Essentials of Good Leadership- A Practical Approach to Leadership Development (An Old and Rare Book)

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Essentials of Good Leadership by Vasant K. Saraf is one of the latest offerings of the celebrated Bhavan's Book University in the Bhavan's Shastyabdapoorti year. This is a book of conceptual analysis and practical guidance rolled into one. Sri Saraf offers to the readers priceless pearls of wisdom drawn from the Indic heritage and demonstrates the abiding relevance of the precepts and prescriptions for leadership evolved through trackless centuries refreshingly contemporary in its approach and practical in its application, Essentials of Good Leadership is essentially a book for our age and time.

Gifted with an exceptional insight into human nature and with remarkable experience and understanding of the operational dynamics of organizations, the author defines leadership. Enumerates its fundamental attributes and provides a holistic manual for cultivating qualities of good leadership. Clear thinking. lucid explanation and systematic treatment of the subject combine to make this book an essential reading for those who aspire to leadership roles as well as for those who already occupy positions of authority and leadership in different stations of life.

There is an opposite Sanskrit verse which encapsulates the qualities of a leader succinctly: Atmapratitirdhridhata Viraktiriti Trayam Svatmani Yo Dadhati Neta Sa Evasti. I would translate the aphorism as follows - Firstly, a leader must have self-awareness, self-knowledge and self-confidence; secondly, a leader must be firm and steadfast in his commitment and resolve; thirdly, a leader must have the qualities of detachment, objectivity and selflessness.

The author of this book elucidates those qualities in the context of a leader's vision and his or her capacity "to harmonise energies" for the accomplishment of goals and the fulfilment of the vision. His advice at the threshold is "know yourself" and "have faith in yourself". Character is the key, according to the author. Character contributes to personal magnetism and charisma.

The success of an organisation depends almost entirely on the quality of its leadership. The unfolding possibilities of tomorrow suggest that in future, leadership that is capable of comprehending technology and global influences and has a deep understanding of the way people think and behave, with the capacity to motivate them, inspire them to perform at their highest level, shall alone be able to lead an organisation to success. A leadership that encourages by personal example and a caring attitude rather than impedes to satisfy personal ego and selfish interests, a leadership which utilises the total ability of all the people to achieve success, is the leadership that can change the total work culture of the organisation and thereby its future. There is no shortage of people occupying positions of leadership because, structured organisations have positions at the top and there are people in abundance who would like to occupy them for the power and pelf they offer. At the same time it is incontrovertible that there is an all-round scarcity of people who are capable of providing effective leadership that would bring about a significant improvement in the performance of an organisation. Inevitably, therefore, there is a continuous search for persons who have the necessary ability to lead effectively.

The shortage is not because God no longer sends down leaders to Earth to lead the lesser mortals, for leaders are not born but made. Ordinary people about whom there is nothing manifestly extra-ordinary to start with can transform themselves into outstanding leaders of men capable of exercising remarkable influence on all those coming in contact with them. Leadership in fact has very little to do with any inborn quality or special endowment. The Jain scripture, Vajjalagam says, "Birth does not lead to greatness, but cultivation of numerous virtues by a man leads him to greatness.