Over the last few posts, I have redirected the search for new leaders to the front lines of the organization and established a need for change bottom up. However to be able to stimulate this spark and sustain its momentum, it needs a careful cultivation of the right environment - a culture of trust.

River rafting is a popular sport these days and I must admit that I too am quite addicted to this stress-buster. But, during my last trip, the thrill of navigating the white water interspersed with the calm of floating downstream paled against excitement and determination of an army team that passed us by – they were rafting upstream!

It is raining trouble outside…and at times like this, it is easy to forget about the rainbow that appears at the end of the rain. But difficult as it may be to think positive, that is just what we did at Unstructure, the unprecedented HCL Global meet, where 600 business leaders met in Florida, US, last month.

All around us, the rules of engagement are being rewritten. Perhaps the term ‘rules’ itself is inappropriate in this age where Wikipedia, Linux, Facebook, Napster and eBay are new flag bearers. These live laboratories of the human mind are governed not so much by rules as by the power of collaborative thinking.

I was listening the other day to Jeffrey Sonnenfeld of the Yale School of Management discuss leadership lessons from the financial meltdown with Wall Street Journal. Jeff likened the finger-pointing towards systemic failure to a man tripping while walking down the street and blaming the city for not paving the path properly.