Narcissists focus on looking good themselves. They often do not grow the second line of leaders, so that there is no one who has the “stature to challenge their decisions”. Many start-ups are as guilty of not investing in building a second rung of empowered and capable leaders.There could well be a better choice than choosing between the two extreme leadership models that we have seen. The price is paid by the employees and common investors. This must change.
The first world was unhappy when India became a nuclear power. Feed the starving and clothe the naked we were told. The same voices can be heard again when we speak of our space mission. Space activity is a wealth generator. India wants to enter the multi-billion-dollar market for space products and services. We are dreamers. Dreamers are irrational. They will pick themselves up, dust themselves and run towards the next moon or moonshot whichever comes first.
The world often hands us what are called "wicked problems". These are settings where the rules of the game are unclear or incomplete. The patterns do not repeat and feedback is often delayed or misleading. The world is increasingly beginning to sound close to that description. Who will be more successful - the generalist or the specialist?
Repairing a broken culture takes much longer. A number of start-ups laugh at these needs of articulating values. Quite often the founding team gets together and chooses values that support revenue growth but ignore elements like diversity, respect etc that they think comes in the way of achieving scorching rates of growth. There is no doubt that it is well worth the investment.
Freelancers are growing in many white collar jobs and especially in places like India. When the individual negotiates the payment directly based on their expertise, they make more money. The platform like UpWork and LinkedIn become merely meeting places. Digital Nomads and fly-in experts use the platforms to get discovered. By showcasing their expertise and their reputation across the network they get discovered by the buyers with deep pockets. The more in-demand their expertise is, the higher the premium the buyer will pay.
It is time to rewrite the story of Eklavya and Dronacharya. Eklavya was a mythological character in the Mahabharata. He was a commoner who was denied the opportunity to learn archery from Dronacharya — the royal teacher. The unfazed Eklavya went back to the forest and built a statue of the guru and began practising archery. The self-taught archer became as skilled as the princes who were being taught by the master. This is where the story needs to be updated.
One look at Zuckerberg’s testimony before the European Parliament shows how powerless the lawmakers are because they do not understand how modern media works. The US senators were not much better when it came to questioning Zuckerberg. The lawmakers pose for selfies and photos with the very person they intend to grill. Part of the problem was the clear ignorance, if not befuddlement, in the face of technology displayed by most of the senators, many of whom are of a ripe vintage. At times Zuckerberg resembled the polite teenager who visits his grandparents, only to spend the afternoon showing them how to turn on the wifi.
“Personality is related to every meaningful individual difference. Scientifically validated personality assessments can predict substance use and abuse, longevity, relationship satisfaction, job performance, criminality, and occupational choice, just to list a few examples. Beyond these applications, well-validated personality assessments provide individuals with insights into their own motives, reputations and destructive behaviours, many of which they may not be aware.
