SAGE Publications India Pvt. Ltd - Timeless Leadership

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Copyright SAGE Publications India Pvt. Ltd, 2021

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.

First published in 2021 by

SAGE Publications India Pvt Ltd

B1/I-1 Mohan Cooperative Industrial Area

Mathura Road, New Delhi 110 044, India

www.sagepub.in

Published by Vivek Mehra for SAGE Publications India Pvt Ltd. Typeset in 11/14 pt Sabon by Fidus Design Pvt Ltd, Chandigarh.

Library of Congress Control Number: 2021941467

ISBN: 978-93-91138-33-2 (ePub)

RAVI CHAUDHRY

You do not get to choose how you are going to die. Or when. You can only decide how you are going to live. Now.

Joan Baez (b. 1941), American Folk Singer

Wholeness means the whole view, the entire perspective, the complete story, the total understanding and the uncensored version of the full picture, perceived from all angles, from all directions. Typically, the wholeness view is taken from outside, from the perceiver's vantage, with reference to her mind, and processed in her intellect.

But that is only half the job. The whole wholeness comes about when the same process is repeated naturally, without volition, by taking a similar complete view, and understanding the same situation from the inside, that is, as perceived by the others eyes, with reference to the others minds and as processed in the others thoughts.

That is the wholeness I refer to as the first trait in my book The Tripod of Future Leadership.

It is as if the issue you are looking at is a glass prism made from translucent glass. You carefully clean your eye lenses, remove all the obstacles that hide any part of the view, wipe clean any mist or fog that may be deposited on the surface and you go all around it. With undivided attention, without any prior bias or preconceived notion, you scan every miniscule part of it, from outside, with meticulous diligence and detached professionalism. You feel satisfied that you have a complete 360-degree view.

But that is not enough. That is half the job. There is another, equally significant view of the prism, the view from inside. You have to apply the same degree of professional thoroughness in seeking and understanding the other 360-degree view from the inside. This is the fundamental characteristic of wholeness.

Wholeness is a 720-degree view.

It is not easy to go inside the prism. Then how does one perceive the view from inside? Very simply, you go deep within yourself and tune the antennas of your mind and your thoughts to the wavelength of those who are inside the prism. Sure enough, lo and behold, there it is the inside view which is very often different from the view outside. That is when wholeness is felt. That is the wholeness trait in action.

CEO who diligently imbibes the trait of wholeness is a 720 Leader, with the requisite qualification to lead a Realistic Company.

• Question: A professional manager is not supposed to be concerned with issues that are clearly outside the purview of his job. Why should he spend time and energy to bother taking a 720-degree view, when a 360-degree view is difficult enough, as it is?
• Answer: Ask yourself a basic question: A typical, ostensible 360-degree outside view, is it really the complete picture? Has every angle been covered? Are you sure nothing is left consciously or unconsciously? Is your view fully inclusionary? Does it exclude anyone who is likely to be affected by your decision, and whose voice you may not have heard, or whose helplessness you may have overlooked? At best, a 360-degree view excludes; a 720-degree view includes those who are excluded. The concept of wholeness mandates, and it is not an option, that you must take an all-inclusive comprehensive, multi-perspective 720-degree view.

Figure 1.1: Wholeness Is a 720-Degree View

Source: Author.

• Question: A professional manager is not supposed to be a spiritual practitioner. It is so easy to say: tune your antennas to others wavelengths. How can one really do that?

• Answer: If you try too hard, you cannot do it. If you just let it happen, it will then be effortless.

  Plainly, it means open your hearts and widen your minds. It is possible only when you have sincerely acknowledged that your decisions may have an unintended and irrevocable adverse impact on some whose views may have been excluded.

  You need to realize that for taking the right decisions you need a holistic overview of the entirety of issues, a detached observation of all-encompassing perceptions. This realization can only emanate from a keenness to connect with the others, even those who have not been a part of your decision-tree process. The motivation to do so comes from a genuine interest in taking cognizance of all relevant concerns, aimed at seeking truth, goodness and justice. The obstacles to tuning antennas to seek wholeness lie not in the techniques or resources, these lie in closed hearts and narrow minds.

• Question: The corporate decision-making today falls far short of the 720-degree approach that has been outlined. Do you think there would be major risks, if the present system of bottom-line based decisions continues?