Tribute to Atalji !! Lessons for a Corporate Leader !

“अंधेरा छटेगा, सूरज निकलेगा, कमल खिलेगा”. 

आज अंधेरा छटा है, सूरज निकला है और देशमे कमल खिला है लेकिन जिस महान व्यक्तीने ये कहा आज हमारे बीच नही है

Atalaji, you made a difference to our lives, made us believe in politicians and most importantly gave us a trust that the country was run by a Prime Minister who was extremely ground to the mother nation and one whom we felt emotionally attached to.

As the legendary Statesman embarks  his final journey, the nation bids a tearful adieu to its favorite son, each individual amongst us has a feeling of losing someone whom we considered like a family patriarch who was hugely respected. Atalji a great poet, a leader , a gentleman, patriot and when it mattered most, one of the toughest to come across is no more with us .

No words of grief could describe Atalji’s loss  and for a  person like me who spent his entire childhood in admiring and being in awe of the greatness of Vajapayeeji, it was  a big challenge to put feelings in words on this very sad day but my mind was telling me otherwise and made me pen down my thoughts one last time for my favorite politician Shri. Atalbihari Vajpayee.

As Vajpayee was above politics , talking about it would not be a right thing to do, and having spent most of my career in management, as mark of respect , I have tried looking at Vajapayeeji from corporate perspective (partially based on few guiding principles of Project Management).

There are few who stick to their ethics and principles instead of opting for quick results , Atalji could have easily moved out of his struggles rather than establishing his own party and could have chosen an easier path to get into any government and comfort zone , but he did not and instead he chose and rode a path full of hard times, loneliness, failures but never short of assurance in his own conviction. It was a tough challenge but the Risk (Management) was worth taking it for betterment of the society and the nation. It’s extremely difficult to find such leaders in today’s era.

A leader is lonely at the top unless he is surrounded by a trustworthy team to execute his plans and roadmap for the future. We may call them Ram-Laxman ki Jodi but the fact of the matter is one always needs someone known as GoTo Man for all seasons and that’s what Vajapayeeji and Advanii were. Come what may, their chemistry, trust and integrity towards each other and the nation and this is a sort of role model for everyone amongst us irrespective of any own ups and downs .

The election results of 1984 were too humiliating and any party would have wound up itself, but the leader in Vajapyee along with his own Laxman and the people who trusted them took a phoenix rise believing in their ideology. That’s how an organization needs to establish itself. There would be failures in results, people would leave but if there is conviction in what you do, end story would always be a success story.(People Management).

Accepting strengths of the opposition is a toughest job for any leader and only Atalji could call the late Prime Minister Mrs. Indira Gandhi as ‘DURGA’. It takes a huge heart to understand, appreciate and be open about strength of your rivals and if one can imbibe these qualities in our lives, it would be much simpler and at the same time competitive.

Running a party and coalition government are miles apart an activity but Vajapyeeji did with so much of ease. As party, he was ‘The Supremo’ but as a Prime Minister it was  completely a different ballgame. Having a team from across states, cultures and different expectations and requirements and then serve the nation in bests of its interests showed Vajapayeeji’s command in ‘Stakeholder Management’ and at the same time end of the day letting everyone know who is (was) the Leader. These are the qualities which are extremely crucial for any leader to make sure his organization is progressing, giving results without compromising the policies and hurting the people (Integration Management)

A soft personality and mild mannered attitude didn’t deter Atalji from turning into no-nonsense tough leader when it mattered for his country. Pokhran-2 and Kargil wars are huge testimony for how a Leader has to act when the role he is in demands a tough action.    

Some statements are legendary and the great man once said and I quote “मैं राजनीति छोड़ना चाहता हूं लेकिन राजनीति मुझे नहीं छोड़ती” but the visionary Leader knew where to stop and almost got into oblivion post 2004. This is a big learning for anyone who keeps prolonging his stint and does not know where to stop.

Losing Atalji is a biggest loss of the nation in recent times. Hope, we as a nation keep following his principles and reach the pinnacle what Atalji had dreamt for !

RIP Atalji , you will be missed forever by all of us .

P.S. The blog is written in individual capacity and has tried to look at Atalji and his approach in governing a complex country like ours. The thoughts mentioned are fully personal and are penned down as a tribute and mark of respect to one of the greatest sons this soil has been blessed with ! 

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- Jayawant