CharityFocus Blog: Gandhi's Higher Standard of Leadership

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Gandhi's Higher Standard of Leadership

Posted by Nipun Mehta on Oct 2, 2009

It's Gandhi's birthday today. In perhaps a statement of our times, I was first reminded of him when I saw him on the homepage of Google. :) Then, I thought of my dear friend Jayesh Patel at the Gandhi Ashram, who is an exemplar of Gandhian values; and at some point, I happened upon an unread book sitting on my desk -- A Higher Standard of Leadership: Lessons from the Life of Gandhi, by Keshavan Nair.

In so many ways, Keshavan Nair's first chapter really articulates all that I am feeling today ... so here it is:

In putting forward a path to a higher standard of leadership, there is no greater exemplar than Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi. Gandhi spent more than fifty years in public life and is best known for leading hundreds of millions of people against one of the greatest empires in the history of the World.

In contrast to the other political leaders and military commanders of his time -- men such as Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin, Churchill, Roosevelt, de Gaulle, Eisenhower, Montgomery, Patton and MacArthur -- Gandhi wore no resplendent uniform, commanded no armies, and held no government position. Instead he preached and -- more importantly -- lived the gospel of truth and nonviolence and demonstrated through his life of service the oneness of humanity. He reminded the world that the human spirit is indomitable and that courage and love are more powerful than force. The world acknowledged his special place when the United Nations flew its flag at half-mast when he was assassinated. He is the only individual with no connection to any government or international organization for whom this has been done.

Gandhi had many of the qualities we associate with a successful leaders. In addition to courage and determination, he could sustain high energy level for extended periods, he was decisive, he had great interpersonal skills, he was thoughtful but action oriented, and he paid great attention to the details of implementation.

Gandhi's life was not governed by policies; it was governed by principles and values. The best political leaders have their country as the source of passion. Business leaders have as their passion the organization, whether it is through customers, products, or technology. Gandhi's life was driven by his religion: truth and nonviolence and life of service to others. When a journalist asked Gandhi for a message for the United States, especially for African Americans, Gandhi responsded, "My life is its own message."

The lessons from Gandhi's life challenge our beliefs about the standard of leadership -- beliefs that many of us have come to accept as necessary for success. While most leaders identify with symbols of power to elevate themselves above the people they lead, Gandhi symbolized the people he was trying to serve. He tried to be like them with his lion cloth and his commitment to voluntary poverty. He symbolized service rather than power.

Gandhi believed in a single standard of conduct in public and private life -- a standard founded on integrity derived from the absolute values of truth and nonviolence. He believed that individuals must have ideals and try to live up to them, and he demonstrated that an idealist could be practical and effective. His claim, however, was to integrity, not infallibility. He made his share of mistakes but was not afraid to acknowledge them. He did not strive for consistency except in his quest for the truth.

As all policies, strategies, and laws ultimately have an impact on people or the environment, Gandhi believed moral principles had to be included in setting goals, selecting strategies, and making decisions. He worked for the betterment of all people so they could enjoy freedom from fear and exploitation.

Some of Gandhi's ideas may seem irrelevant today -- applicable only to his time and place. But on the fundamental values of truth, nonviolence and service, he had a message for the ages. He asked us to reject not only physical violence, but violence to the spirit. It becomes more self-evident every day, that if we do not embrace the ideal of nonviolence, societies all over the world will deteriorate to the point where life will be intolerable.

Today we talk about controlling physical violence with more violence and controlling spiritual violence with laws. Maybe its necessary. But I believe that the long-term solution is to put before us, especially the young, the ideal of nonviolence of the brace. We need a new heroic ideal: the brave, the truthful, nonviolence individual who is in the service of humanity, resists injustice and exploitation, and leads by appealing to our ideals and our spirit. Such a heroic ideal is embodied in Gandhi.

Gandhi's life point the way to a higher standard of leadership in which integrity based on a single standard of conduit is central, a spirit of service is imperative, and decisions and actions are bound by moral principles.

May we all be the change we wish to see in the world!

Posted by Nipun Mehta | comments (10) | permalink | more 'Inspiration' |

Comments

On Oct 02, Parth* wrote:*		one of the primary things I respect so much about gandhi is his faith in "source" and his courage in self exploration - CRITICAL self exploration even at the risk of being controversial....during those early years of self critique and "noticing" some of his experiments definitely flew in the face of how the status quo defined "morality" and "ethics", but it was his anchoring in a context of self growth and staying true to his pursuit of elevating his own conscious understanding that enabled him to stand for that in others - that's one of the things I truly admire the most!

On Oct 03, Sriram* wrote:*		In case you haven't seen this lovely 'open letter to Gandhi' by RP Ravindra: http://www.swaraj.org/ravindra_openletter.htm

On Oct 03, Lavanya* wrote:*		Many of my friends today criticize Gandhi's policies and decisions - and decry that he is being glamorized and praised as an infallible man, the one who made everything work for India. It is much like the people Ravindra describes in Sriram's comment above. (Thanks, Sriram!) But, as I read his autobiography, his primary message becomes more and more clear, and his philospophies of non-violence, honesty and constant self-improvement, I find his values to be timeless. I wouldn't say that all the 'rules' he followed in his life are right, but he inspires me to search for my own truth and be the kind of person I wish to see in the world.

On Oct 03, lwshweta* wrote:*		anybody criticizin Gandhiji...well...y dnt u try n live his life for just one day ?? Gandhiji's life is a lesson in itself for us..

On Oct 04, Pancho* wrote:*		If some people like the Mahatma can do miraculous deeds while remaining caged within the body, why should it not be possible for me? Why should I set bounds to my imagination? Let's infuse our ordinary and seemingly unimportant actions with the devotion for the Universal Love and then our actions will be transformed beyond recognition. IT IS THE SPIRIT THAT ENHANCES THE VALUE OF ACTIONS. The actions are a means that help us in making spiritual progress. No power on Earth can destroy the truth! Long Live Gandhiji! :-)

On Oct 08, Garima* wrote:*		In one of the articles about Gandhi it narrats a story about Gandhijee. He was appearing for a test on Addition and Substation and the class teacher was watching him write. Gandhijee made a mistake in one of the Sums and his teacher kept prompting him to correct it.......but in his Autobiography Gandhijee States the Plight he faced (the mental trauma) he was facing in Cheating. He States that even at that age he was so conscious of not Cheating that he could not correct his mistake. This is really what True Values are, They dont leave you untill the end.

On Oct 08, N.Lakshmi Narayana* wrote:*		Dear ALL Goodmorning. Hearing about the great leader like Mahatam is the real motivation to move forward with the given environment / circumstances. Just like a coin having two faces, it is quite natural to hear about Mahatam from several angles. It all depends upon the perception and vision of the individuals who is commenting. Take the postive aspect and see how best it can be helpful to create better environment with sustaianbiltiy and qualtiy of lfie. I am positive towards to future of our nation and we all together can do a lot so that all the needy individuals can lead better living with sustainbility and QOL and to see brigher INDIA.. Looking forward for better networking and thus able to reach the people who need care & support.... N.LAKSHMI NARAYANA nlngeohouse@gmail.com

On Oct 08, REENA* wrote:*		I like the ideas and thoughts of the Gandhiji becaused in today world it is very essential to walk in his ideas and thoughts. In the current society nobody likes people forgot all the importance of the moral values of the life. It is true that whatever written in the scripture we should follow but it is very hard. But we can try to change ourselves then to change other

On Oct 08, sunil M* wrote:*		Bapu's contribution have been through the test of time and ....is even today , in the present world, still so APT and NEW .......as if it can never really AGE. Non-violent resistance is a miracle, and it takes a highly disciplined and committed population to pull it off.But it is far superior to violence - and we have the Mahatma to thank for that. Ghandhi's Quotes To see the universal and all-pervading Spirit of Truth face to face, one must be able to love the meanest of all creation as oneself. You must be the change you wish to see in the world . We may never be strong enough to be entirely nonviolent in thought, word and deed. But we must keep nonviolence as our goal and make strong progress towards it I do not want to foresee the future. I am concerned with taking care of the present. God has given me no control over the moment following. I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ. Keep your thoughts positive because your thoughts become your words. Keep your words positive because your words become your behaviors. Keep your behaviors positive because your behaviors become your habits. Keep your habits positive because your habits become your values. Keep your values positive because your values become your destiny. It's the action, not the fruit of the action, that"s important. You have to do the right thing. It may not be in your power, may not be in your time, that there'll be any fruit. But that doesn't mean you stop doing the right thing. You may never know what results come from you action. But if you do nothing, there will be no result

On Oct 11, Robin Sukhadia* wrote:*		Gandhi's focus on the individual really made him an exemplary leader. He understood the plight of every man in the context of a greater society. To me, his quote: "There are as many religions as there are individuals" exemplifies his remarkable sensitivity perfectly. What leader today can say this without being criticized? Gandhiji, thank you.

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Gandhi's Higher Standard of Leadership

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