Be a leader - make a difference!

All of us have our role models, people whom we admire and people who influence us with their actions, ideals and achievements. When such individuals inspire us, we consciously and subconsciously absorb the qualities we respect.

A right opportunity at the right time provides the base for developing leadership attributes. When we take up a new job or task, we "believably" anticipate what can and can't be achieved. As we set in, we explore avenues to excel and hence are encouraged to match that desire with increased commitment. As a leader, one is expected to be outstanding and perform beyond their perceived limitations. Interestingly, far from the limelight of busy world, there are many individuals, who in their own small way are making a big difference in many lives. These are the leaders acknowledged probably only in their own small communities/ in their own families but they are the real leaders.

Throughout my student life and also in my career so far, I have been blessed with the opportunity of being in the presence of some exceptional people, who according to me are also successful leaders. The group includes some of my teachers, my friends, my professors, my work supervisors, my colleagues and people I was serving. These are the people who have inspired me in both big and small ways to do the right thing the right way. But I saw the real leader in me rising to prominence when I started to work with victims of exploitation. Once taken out of a situation of abuse, they looked at me with faith and admiration – as someone who gave them a new life…they stared at me with hopeful eyes. And that has been the real test of me as a leader. As their leader I always feared being unsuccessful at fulfilling their hopes, in protecting them when they needed protection, in guiding them in the right direction, in bringing them happiness and love; and in being a friend!

Being one of the fortunate ones, I also got access to resources and opportunities and am happy that I could make good use of it all. With my work experience so far, I have learnt to use analytical skills and my judgmental instincts appropriately to take a positive decision. Seeing myself lead, I had to learn to take decisions as being creative.

Atlas Corps took off as a ground breaking initiative which defined mid career development professionals like me as one of the growing leaders from my part of the world and provided me with an opportunity to connect to the global world to work on global problems. Being with an organization like Free the Slaves gave me an opportunity to view slavery around the world and understand international efforts in combating the same. Most importantly it has encouraged me to act as a leader and contribute with my existing knowledge. Just last week, I got the wonderful opportunity to do a presentation for the master’s students from SIT Graduate Institute (founded over 40 years ago as a training center for early Peace Corps volunteers, the Institute prepares students from more than 30 countries to become informed and effective leaders, professionals, and global citizens.) Talking about slavery as a critical issue, I spoke about FTS strategies and the role of NGO’s, governments, corporates and individuals in tacking the crime with the aim of transferring academic learning into real-world practice in the service of social change. Standing there and addressing a big class where I probably looked the youngest was jittery but a great experience.

The experience that I take back from here would certainly assist me both professionally and personally as I take my work, vision and mission forward. I have learnt about the quintessential qualities of being consistent at work; promote effective communication; encourage and support co- workers; encourage responsibility and most importantly to facilitate leadership by personal example.

Peter Drucker - Management is doing things right; leadership is doing the right things!