Lessons in Leadership from life of Dr Kalam

 

Introduction:

Leadership is an essential quality necessary for success in any aspect of life, be it personal or professional. A leader’s style, qualities, and strategies play a pivotal role in influencing the team’s performance, productivity and moral. Dr Kalam was a visionary leader who inspired millions of people with his leadership style and vision. He was a man of great wisdom, intellect, and vision, who rose from humble beginnings to become the President of India. His life and leadership style offer valuable insights and lessons for leaders across the world.

Making of a Leader:

Early life & Education:

Born to a boat owner and house maker in Rameswaram, Tamil Nadu on October 15, 1931, Abul Pakir Jainulabdeen Abdul Kalam, was youngest among five siblings. He completed his schooling at Schwartz Higher Secondary School, Ramnathapuram and attended St. Joseph’s College in Tiruchirappalli for the Graduation in Physics further, went on to join Madras Institute of Technology in 1955 to pursue a degree in Aerospace Engineering. Post completion he tries his luck for the dream job of becoming a fighter pilot but missed it by very fine margin.

Career in Science & Technology:

Post completion of degree in Madras Institute of Technology and failing in landing in his dream job Dr Kalam Joined Defense Research Development Organization (DRDO) as scientist and in 1969 got transferred to India Space Research Organization (ISRO)vi. While working with

DRDO & ISRO, he headed many major projects include many ballistic and tactical missiles program. Later in 1998 with Soma Raju, developed low-cost coronary stent & rugged tablet computer for health care sector.

Journey to becoming a leader:

He has many golden feathers in his hat including serving as the 11th President of India, where he was widely referred as the “People’s President” and holding many top positions in various organizations like DRDO, ISRO, due to the outstanding contribution in the space of missile development he came to be known as the “Missile Man of India”. Citing his immense contribution in numerous field government of India awarded him with Padma Bhushan in 1981, Padma Vibhushan in 1990 and highest civilian honor Bharat Ratna in 1997. Not to forget many honorary doctorates from universities across globe and multiple institutions and awards named after him to top it up as many as Thirty-Four books authored by him.

Personal Qualities of a Leader:

Integrity:

One of the most striking features of Dr Kalam’s personality was his integrity. He was known for his honesty, sincerity and was respected by people across all spectrums of society. Same is evident from his concluding statement at IIM-Ahmedabad during conneXion 2010 where he stated that “Once one work and succeeds with integrity, all hurdles are defeated, and instead of hurdles turning into our captain, we will become their captains”.

Humility:

Dr Kalam’s humility was another quality that made him a great leader. No one have come any incidences where his arrogance came to play, he always treated everyone with utmost respect and kindness. Describing about his nature of humility a blogger narrates an incident of protocol breach at Delhi airport by US Airliner where they frisked him even though he was

exempted from it. He did not even lodge protest on it nor raise it with any authority and went ahead with the security checks. Web is flooded with the incidents narrated and experienced by multiple individuals which reflect his true nature.

Work ethic:

Dr Kalam’s work ethics was legendry. He was a hard worker who never shield away from taking a challenging task. This nature was evident from the countless instances where he takes the impossible challenges head on and executed it with immense success, be it SLV program in ISRO or missile development programs in DRDO. All these looks impossible to execute with the limited resources, limited financing and cherry on the cake was unsuccessful attempts. He with his team not only overcomes these adversities but put India among a few nations who possesses such capabilities.

Listening skills:

He always listens others valued opinions and firmly believes that, one could learn from the experiences and perspectives of others through it. Often, we see him interacting with peoples specially, young minds. He refers these interactions as “Wonders of Life”. Regarding this he was of view that “If he doesn’t trigger them to reach as far as their talents and determination can take them, he fails in his duty”.

Managing Work Pressure and Stress:

Managing work pressure and stress is one of the most critical skills for a leader. Dr Kalam was Master of It, despite having a busy and demanding schedule throughout his career, he maintained a work life balance and took time out to pursue his hobbies of playing Veena and writing poems. He loves writing poems in leisure time and had written many amazing poems on numerous subjects. He also believed in the power of meditation and prayer, which help him in managing stress and maintaining focus under tremendous pressure situations.

Leadership Style:

Dr kalam’s leadership style was characterized by his vision, humility, and deep sense of purpose, he believed that leaders should lead by example and inspire their team members to achieve their full potential. He was a great collaborator and believed in rolling up sleeves together to achieve common goals. An anonymous writer narrates an incident where because of hectic work his team member forgets to take his kids to an exhibition as promised, then he stepped in made it sure that neither the team’s commitment gets affected, nor the personal commitment of his team member gets affected. Such a small gestures by team leaders encourages team members to take complete ownership of the work assigned to them.

Leading and Managing People:

Leading and managing people is one of the most challenging aspects of leadership. He believed in empowering people and creating a culture of innovation and excellence. He gives his people freedom to express their ideas and creativity and provide them with the support and

resources they needed to bring their ideas to fruition. Further, he too believes in creating a culture of trust and respect, where people could feel safe and supported to take risk. SLV 3 incident of 1979 is best example of it where post initial launch failure he with his team went back to the drawing board and the outcome was satellite in the orbit by July 1980.

Managing Change in the Team/Organization/Institution:

The incident narrated above is also a great example of accepting and managing change, which is one of the most critical skills for a leader. Dr Kalam was a visionary leader who was not afraid to embrace change and take risk. During his tenure in various prestigious institutions, he not only be able to successfully manage the new organization and the people

associated with it, who were from diverse background but took it to new unimagined Hights be it DRDO, ISRO or any other organization.

Managing Setbacks and Failures:

Dr Kalam was widely regarded as a successful leader and a role model; but he too faced several setbacks and failures in life. However, he was able to overcome these challenges through his determination, resilience, and positive attitude.

One of the most significant failures in Kalam's life came early in his career. In 1969, he was working on the satellite launch vehicle program at the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) when the rocket exploded shortly after lift-off. The incident was a major setback for

Kalam and his team, and it was a significant blow to India's space program.

Despite the setback, Kalam did not give up. He worked tirelessly to understand the causes of the failure and to develop solutions to prevent similar incidents from happening in the future. He also took the opportunity to re-evaluate his approach and to develop new methods for designing and testing rockets.

Another failure that Kalam faced was during his tenure as the scientific adviser to the defense minister in the early 1990s. At that time, he was working on a project to develop a ballistic missile called the Agni. The project faced several challenges, including budget constraints and technical difficulties, and progress was slow.

However, Dr Kalam persevered and worked closely with his team to overcome these challenges. He developed innovative solutions to technical problems, and he worked with the government to secure funding for the project. Eventually, the Agni missile was successfully developed and tested, and it became a critical component of India's defense strategy.

Throughout his life, Dr Kalam demonstrated an unwavering commitment to his goals and a willingness to learn from his failures. He recognized that he did not have all the answers and that there was always more to learn and encouraged his colleagues and team members to do the same.

Lessons Today's Leaders:

Some lessons that today's leaders can learn from the life of Dr Kalam are listed below:

Be humble and approachable:

Despite his many achievements and accolades, Dr Kalam remained humble and approachable throughout his life. He was always willing to listen to others, share his knowledge and experiences, and learn from those around him. As a leader, it is essential to be approachable and humble, to inspire and motivate others to follow your lead.

Never stop learning:

Dr Kalam was a lifelong learner who never stopped seeking knowledge and understanding. He believed that education was the key to success, and worked tirelessly to promote it. As a leader, it is essential to keep learning, exploring new ideas, and seeking out new perspectives to stay ahead of the curve.

Set clear goals and work hard to achieve them:

Dr Kalam had a clear vision for the future of India, and worked hard to achieve it, often working long hours, and sacrificing his personal time to make it happen. As a leader, it is essential to set clear goals, communicate them clearly to your team, and work hard to achieve them.

Be a visionary:

Dr Kalam was a visionary who believed that India could become a world leader in science and technology and worked tirelessly to make it happen. As a leader, it is essential to have a vision for the future and to inspire others to believe in that vision.

Lead by example:

Dr Kalam worked tirelessly often going above and beyond the call of duty to achieve his goals. As a leader, it is essential to lead by example, to inspire and motivate your team to work hard and achieve their goals.

Foster a culture of innovation and creativity:

Dr Kalam foster a culture of innovation, creativity and encourages young people to pursue careers in various fields. As a leader, it is essential to foster a culture of innovation and creativity, to encourage your team to think outside the box and to come up with new and creative ideas.

Always remain optimistic:

Despite the many challenges he faced throughout his life, Dr Kalam always remained optimistic and positive. He believed that anything was possible if you had the right attitude and worked hard to achieve your goals. As a leader, it is essential to remain optimistic, to inspire and motivate your team to believe in themselves and their abilities.

Conclusion:

Dr Kalam was a true inspiration to people around the world, and his life and achievements offer many valuable lessons for today's leaders and his leadership style provide valuable lessons for current and future leaders. By studying his personal qualities, leadership style, and

strategies, leaders can learn how to inspire and motivate their team members, build a collaborative culture, and manage them effectively. These lessons can help in becoming a better leader and create a more prosperous and developed future.