Fwd: Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, 11th president of India, shared his perspective on leadership with Deloitte
vasanth sekhar
From: Srinivasan, Vaijayanthi (US - Hyderabad) <vasrin...@deloitte.com>
Date: Mon, Dec 27, 2010 at 5:07 PM
Subject: Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, 11th president of India, shared his perspective on leadership with Deloitte
To: "vasant...@gmail.com" <vasant...@gmail.com>
Friends,
Friday, November 19, 2010 was a “standard of life” moment for me. On this day we had the privilege of listening to one of the world’s most inspiring and visionary leaders, Dr. A. P. J. Abdul Kalam, the president of India from 2002-2007.
Dr. Kalam, the 11th president of India (2002 – 2007), also called the "Missile Man of India," is one of the most distinguished scientists of India. He has the unique honor of having received honorary doctorates from 37 universities and institutions in India and abroad and has been bestowed with three of India's highest civilian awards – the Bharat Ratna (1997), the Padma Vibhushan (1990) and the Padma Bhushan (1981).
It is said "When Dr. Kalam speaks; the country sits down and listens." On the evening of Friday, Nov. 19, more than 10,000 Deloitte U.S. India professionals were enlightened as Dr. Kalam shared his thoughts and invaluable experiences.
He gave a new dimension to the meaning of "Enterprise Value," "Law of Development" and "Innovation." Dr. Kalam spoke of a borderless world, and shared one of his interesting observations. "When I walked into a multinational software company in Bangalore, I was fascinated to find that it truly presented a multicultural environment. A software developer from China, working under a project leader from Korea, working with a software engineer from India and a hardware architect from the U.S. and a communication expert from Germany, were all working together to solve the banking problem in Australia. When I saw all of them working together like one family forgetting about the culture from which they came or the language they speak, I felt that the only hope for such borderless interaction to continue is to inculcate the spirit of borderlessness in every field of human activity."
Stressing the importance of ethics and integrity, which leads to profit and sustained growth, Dr. Kalam asked the audience to repeat after him the following pledge:
"I will work with integrity and succeed with integrity"
"Where there is righteousness in the heart, there is beauty in character.
Where there is beauty in character, there is harmony in the home.
When there is harmony in the home, there is order in the nation.
When there is order in the nation, there is peace in the world!"
The “People’s President” as Dr. Kalam is popularly known, addressed the the gathering on “National Development and Creative Leadership.” As I reflect on Dr. Kalam’s address, a few key messages resonate with me:
Integrity: It is incumbent upon each of us to act with integrity every day. This means do the right thing even when no one is looking, and know that you work for an organization that prides itself in doing the right thing.
Age of knowledge: Today, the differentiator in business is not just the degree of skill and know-how a professional possesses, but the application and sharing of that knowledge. Ask yourself three thought-provoking questions: How can I, in my own way, make one’s organization a powerhouse of knowledge? What is the value that I am bringing to it? And how can I make one’s organization India more competitive?
A borderless spirit: Given the diverse world we work and live in today, we need to appreciate and leverage each other’s similarities and differences for the growth of our organization. If we can think, behave and act ‘As one’ , then we can certainly become an organization to emulate and follow.
During his address, I was reminded of Dr. Kalam’s famous quote, “A dream is not what you see in your sleep. A dream is one which does not let you sleep” also we must keep telling this to ourselves to “Dream big and believe deeply until we achieve our dream.”
We must to realize our personal dreams and one’s vision “to be the standard of excellence.”
Thanks & Regards
Vaijayanthi
Information Technology Services
Deloitte Consulting India Pvt.Ltd
Tel: (US) +1 615 718 4662
''Life isn't about how to survive the storm... But how to dance in the rain."