The nobler sort of man emphasizes the good qualities in others, and does not accentuate the bad. The inferior does….This famous quote by Confucius which essentially focuses on accentuating the good qualities in individuals and ignoring the bad reminds me of #Lalu Prasad Yadav. The political scion of #Bihar, in spite of having been highly ridiculed by the media and mimicked for his rustic demeanour, has risen back into power proving once again that he is a leader in his own right. As he continues to fascinate people not just in #Bihar but other parts of India as well, let’s take a sneak preview into the leadership lessons we can learn from this wily politician.
Lesson 1 – Keep the “connect” intact.
Most business leaders lose their “connect” with the front line, as they move up the ranks. But not Lalu Prasad Yadav. Irrespective of what was happening in his political career, Lalu made sure that he kept his ear to the ground. He kept his “connection” intact so what if the connection was caste. After all caste is central to winning the polls in Bihar, or anywhere in India.
This is his classic response to an Election Commission probe that he had to encounter for raking up caste in a rally, "You cannot ignore caste. It is a reality in India. There are castes in animal world too. Elephants have castes. It is not a dirty word," he says.
Lesson 2 – Collaborate with the right people – it does not matter even if they are your enemies.
They say, keep your friends close and your enemies closer. This is one #leadership lesson that business leaders should always remember. If you stand to gain from collaborating with an enemy then why hesitate? Know their strengths as deep as you know your own and partner with them. But remember where to stop.
Both Lalu and #Nitish realised that their only option was to hang together, without which they would have to hang separately. Thus they created the “secular” alliance and Lalu emerged like a Phoenix – a clear winner. But he was equally careful not to put all his eggs into the “Janata” basket.
Lesson 3 – Build your personal brand and live by it every day.
Brand “#Modi” is undoubtedly one of the best examples for how a personal brand needs to be built. But how sustainable is the brand ? How strong is the brand today?
Great leaders understand how to build strong brands. They live by it every single day. Brand strength is the gap or perhaps the lack of it between what you project and what you do. A leader must keep his promises. It is only then that they can confidently point fingers at competition when they fail to do the same. This was Lalu’s ticket to victory in the recent Bihar polls - the fact that the opposition party had failed to keep their promises or deliver anything substantial. That weakened the opposition’s brand strength and helped him re-establish his credibility.
Lesson 4 – Take risks. Stick your neck out. Make the impossible possible.
Lalu knew what was awaiting him if he lost the polls this time. With his freedom at stake, Lalu was willing to take innumerable risks and it paid. His aggressive caste campaign, the pact with Nitish Kumar, the direct attack on the #BJP – were all calculated risks that Lalu took. But he reached his goal.
Business leaders should be risk takers. Nothing should matter but reaching the finishing line first. It is important to cross the Rubicon River irrespective of what it takes. Leaders who have tasted success are ones who have experimented, taken the “never- before” approach and travelled through less traversed terrains.
Lesson 5 – Strategy is important, but so is alignment.
Modi and #Amit Shah are known to great strategists. But in the process of strategizing they overlooked the importance of aligning people and championing execution. Lalu is a leader of the masses. Be it canvassing the caste vote bank or captivating the elite audience in a top notch B –school the leader oozes charisma. The charm comes from true alignment of the masses towards the strategy – almost like a magician who hypnotises the audience making them dance to his tunes. A true leader realises the importance of aligning #teams towards making the vision a reality. After all the vision remains a distant dream if people don’t work towards it.
