OF LEADERSHIP MODELS and GHANDI

I just finished watching the movie GHANDI and it got me into thinking about the kinds of leadership that I have learned or experienced over the years. Ghandi is a must-see movie! Here's a bit of a reflection on the leadership modeled by MH.

History shows one of the cruelest ironies of human nature; Mohandas Ghandi, the advocate of non-violence died a violent death. Human cruelty, multiple imprisonment, fearless speeches, and prolonged fasting did not kill him but 'liberty' did.

The true ‘legend’ of Ghandi, an ordinary Indian attorney, turned out to be a hero not only to his beloved India but to the whole world exemplifies to me, a somewhat unfathomable kind of leadership. As the story unfolded and one sees how Ghandi lived his life, I can only but shake my head in disbelief, rather in awe, of such a human specimen of ‘near-perfect’ leadership, a very unique way of leading; the kind which makes an empire surrender and the human heart of revenge take courage to look inside and search for a better option other than killing one another.

Ghandi’s leadership is a transformational servant leadership. No change of situation has in any way changed his style of leadership. He sported a kind of leadership that challenges the mind and touches the heart. It is the kind of leadership that makes it to the protagonist side of a story, the kind that makes the pages of history books worth reading by all the other generations that follows.

The leadership of Imperial Britain as embodied by its generals were that of situational leadership. They only rise to the occasions such that mostly, they fail to control their people. Example is that scene when they had to go through that painful investigation of an ‘unfeeling’ soldier who led his platoon to massacre more than a thousand Indian people peacefully staging a demonstration. Such a situation could have been avoided if the leadership communicated clearly what it really wanted for the subordinates to do with regards to the Indian people.

The leadership style that was in the movie have been most visible in Ghandi as that leader who has a solid vision, clear goals, no compromise mission and a lump of solid strategy to implement it. The key leaders of the country has all but one vision, that is to see the flag of India flying freely in the vast Indian sky, but compared to Ghandi, their strategies were unsoundly destructive not only to their own people but also to the people that they were trying to get their freedom from. It is only the unique initiative and determination of one man who roused the whole nation to work towards their vision by means that do not compromise their values as a people deserving to be granted home rule. His values were so clear that even the people who have different values embraced his visions because of its clarity and what it spells--- solidarity. The leader suffered to let his people understand his strategy and when the people understood it, they were awakened and acted as one in making their vision a reality.

This example of leadership, when seen in a movie and in a perspective of a mere observer seemed to be a very unusual and ‘bordering to madness’ kind of leadership because it rests in the capacity of the human heart to respond positively to a sacrifice. But as history witnessed, this kind of leadership is not impossible. Globally speaking, we may have only one Mahondas Ghandi in our history books, but there are Jose Rizals’, Mother Theresas, and other leaders to see that a leader who puts his whole life in his vision never losses.

Towards the end of the movie, the ‘adopted daughter’ said something so profound. It was an observation that describes the infirmity of the human heart. She said, “He offered the world a way out but he does not see it, neither the world.” I am not sure what she really meant but in that last scene, Ghandi’s dedication of seeing the India that he envisioned—a country where all religious differences are laid aside for the sake of freedom, peace and brotherhood-- was full of self-sacrifices that was very effective for the most part, but still was taken by other people for granted and has not even touched the heart of other ‘supposed to be’ followers. It just shows that in all situations of leadership, one can only do so much. But even in this sad reality, the good and the sacrifices come out as the victor, just like in the movie-- as in reality, that at the end of the day, the leader who gave his life to his ‘blow your socks off vision’ wins, and brings his followers to the winning side.

Sometimes, it is very easy to make a cop out and say that the leadership demonstrated by the people like Ghandi is impossible for us ordinary people, but our human history is replete with individuals who were able to lead as a servant and achieved their goals, turned their visions into reality. But clearly enough, that is another human cop out. We have seen that we have no excuse, this movie, at the very least has made sure of that.

I am not being asked to be a Ghandi, a leader who fasted his way to India’s liberty, but I can be a leader who dedicates her life to a “blow your socks off vision”[1] and to live…… and even die working towards it, bringing with me my people who are one with me in the vision. No leader, who believes that he has a mission, and a solid vision to go with it will sit at home and wait for other people to come up with goals and strategies to implement the activities or changes to reach goals. He goes out and have himself and his people lay all their cards on the table, choose the most-likely-to-win deal and give his everything to let his people understand, believe and embrace that deal.

If Mohandas Ghandi can transform a whole nation, you and I can transform our own ‘people’ in our respective environments. Transformational servant leadership can do that.

[1] Bill Perkins, Awaken the Leader Within. Zondervan, Grand Rapids Michigan.