Santhosh's ramblings

Paul’s treatise on body is a phenomenal way of communicating the oneness we should have within “The Body”. The themes he addresses are varied and challenging. The diversity in the body is a fact we need to live with or rather celebrate. The self-acceptance of our position in the body, whatever perception we may have of the same, is something all of us need to learn to live daily with. And even if we do not feel part of, we still are part! The diversity which brings wholeness is something which we are expected to celebrate. The sovereignty of God in allowing this diversity for a greater purpose should never be forgotten. And the fact that there might be different parts, but there is only one body and we do not have a life without being part of the body is yet another sobering fact. This should lead us to accepting every part as significant and important. Seemingly weak part are more indispensable and seemingly less honorable needs special care! Something which we should always remember!...

http://www.desiringgod.org/articles/loving-difficult-people

Once the vision is clear, and the people are being worked with and the communication strategy is clear, then it is just a matter of time! But this is the paradox, because time does not move the way we think it should move and timing is many a times different from the way we anticipate things to fall into place. And finding time to lead is yet another challenge. Let us look at time first – One issue is, if we need to lead we need to have time! If you are a management professional or trained in Western Educational system (Many in India are part of this!)  – you will decide - X% for leading, Y% for managing, Z% for training A% for personal etc. and try to keep time lines. It never works for most of whom I have come across (including me). There will need to be time for the urgent and critical, the important and strategic, the short term and the long term. There will be many things which will need immediate responses and some which will need reflective responses which will take tim...

We have been in God’s own country with family engaged in the funeral arrangements of an uncle who passed away suddenly, at a young age of 77. Yes for Kerala 77 is young to pass away! For those of us in North it might appear a bit confusing! But this is not about age and aging – but about life and death. My uncle who passed away was not one who “made it” in the general understanding of “Making it” as of today. But the funeral was a reminder of what is “Significant; Success and Security”. The many who came and shared about my uncle, talked about – how he made their lives find significance by accepting them and being a friend to them. This was the simple “Aam Aadmi” – the local shop keepers and others, to - one Central government Principal Secretary who was his class mate and many others including family members. Many shared about how his life was about relationships with people from all religions and walks of life. Others shared about the security of a legacy he is leaving and the...

If vision is what should drive us and people are the ones who have to take forward the vision, then there has to be a way in which this is communicated and people are aligned to the vision. What is that we have to communicate?  We have to communicate the big picture. May be the institutional or organizational or even the Kingdom vision. And then how the so called vision we have developed fits into the same. At the same time, we have to communicate how the big picture makes sense for the urgent, immediate and the critical. We have communicate how the big picture fits into the 8 to 5 job that each of us do. And how this if not understood can destroy the institution, the team and even the individual. Not an easy task. What for that we communicate - so that "my vision" becomes and "Shared vision" and also fits into the "kingdom vision". So that we work towards a community who holds this vision together! But with the paradox of people whom we have with us...

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...