The year was 1983 and it was my first day at one of India’s premier management institutes when some invaders stormed into the classroom and stabbed our professor before vanishing into thin air. Professor had blood all over him.
Even as we were trying to make sense of what had happened, Professor rose to his feet and said it was a staged show. “Now write what you have just seen,” he said. As it turned out, each student’s version of the events was different. The exercise was meant to demonstrate why we should not believe everything we see in times of stress, however my take away from it was quite different - I learnt that day that if you want to say something important, say it in a way that people will never forget, or don’t say it at all!
Cut to April 2005. I faced my first day as the CEO of a major tech company and the employees wanted to hear what their new leader had to say about the future of our company. Suddenly on my signal a Bollywood track started playing and I started dancing. This simple act demolished the halo that surrounds a leader and 5 minutes later we got down to some serious and honest introspection. I had announced the arrival of the “Employees First” Culture, making a fool of myself through dancing was a small price to pay for it.
In both these moments, I realized how stepping out of the conventional can lead to transformative leadership.
What if the key to effective leadership is the courage to do the unexpected? What if making yourself vulnerable and approachable is the first step towards genuine connection and change?
In the picture -
An unconventional hotel with no doors and windows.