Heard Dr.Kalam “Frankly Speaking” on TIMES NOW on Sunday 04.11.07. What he said in reply to the question by Arnab Goswami “What is Leadership quality” is simple awesome.
Dr.Kalam replied - Let me explain with the help an example- I think leadership quality is what I had seen in my guru “Dr. Satish Dhawan”- It was year 1979; November....
The first launch of SLV-3 failed of which I was the Project Director, responsible for everything. Instead of putting satellite in space it fall down in Bay of Bengal. There was huge criticism in media; 20 crores put in Bay of Bengal etc etc. Dr. Satish Dhawan told me; “I have to address a press meet, u come along”.
In the press meet he said, “Yes I accept it was a failure. I still thank all my team members for putting in their best. Give us an year’s time and v will show”. I (Dr.Kalam) was retained as Project Director.
Next year the launch was successful and there was huge appreciation in the media. Again there was time for a press meet and this time Dr. Satish Dhawan told me; “U address the press meet”
Then Dr.Kalam told Arnab Goswami; see this is what I say leadership quality, “a leader takes the responsibility of failure, but let his followers taste the success”
4 comments:
Simply Great. Dr. Kalam himself is a great leader. And such incidences always inpsire development of leadership qualities.
so well said anoop! these r the qualities tht made Dr.Kalam so respectable. we all need to learn from him and try to implement in our how-so-ever-small sphere of life.
There is a saying, which goes, if I am not mistaken, something in the following lines.
"Success has many fathers, failure none."
The actions of Dr. Satish Dhawan, as told by our ex-President, Dr. Avul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam, epitomizes what leadership is all about.
Sadly though, such incidences are rare and even harder to find in our day to day corporate circles.
Even in our own social circles, and in our families, we find that the trait to accept failures and admitting them on behalf of the family, is a quality of a dwindling kind.
thanx a lot Satadru for such a thoughtful comment. keep posting!
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