for the American people to hold their political bosses more accountable, transparent and has laid a path where every ounce of doubt in governance can be fiercely scrutinized and challenged all for one reason to have that smile on an American face! The White House’s primary role and accountability is for the people of America, sure enough, incidentally it also wields a great power across the world, but what all any great nation or President achieve globally, if the people and citizens within the nation are left to fend for themselves!

I leave you with these thoughts for now, and by now if you are wondering whether I support Mr. Trump or not, well there have been many decisions of his Presidency which I thought were great and few of them could have been better and yet few which could have been avoided, but as they say, I view it from my lens of limited knowledge, who knows really what the pressure is really like to be on The Most Powerful Chair in the World- and we will never know unless we sit on it- How Great or Shallow the People who occupied it were!

All said and done, The White House and The Chair at The Oval Office will go on dominate the world as we have known- what colors it embraces and what vibrancy it retains and gives away is what only time will tell!

Ciao for now, will be back soon with another until then stay safe, stay wise and yes, always remember, The Power is of The Chair and the Person who beholds it, the only factor being which of these dominates which of the other, is that goes on to determine the flavour of the times ahead!

Empowered by Alignment.

~ Parimal Aluri ~ 1 Comment

Whether you want to be the President of the USA or head that major business global conglomerate or perhaps let alone everything around aside, just plain survive and live another day, each of these scenarios have one thing in common, which is that, all of them are empowered by alignment- alignment to the contexts, people and places which play a vital role after you have encashed your intrinsic attributes! Join me here as we explore this space and understand how alignment empowers and what is that You and I can do to ensure we have an endless supply of this potent empowerment! So here we go!

Books written around success and failures are more often about specific instances and stories that are meant to share some insights about the times and places that went on to contribute to either make the people who they became or not! Importantly what they often miss out or perhaps intentionally leave out is this vital piece (may be a small sliver of information) which primarily provides clarity on the space around the alignment which went on to create what has eventually manifested! You see, the food used in the kitchens of our homes is almost the same, but the magic happens only when a chef touches it! Not that we end up cooking bad, but it is simply about the ability of the chef to excel and surge ahead, making even our best efforts ending up looking average! So what is alignment all about and how does it empower?

To understand alignment, you need to imagine left in a room with everything that you probably need in life, strewn across the floor, sounds overwhelming and challenging? Well, yes it is and that’s what perhaps life is all about! Sieving through challenges and being able to get answers in the nick of time as and when they are most needed! All of us know, a sorry doesn’t make a dead person come back to life! But at the same time, merely having all that we require through our life around us, doesn’t assure progress or success! This is the space where alignment steps in- by default for some and by design for yet few others and by accident for yet others; it is only when alignment takes charge that things around- people , places and contexts included- each one of these begin to make sense and as these are deployed with intent and purpose magic begins to get created and people find their lives turning in the direction that they wish it to and that’s when you begin to hear the phrases, “Success has been magical, I just had this thought and then everything seemed to conspire for it’s success!” This is why and how alignment empowers and accelerates an individual’s life journey!

Alignment can mean different things for different people! People may have challenges with the very fundamental aspect of aligning their life to a meaningful purpose to begin with, if that is sorted then there can be a challenge to find alignment to the right path to take them ahead on the chosen path, and if that was not enough, there are the ever going alignment issues that are dynamic- which deal with the people and the contextual surroundings around! It is only when people are able to decipher these fine areas and apply their pursuit consistently in a way that it traverse these questions that, alignment is felt and experiences, that is when you begin to meet all the right people, at the right time and at the right places and when this is empowered by your intrinsic intelligence, drive, purpose and intent- success is more or less assured- how big or small that will be, whether it will be momentary or a long term one- that depends on the dynamic elements of people and contextual settings all through the cherished journey that has been undertaken!

So does it mean that without alignment, you and I are destined to fail and falter? Not at all, in fact depending on what your intrinsic construct is, if you are the type that enjoys more challenges and have mastered the art and science of enduing sustained pain and challenge- a misaligned contextual setting of life around you may actually make you work with a more fierce focus and intent thereby not only assuring your success, but making you someone- about whom mentions are etched in the books of history and human excellence! Alignment only ensures that you can reach and achieve what you set out for, in the most optimal way as it should be! Deviation from alignment is an indicator that one of your elements that contribute for alignment is not firing well enough and in fact, creating divergence rather then congruence within the finer spaces of an integrated pursuit of your goals!

For alignment to work for you, it all begins by tidying up your room! It all starts by putting in that first step of having your resources well marked and well identified at the right places- seems selfish, but that is how it is supposed to be, something as elementary as identifying the scholarship that you wish to have during high school to the city where you would like to pursue your research or those mentors under whose guidance you would like to appreciate the subject of your choice- choices like these and many more- are what go on to make alignment become real, meaningful and something that serves your pursuits so that you not only achieve what you have set out for , but do so with optimal ease and maximum efficiency! This is the very essence of having an aligned approach to your life! Once you have taken that extra effort of the first step, rest assured as time flows, a lot that doesn’t serve you will be washed away and what needs to stay gets cemented and reinforced and at times acquires the flavour of your personality and thereby help you to stamp that iconic style that you eventually become- simply because you led an aligned life which has empowered you!

Sure enough, based on who you are, what you do and where you want to be, alignment, it’s nature, effort and variables will change, some will be easy, some difficult, but irrespective of all that, one singular fact always remains and that is; alignment has the power to empower and for that to happen the first step begins with You, tidying up your life and then pursuing meaningfulness, designed along the journey and the destination that you choose to undertake!

I leave you with these thoughts for today, urging you to take some time off and run a “C” check on your alignment space, who knows, it may just accelerate your empowerment in the year ahead!

Ciao for now, will be back soon with another one, until then stay wise, stay active and align to empower!

2021: Calling Leaders!

~ Parimal Aluri ~ Leave a comment

If you thought that 2020 is coming to an end, think again, the impacts that we have felt and observed and the developing residual effects are far more over and threaten to play mind-games with humanity for many more years to come then you would have thought! Join me here as we take a fleeting look at this space and appreciate why this becomes the perfect compelling case for more Leaders to emerge from the shadows and bear the torch once again so that humanity can break free from the shackles of disengagement and disconnected togetherness! So here we go!

Unlike the earlier years what 2020 has ended up doing (much to the amusement of many, who have still retained their sanity!) is that, it has created contradictory narratives for every sphere of human life, across societies, nations and every imaginable constituent of the society! It hasn’t been that there have never been competing or contradicting narratives earlier, they sure did exist- but they had one fail-safe valve and that valve was of moderation! This moderation was done by different elements of a society at different times and to varying degrees of efficacy. This ensured that no matter what happened narratives and contradictory spaces within a society always grew only to the extent and proportion that the society could cope with! Each time the narratives seemed to threaten to run away with something or fuel discord or anarchy the moderation mechanism would step -in ( most of the times) and save the day for everyone around! 2020 is the year, perhaps the first one, where the world was shown how the fail safe moderation system can be broken down, over-ridden and at places shredded away by the other vital pillars of a society- singularly or collectively! This sure enough is something that the world has been presented with for the first time and the worry is that this won’t be the last time!

You see, 2020, has provided alternative and confrontational narrative for every element that a society chooses to deal with! Whether it is about politics, it is about faith, its is about science, it is about upholding values or throwing them away- almost each and every of these aspects have been debated and discussed as always (which is what the way should be) but what 2020 ended up doing is largely, has made the whole issue of having a divergent or a different point of view a taboo and something that has not been welcomed by societies across the world in 2020. Humanity for long has dealt with perplexing issues and that has been the hallmark of what has made it successful yet turbulent. However, the new challenges presented by the recent developments have made a strong case for harnessing the pivotal power which can make amends and restore all that is broken and that power is Leadership!

The problems presented in 2020, were not all, necessarily something unthought of or not factored of, they were allowed to emerge (the way they did) a good deal simply because of the incompetence and incomprehensibility of the people who were dealing with what they had coming at them! Sure enough, you may argue that, any person (with the kind of crazy stuff that 2020 has been able to throw at societies) would have filed or faltered- perhaps you are right- but the point here is not that of “not failing” rather it is more to do with the ability to recover after failure and that is where real Leadership thrives! If there was one thing that was strongly felt and needed in 2020, it was the “Leadership Deficit”.

Much of what societies have had to endure and deal with was also a factor of having myopic leaders and their wayward ways of dealing with what came their way! Whether it is about the civil unrests, protests, social issues, the sections of societies contesting a point or the pandemic – whatever the cause would have been 2020 showed all the wrong ways to deal with people and their challenges and provided a masterclass on how leadership should not be! This I think should be among the most fundamental takeaways from 2020, a fact that as humanity we had through our agreed social construct possibly asked the most incompetent ones’ to lead us- to nowhere! Sure enough, it would be simply unfair to say, nothing worked and all were incompetent or lax, but that fact is that, as the majority tend to emulate what a few incompetent ones’ do, soon enough, the few good ones’ are sidelined and resigned to fighting their own existential battles! So if this is what it is, how can we expect 2021 to be different, is there anyway that change can be infused when incompetence and myopia is rampant at the leadership levels?

Well, “Leadership overhaul” begins from the top and when it comes to rewiring leadership in the societal plane it is almost always the case of nudging the leadership at the top from within and around! You see, when it comes to correcting and bringing in efficacy of leadership, that has to happen by setting up alternative leaders as proposed challengers to the existing system and that challenger needs to be supported by equally proactive and aligned base around the challenger! Unless societies agree and realize that there needs to be a fresh impetus to lead a new way, the urgency and push for this overhaul will only go on to delay what societies in general are rightly entitled to – Dignified Leadership which rises to protect and share equity among humanity the way it should be!

2021 provides an immense opportunity and rather makes a desperate appeal to have meaningful leaders and meaningful, purpose driven leadership to steer societies further and away from the chaos of 2020 and to create new pathways and ways of life to make 2021 and years beyond more sensible and humanistic! The breed of new age leaders for 2021 and beyond is not about having some magical new formula or theory at work, rather its is all about revisiting the basics and the most fundamental aspects of human society and getting attuned to the core values and essence of being human! The new leadership has to create enough sense and sensibility to let everyone know that even as humanity races ahead with automation and technology powered interventions, unless human intelligence is not automated and put to use as default to begin with every attempt to arrive at sane solutions to ever increasing complex challenges will come crashing down as they did in 2020, when AI models were used in the beginning to predict doomsday scenarios worldwide, while none of them was even sensible or enough meaningful!

The new leaders of 2021, require to harness the limitless power of common sense, science and rationality in that order and always understand the essence of deploying “just enough” as they go about dealing the problems of the day! You see, you don’t see a neurosurgeon for a headache pill, sure enough that can help, but that is not how it is supposed to be! The Leaders of 2021 will have to work hard to create enough space for competing narratives without having any of the narratives to be ridiculed and disregarded simply because they emerge from a certain pocket or section of a given society or social framework! More importantly as societies tend to get more and more vocal and local about how they feel, think and live their way and express to have their way- the leaders and their leadership will have to work overtime to ensure that this doesn’t end up trespassing into someone else’s pathway and way of life!

If 2020 was about, faltering and failing leadership across societies, the leadership stories that get written around 2021 will be the ones’ that are abe to turn the tide fast and take the hard turn safely enough to navigate the challenges coming to them without loosing the focus on what they wish to aspire and reach! The Leaders of 2021 will have to work extra hard to do away with the weight of humanity’s dumbness quotient and try to instill the much needed sense of being human the way we are supposed to be!

If you have been thinking this is all about the social space, well, this is also about our workplaces and it is also about how we lead ourselves- because it is only when the basic constituents within a social fabric begin to fail and falter is that societies begin to derail and this brings to another essence of the 2021 leadership challenge which is about, “Personal Leadership”. 2021 will also be all about Individuals- you and me and about how each one of us is able to and not able to display and deploy the leadership that we wish to demonstrate as individuals who we are! It is from these confines that the new age leaders of 2021 will emerge- to lead societies, business and themselves and the people who they wish to influence and share the story of progress with! The only real fundamental thing that has the power to create a big impact and bring about a wider influence across societies through 2021 and beyond will be the leaders and their amended and meaningful ways!

I leave you with these thoughts for now, urging you to take some time through this holiday season, and figure out your own defined space for the leadership that you want to deploy and the leader that you want to be! 2021 can might as well the moment that you have always been waiting for to take charge and lead the way- for yourself, for others or perhaps for the community that you come from!

Ciao for now, will be back soon with another one, until then stay wise, stay blessed and remember, every increment of progress is the promise of your leadership!

Failing is natural and Success should be too!

~ Parimal Aluri ~ Leave a comment

Before you want to jump in try to tell me that “I sound like I have lost it”, well do go through my earlier piece which talked about failure by design! In the mad race that we get ourselves into- for all the valid reasons that you and I may have, what we fundamentally tend to forget is how we got to the point where we are and why do we tend to stagnate after sometime at a point we are- whether that’s we here we rise and stay or whether it is a point where we come back to after rising and racing ahead- each of these aspects conveys one singular message- that message is about- failure being natural and success being something that we have to strive for! No one is urging you not to succeed, but the fact remains, unless you don’t fail safely enough and timely enough, you will never be able to gauge and arrive at the point which defines what success is meant for you! So here we go!

The story of human evolution has been a story of many failures and few successes, and for the reason who we are, we are naturally programmed to latch on to what works and do away with what doesn’t- well that is safe and fine until you reach a point of trying to “reinvent the wheel” and this is where problems begin to manifest! Walk into any bookshop or a library that you are allowed to visit, choose any subject area- what do you see, tons and tons of books written about success, how to get there, who got there, how did they get there, when and why- thats is what is – when you go back to history-m even within those books that speak or embrace success- very rarely do they talk in depth on the human aspect of failure that those individuals would have dealt with before touching success- whether they were great scientists,army strategists, innovators, creative souls- whatever they would have been- no where will you ever easily find the fragility of the human side to who they were written and documented in detail especially when it comes to moments of failure and distraught they faced. What this goes to do with our minds- is that we begin to believe on a few “captured” and “observed” instances of these success stories and as we try to extrapolate them to our contextual realities- we start to believe that we will be successful, because they were, altogether forgetting the individuality aspect of the person involved and the realities of their world when they walked the planet!

The observant human mind can get easily tricked, remember your school days when friends said they may get a B for the project work and land up with an A+ and you are left wondering what you failed to read! Well this is what keeps playing out through and around your life- whether it is your high school, college, work place, business, service unto society or just being plain yourself- the human mind simply cannot always capture what it observes holistically and is default to reinforce pleasure and delete pain (as long as it is not a threat to existence) and this is from where divergence begins and failure begins to become “the bad thing” and success anyhow begins to become “the only thing”!

As time has flown through civilizations, the reason why success has been given the crown and failure a back seat could have different reasons! These could be as simple- people around would not have been keen to know about the failing part, it would not have got recorded the way it should have been or simply for the fact (which is evident even today) that what ever mattered was “getting things done” whoever they came by! Sure enough, humanity has made great strides, but what this has led to is having the burden to lead and create pathways for human kinds progress on the shoulders of a few to dictate the lives of the many! Look around you, chances are that the society you live in is a chronicle of a few who have written the fate of the many within it and this is exactly what happens when people don’t give the time they should to learn from failures well enough by knowing the human story within!

Needless to say, we all are witness to the maxim, “Reaching the top, is easy, being there is the real essence of success”; what does this tell you, well, the plain truth that if success that isn’t as natural as what failure is, it always will be a struggle to hold onto it and a lot energy will simply get sapped up for being there! Let me explain, we have villages after villages at the foot hills of the Himalayas, having the formidable Sherpas living there- that is natural- they are acclimatized through the centuries to live and exits at altitude above 18,000 feet, but when they go climbing the great Himalayan peaks, which are basically a definition of “success” for the mountaineers, but for them are nothing else but a walk in their back yard- albeit a harsh one! So you see what is a great achievement- read as “success” for the mountaineer is a routine walk in the park for the Sherpa- that is what happens when success is not natural and this is why it becomes so difficult to retain it, even if you achieve it- simply because it isn’t natural!

Now, if you were to see the other stories of success, like the great works of art, creative expression through writing, building and innovating- these are the examples which are the real essence of success- but if you were to measure these by the myopic yardsticks that govern our lives today, all of these would seem to be nothing! Unless success too is natural and blends into who you are, you will always have to witness a never ending struggle to retain and manage it- whether it is the position you have at your workplace, whether it is getting your targets, whether it is completing a set of paintings- unless what you choose to do is not naturally aligned to who you are, you will always end up being limited as far as who you could have been and who eventually end up becoming! So is there something called natural success? A state of being successful sans being stressful or insecure of loosing it! Well read on!

Natural success, like failure, is silent, potent and lingers on- whether it is recognised or not and the individual who lives it- knows that well enough- irrespective of what others perceive about it! Have you ever heard about a surgeon who threw party after every successful surgeon? Have you ever heard about a Teacher- who got depressed when few students didn’t achieve the grades- well probable not! The reason for this is that both the surgeon and teacher know very well that essence of natural and real success resides in the simple space of doing what is being undertaken to the best of ones’ ability and knowing that people will continue to perceive to the best of their abilities to perceive and nothing clouds reality like perceptions do! The surgeon or the teacher doesn’t have to take an effort to save every life or send every kid to The White House (all though they may like it that way!); all that they need to stay glued upon is the fact that, they are deploying their skill to the best of what they can and hence they remain unflustered, calm and composed not being insecure or worried about their “success”quotient”!

The modern day narrative and definition has taken the whole essence of success and everything that goes along with it to a very limited and time sensitive space- the yardsticks, metrics to measure also go on to ensure that there is always a hunger for more and more with no real meaningful end in sight and this makes even what has been achieved meaningless in the future! The only people who are immune and are able to stay safe from this maddening and unwise spatial orientation are those who are able to define and calibrate their stories of success and failures built on the bedrock of their own intrinsic attributes and on the individuality that they bring along!

It is these rare eclectic species of humans in the nooks and corners of the society who go on to define the essence and meaningfulness of real success- the natural way and this is why when you visit that art gallery, that fine-dine heaven or read through those well written stories- you feel elevated- because each of those creative expressions arise from the inner solitudes of who these people are and with every story they weave, they are able to shed a bit of themselves into every bit of what it is! If you thought this is limited only to creative people-well humans are creative in what they choose to do, scientists, engineers, doctors, teachers, writers, you think of it and each one of them is- the only catch being each one of them can deploy or will deploy their individuality and intrinsic essence to a limited extent for different reasons and this what goes on to differentiate the ordinary form the extra-ordinary and some stories fade away in months and few linger on for centuries as personification of success- the natural way!

I leave you here with thoughts, urging you to connect with your essence of meaningful success which is measured not on the yardsticks given around to you, but rather on the yardsticks that you think they ought to be measured upon- only when you do that- you will be comfortable being successful and will you be able to enjoy the success the way you are meant to!

Ciao for now, will be back soon with another piece soon! Until then stay wise and stay successful!

The”Flight Mode” principle.

~ Parimal Aluri ~ Leave a comment

The very mention of the word, “flight mode” takes us immediately up into the air and sure enough to the memorable flight that you would have had! But this piece is about something different, it is about applying the flight mode to our daily lives and understand how and why “flight mode” is so potent! So fasten your seat belts and join me here as we get to understand the humble “flight mode” slightly better! So here we go!

While on a flight, what flight mode does is that it creates a pause- proportional to the duration of your flight and more importantly there is no way that anyone or anything can reach you from the earth below, unless you are tagging along some earthlings alongside you who have the authority to barge into your solitude by virtue of who they are! For the sake of simplifying, let’s assume you are all by yourself and disconnected completely; It is this moment created by “flight mode” of space and time which can give you authentic time worth it’s weight in gold simply because this is unadulterated “me” time and unless you are profoundly miserable with yourself, there is no reason why you should feel anxious or restless!

If you reflect back to your observations of the last flight that you took, you would have known the typical patterns of behavior- anxiety, controlled, overly jovial, unnecessarily snobbish, grateful, thankless and the whole range that humanity can offer- well each of these patterns is a statement of who these people are (don’t rush we aren’t judging them) in that moment of time. What is more disturbing is that they choose to be what they seem to be in the time and space of being in “flight mode” when they can be what and who they really are and actually get their 3 -4 year old self back! Think about it! No one is asking you not to work on your office presentation or watch that movie or listen to your favorite music- in fact when you do any of these- you simply are carrying the earthly pile of garbage camouflaged as work or leisure into the air and robbing yourself of valuable and precious time that you can have for yourself sans all and any distractions! Whether it is a 30 minute short flight or one of those wonderful 18 hour super-long haul flights- the time that you are on “flight mode” can be amazingly rewarding if you use it to realign yourself to the greater purpose of your life- and if you don’t have one- maybe start to seek one- I am not suggesting you will attain a “nirvana” or an enlightenment moment, all that I am saying is as long as you know how to make the best of your flight mode on a flight- rest assured when you switch your flight mode on while being on the ground can be even more rewarding! Surprised- well read on!

As we go through our daily routine at home and at work, we rarely get that spacious and meaningful pause! Just as our physical bodies need sleep to be rejuvenated and made ready for the next day, the human mind too, needs it’s space especially in the times that we live today, when changes are swift, severe and certain! This is not about trying to take a sly break and run away into mindless day dreaming or coercive thinking for a future that you don’t believe into or subscribe to, rather the flight mode on the ground is relevant and vital to re-wire and re-assess what your plans have been (if you don’t have, then get one) and tweak them along so that the upcoming U-turns and Hair pins bends can be navigated effectively and efficiently- not done away with- because that is not how life unfolds!

The “Flight Mode” principle when applied to our daily lives- whether you want to spare five minutes a day or a few hours- that’s your call- can usher in clarity and purpose like nothing else! What is important is that the minutes that you choose to be on “flight mode” you need to make sure that it is indeed a flight mode! The kind of sterile solitude that a flight mode can offer is very potent when it comes to reflect, introspect and accept what is unfolding and what will, you see it’s not about taking time off to plan your next strategic move , neither is it a time to sulk at things that have gone wrong or what may go wrong- the flight mode time is all about being with yourself to sustain your self-empowerment and ensuring that your life’s gyroscope is aligned correct and working as it should! Flying blind never helped any pilot and given the turbulence that life brings along, a blind flight is the last thing that you will even want and that too flown and commanded by you!

Now that we are nearing the fabled “New year Resolution Time”, perhaps it’s a great opportunity to just add a singular component of deciding on the minutes for your daily “flight mode” even if you do just this one thing, trust me you will find that you will end up hitting each and all of your meaningful and purposeful pursuits with greater efficiency, clarity and intensity! When you really are able to get to those minutes of solitude with no clutter from around, you are able to see what went by, how you acted, what you could have done better, you get the judge’s seat to see what you are doing “now” and how that is creating something for your “tomorrow” and then at the same moment know if your “now” is connected with your “tomorrow” , if it is how well and if it is not, what is that you are going to do about fixing your “now” by being “in the now”!

Irrespective of what people say and don’t the fact always will be that each one of us always strives to better our lives, no matter how incrementally small that may seem, at times you may feel a sense of stagnation, well that is an illusion, because even if you are sitting still, you are hurtling through space on a planet called Earth! So you, see this brings us to the “Framing your context” space! When you couple this practise to your ability to have dedicated minutes of your “flight mode” you will see magic unfold and will be able to help yourself with more meaningful minutes of engagement and connect when you off your flight mode!

No one is urging you to get mindlessly philosophical, no one is asking you to be hopelessly optimistic, no is suggesting you anything, if there is really anything that is being conveyed is the real and meaningful nudge to get to your valuable minutes of solitude and reflection by having your flight mode switched on for sometime each day, every day even as you go about your life on the surface of the planet! If you happen to be one of those lucky ones’ who have a second home in the skies above, well then what more do I say, than the fact that perhaps you have earned yourself a few bonus minutes of “flight mode”!

Well, before I conclude this piece, we all pretty much know the times that we live in and the push-pull that we all experience, unknown to us many of the unwelcome instances and unplanned interventions actually emerge simple because we haven’t been able to spend enough time on our “flight mode” and as you enrich your time value- you will begin to value what matters and as you begin to value what matters, you will begin to manifest value for yourself and other around you and that then will put you onto a growth and success trajectory like nothing else! To create value externally, one needs to be connected within and first and foremost create a value centric existence for themselves to begin with! No one likes to follow a leader, who has nothing to offer, people will follow you, even if you have failed in the past only as along as they see that you have a promise for the times ahead!

I leave you here, urging you to deploy your “flight mode” as often as you can and hope that it helps you to connect within and help you see all that would have otherwise been fogged out or missed out in the fast paced lives that we have! Remember, no greatness was ever achieved in the vacuum of time or space!

Ciao for now, will be back soon with another one! Until then, turn on your “flight mode” for a few fleeting moments and feel the magic!

When Leaders Fail…

~ Parimal Aluri ~ Leave a comment

To be very honest, failure by itself is a very contextual subject- you have instances in history wherein great advances have occurred on account of failing at something that was intended to be done and ending up coming up with something unexpected, which ended up being more potent then the original pursuits that people had set course for! Well,what really unfolds as and when Leaders fail? Why do leaders fail, is it them or is it something else and when is this failure good and when is it damaging? Join me here as we race ahead to try and answer these questions and get to know the leader in a new light!

To begin with Leaders too start like anyone and everyone else- they are individuals to begin with. Their leadership space begins to manifest as they begin to bank on their intrinsic or acquired abilities and rise up to the occasion as and when it presents itself to make their arrival known. Furthermore as if arriving to be a leader wasn’t enough- whether you lead a great nation or just lead your community or a few blocks of your local residence associations, every time you wear the hat of being a Leader- you will be under scrutiny- intense and continuous in proportion to the span and influence that your leadership commands! This is why few have said that Chairs are often aspired for, but when it comes to take that coveted seat- it takes much more than the astute planing that one would have creatively executed to reach there- it takes a new level of Leadership to ensure that the Chair welcomes you and goes onto enhance and compliment the Person who happens to be the new tenant of the coveted chair! Leadership has two core elements- One is THE CHAIR and the second one is THE PERSON. Unless these two don’t shake hands- nothing worthwhile will ever emerge from the office- no matter whose office it is!

THE PERSON- who gets entrusted with the space of leadership is always as vulnerable as you and I, irrespective of anything and everything. This for the simple reason that being human makes all of us equally susceptible to dynamism of the world matters and a random nudge or that odd push is often enough to derail even the best leaders, more so when the stakes are high and the contextual settings are charged with uncertainty- either intrinsic or contextual- both of which may or may not be in the control of the Leader and this is from where everything that can go wrong begins to go wrong and depending on who the leader is and how strong or weak their leadership fortress has been that slippage will either be slow or fast!

History has been replete with examples- whether it be about leaders who were asked to lead nations or it was about the much fabled CEO’s of the bygone golden era of management opulence- even if those leaders had done a 100 things right, it almost always took only that 1 fatal error of judgement which ended up pushing them into the dark alleys of history for all the wrong reasons and many a times wiping away every shred of greatness and goodness that they had got along with them- everything wiped off for that last miscalculation! Seems cruel- it is and this is why when people assume leadership roles they demand their pound of flesh in terms of the astronomically high pay checks and perks- often as a limited cushion to fall back upon – if and when the things horribly go wrong- for they too know very well- that no matter how much they strive and keep at it- it will always only take that one singular incident to rip away everything that they would have built and held together- irrespective of the fact whether the error of judgement stems from their overworked minds or whether it comes from the much coveted group think called as the strategic team) or from factors which are external and more importantly beyond control.

Rarest of the rare are the cases where Leaders and their Leadership are intentionally designed and set up to fail to send across a strong message to everyone rallying for that leader or for that ideology- so that when the castle comes down crashing- the time it takes to get rebuilt doesn’t take years- but rather generations and that is enough for the other opponent to make long strides and take quantum leaps to move ahead in the direction that they wish to- sounds familiar?- well this is the space of the fabled, contested and often accompanied by loud noise- this is the space of political leadership! Political Leaders and Political Leadership is altogether a different ball game and this perhaps is the only space where a Leader can’t afford to display their human and vulnerable side like the Leaders in the corporate world get to do- simply because, absolutely no one- and no nation- will ever like to be lead by a leader who seems to be lost or weakened- stronger the nation- stronger is the Leader need to match the deliverable and rise up to be worthy of the coveted CHAIR that awaits the Leader! This is why perhaps politics remains the only play field wherein defeated and lost Leaders are able to come back and robust and tall leaders at times get the flak- politics is one space where Leaders and their Leadership is tested to the max and the fluid dynamism that the contextual settings bring along with them either makes the Leader and their office buyout and propels it ahead or drags it down and sinks the whole effort of the Leader and the Leadership that is been practiced!

Coming back to our white collared leaders and their leadership, unlike the political class, when they begin to get too stiff and seemingly impregnable and start to assume iconic stature- is when the real problem starts! Sure enough there are those rare instances of the bygone eras, where strong charismatic leaders lead from the front and created corporations which are the global power houses of the world today- but this is what my precise point is- why aren’t those leaders not to be found anywhere around now- why no one- none of the leaders in today’s world seem to be even somewhere close to these masters of yesteryear? Sure enough, the world has changed and the contexts are nothing like what they were even perhaps five years back, let alone 70 years ago- but that is the whole point! Shouldn’t have Leaders and Leadership too matured and walked in-step to the changing dynamism of the world in equal measure- rather by being one step ahead? Well, in those rare instance where that has happened we have witnessed iconic organisations being created which have continued to “wow”humanity on an ongoing basis through their ability to continually innovate and rejuvenate and when that has not happened we have also witnessed great names biting the dust and walking their way to their own funerals in the corporate graveyard- with that sealing the promise of jobs, careers and any meaningful hope to the people who toiled and sweat their lives to create meaning out of a gasping and fading light!

If you thought that the challenge resides only with THE CHAIR or THE PERSON, think again- there is one more crucial element to this ecosystem and that is the space of other people who are directly and indirectly fueling the success of the failure of the Leader and their Leadership! History is a witness to the demise of great corporation on account of flawed “group think” and brazen “individual decisions” just to satiate bloated egos and capture the limelight of the moment- which needless to say more often then not has actually ended up turning to be the proverbial and celebrated final nail in the coffin of that organizations demise! Leadership is never practiced in vacuum and that is where the secret lies! The moment you have the wrong cooks in the kitchen, even the best of the recipe’s that you would have thought of or planned for are going to end up being a classical disaster! This is what happens to Leaders and Leadership when they assemble the wrong people around them- sure enough Leader’s must not be erring with judgement about people that they choose, but the weird ways of the corporate world more often than not end up serving even the wisest of Leaders, extraordinary dumbness in bountiful servings discussed as advisors and specialists!

So you see, the failure of Leaders, is not about the Leader alone, it is about the chair, the people around as well and it is only when any of these or many of these three aspects begin to go wrong and start to run away with a mind of their own, not being cohesive to the core aspirations of the Leader or the promise of The Leadership is that Leadership Failure begins to form and unless it is nipped in the bud, the runaway issues begin to manifest and one thing start to lead unto the next and in no time- what we have is an organization just ending up fire fighting day in and day out form one problem unto the next, from one department to the next, not realizing the real cause of what’s unfolding and where the real fix lies! So can’t failing Leaders and their Leadership be saved? Is it that once the failure commences it has to always end up the way it normally does?

The answer is a YES and a NO, Leaders and their Leadership can be save d and rescued from imminent failure only and only if it has the right circuit breakers and early warning mechanisms in place as a safe guard- pretty much lie you have a spike guard to save your valuable electronic assets, and NO if the Leader and the Leadership practitioners continue to believe in what they do and tend to simply ignore and look the other way around- with or without arrogance- then, in those kind of confrontational and non-accepting and hallucinated context- the whole suite of the Leader and the loyal practitioners are ejected from whatever they control and work for and in no time either you have a new set of sensible and more wise people take up the whole issue of stopping the failing enterprise or you have a complete collapse and wipe off of the entity from the pages of the corporate world for good- albeit after sever damage has been done! The story of failing Leadership and Leaders is perhaps the highest form of manifestation of Human Incompetence and whether nation is being lead or a chain of restaurants is being run- the damage is always proportional to what is being managed and almost always damaging and the time taken to repair that is considerable.

Sure enough, it is not a all gloom and all doom story, but when lessons are learnt and understood and observed in the space of failure of Leaders and Leadership, it is only then that humanity and society as a whole gets more serious on the efforts that it must take to ensure what was experienced doesn’t come back to them again! Every large problem that humanity deals with is nothing but an aspect of failure- failure of either of the Leader or their Leadership or partly of both and it is only when the failing element is corrected that balance is restored and societies tend to begin walking again on the path of progress and in the intended direction!

When Leaders fail the stakes are almost always high and then it really doesn’t matter who really failed- whether it was the Leader, The People around or the Leadership style- what alone matters is how fast and how quick the damage is undone and some sense or meaningfulness is restored for the greater good of everyone who is being impacted! Always remember Great Leaders are the most Vulnerable and that is why it only makes sense to protect them and their vulnerability- for that alone is the real way to avoid failure! I have intentionally not wanted to get into the technical space of arranging bullet points or numbering or listing down causes of failures of Leaders or Leadership and how to fix them , simply because that is not how life works and there is no real life manual to fix real world problems that way! All of that looks great for academic debates, but the trues tests and essence is realized only when the rubber hits the tarmac; you better want it to hold the things there for you, especially if that rubber is of a landing fighter jet or that presidential car zooming past by you!

I leave you here with these thoughts, urging you to take some time off and reflect on what is that you have been experiencing around you, both as a Leader that you are and as a member of the society that you are in and what is that you think you can still do differently to alter and change the balance in favour of a meaningful and vibrant future for yourself and for the people who matter to you!

Ciao for now, will be back soon with another one, until then Lead and Lead well to overcome all that can or may derail what you try to Lead!