I was fortunate enough to attend a Leadership Training Programme in 2011. The inaugural address was given by Mr M Damodaran an accomplished leader and one of the finest minds in Finance and Corporate Governance. After the initial introduction, Mr Damodaran asked the participants to write their own Obituary, much to their utter surprise. An Obituary is a note written and published in remembrance of a person who has passed away. Therefore writing your own Obituary was not easy and what was its relation to Leadership was the first question which came to my mind.
Is Leadership limited to a definition ?
Leadership has several definitions, however it is such a trait that it cannot be limited to a definition alone. It is not only about inspiring and motivating a team to reach defined goals, it is not only about having a vision, it is not only about developing a team, it is not only about harnessing talent etc etc. For me Leadership is all encompassing and it eventually boils down to a simple fact, how are you going to be remembered when you have left for the Heavens, and this is precisely why, writing your own obituary becomes so very important.
Writing the Obituary helps
Your obituary will help you get your priorities right. It will help you work backwards, it will help you go for a course correction if required, it will help you learn a new skill, it will help you think, it will help you focus on something which you had not thought about earlier and eventually it will help you take the right decisions. Meeting targets and business objectives is just a small part of Leadership and as per my obituary and my opinion, bringing about some value addition in the lives of people around you, thereby leaving an indelible mark in their lives is Leadership in the truest sense.
The Circle of Influence
In my view, every person is a born leader. The moment he/she starts growing in life, the leadership challenges keep changing. Make no mistake, the poor labourer earning daily wages is a leader of his family whom be feeds with immense hardwork. He is no different from the contractor whom he works for or the larger than life business tycoons and world leaders. The only difference is the ‘Circle of Influence’, which varies from leader to leader. From a poor labourer’s family to mega corporations, the circle of influence changes and eventually what value addition you can bring to your Circle of Influence will reflect on your ability as a leader.
We all have been leaders at different stages of our Iives and will continue in leadership roles till our last breath. So do write your obituary, it is like executing an important Leadership Lesson.
Will try for sure 👍
Yes pls do