Santhosh's ramblings

It is one thing to talk about aligning vision and institutions to the vision etc., but end of the day, if one has to take the vision forward, there has to be the alignment of people to this vision. But people are the paradox!  On one hand there will be the 9 to 5 people who are only bothered about their daily work and emoluments and on the other hand people who want to change the world. For the latter even the institutional or organizational vision is too small and the former, all these vison discussions are “foreign” and "irrelevant". There will be others for whom the “one patient cured” is enough whereas for someone else the health care system has to change through what they do! A just and equitable society is what drives the latter whereas thanks from one patient helped is what drives the former. Some will see “New Heaven” and New Earth” as their dream others will see one life saved as their dream. There will be many who are only there for the job and willing to go al

Taking over the leadership of organizations or institutions, one is expected to fulfil the mandate and aspirations of a whole set of stake holders. There will be the board and or the governance structures who will see things from one “set of glasses”. There will the team who is with you that will have totally different expectation. And the staff whose aspirations and desires will be from yet another perspective. Leadership is primarily is about vision and influence. So when one starts off in the role, the immediate thing to work towards is to develop a vision for the role and tenure one has been inducted for. There might be an institutional or organizational vision, which provides an overall directional frame work, but developing a time bound personal vision for the role and tenure is key if one wants to lead well. The challenge will be – how to develop this vision and what will guide this vision. Generally organizational visons are too “nebulous and airy fairy” and instituti

Last night we were in a dinner with some close friends. Friends whom we got to know over last few years, developed close relationships, and been of support to each other. It was more like a “fare well dinner” for us. Looking back at the last year, there has been many “Goodbyes” in our life. Some final goodbyes, some short term partings, some others medium term. The last one week or so has been filled with medium term goodbyes with the hope that we will see each other again, soon, though we might not be around in Delhi. It was an emotional moment for us, where we were reminiscing on the past events and recognizing that one phase of life was over. For the disciples who saw Jesus on the cross, on that Friday noon, it would have been like a final goodbye to their master and teacher, whom they thought they might never see again. And the Saturday would have been filled with emotions of confusion, anger, sorrow, fear and distress. The men could not even get out of their rooms but on Su