The Dr Kalam Wisdom: Now See.

I got this from a very informed gentleman friend who sends all important emails to his close circle. I was reading this email one day and suddenly found the quote at the end too wonderful not to share. It has seemed so easy to conclude but it must have so difficult to summarise to this simplicity. Please enjoy it. It is my motivation for a long time to come.


“ The conference ended on a high note with the most respected and inspirational speaker -- the former President of India, Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam. Dr. Kalam spoke about a unique vision for India as a developed nation by the year 2020. He spoke about the inception of this concept by a confident government in the early 90’s when none of the current growth would have seemed plausible. He painted a picture of India as it is today with its failures and his dreams for progress to reach a national prosperity status by 2020. He spoke about an Integrated Action for Developed India in five areas he identified as: (1) Agriculture and food processing (2) Education and Healthcare (3) Information and Communication Technology (4) Reliable and Quality Electric power, Surface transport and Infrastructure for all parts of the country and (5) Self reliance in critical technologies. He outlined and explained the major mission of development of infrastructure for bringing rural prosperity are through Provision of Urban Amenities in Rural Areas (PURA) through creation of three connectivity’s namely physical, electronic, knowledge leading to economic connectivity. Dr. Kalam then brought forward the importance and qualities of leaders that set them aside such as nobility, transparency and integrity. Dr. Kalam posed a difficult challenge for all the young leaders present posing the goal of global peace on a path of righteousness with a motivational quote :

"Where there is righteousness in the heartThere is beauty in the character.When there is beauty in the character,There is harmony in the home.When there is harmony in the home.There is an order in the nation.When there is order in the nation,There is peace in the world."

Wait...there is more..the following excerpt really touches me. What should a leader do when things go wrong? Now see.

Watch 22-minute one-on-one interview, especially at the 9th - 13TH minute juncture
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=laGZaS4sdeU

Question: Could you give an example, from your own experience, of how leaders should manage failure?

Kalam : Let me tell you about my experience. In 1973 I became the project director of India's satellite launch vehicle program, commonly called the SLV-3. Our goal was to put India 's 'Rohini' satellite into orbit by 1980. I was given funds and human resources -- but was told clearly that by 1980 we had to launch the satellite into space. Thousands of people worked together in scientific and technical teams towards that goal.

By 1979 -- I think the month was August -- we thought we were ready. As the project director, I went to the control center for the launch.
At four minutes before the satellite launch, the computer began to go through the checklist of items that needed to be checked.

One minute later, the computer program put the launch on hold; the display showed that some control components were not in order. My experts -- I had four or five of them with me -- told me not to worry; they had done their calculations and there was enough reserve fuel. So I bypassed the computer, switched to manual mode, and launched the rocket. In the first stage, everything worked fine. In the second stage, a problem developed. Instead of the satellite going into orbit, the whole rocket system plunged into the Bay of Bengal . It was a big failure.

That day, the chairman of the Indian Space Research Organization, Prof. Satish Dhawan, had called a press conference. The launch was at 7:00 am, and the press conference -- where journalists from around the world were present -- was at 7:45 am at ISRO's satellite launch range in Sriharikota [ in Andhra Pradesh in southern India ]. Prof. Dhawan, the leader of the organization, conducted the press conference himself. He took responsibility for the failure -- he said that the team had worked very hard, but that it needed more technological support. He assured the media that in another year, the team would definitely succeed. Now, I was the project director, and it was my failure, but instead, he took responsibility for the failure as chairman of the organization.

The next year, in July 1980, we tried again to launch the satellite -- and this time we succeeded. The whole nation was jubilant. Again, there was a press conference. Prof. Dhawan called me aside and told me, 'You conduct the press conference today.'

I learned a very important lesson that day. When failure occurred, the leader of the organization owned that failure. When success came, he
gave it to his team. The best management lesson I have learned did not come to me from reading a book; it came from that experience.