Invited as the Key-note speaker for the Convocation Address, I asked the students these 4 questions :
What did you come here for ?
" To become good leaders " they said.
"Why here ?" I further asked. The Institute is reputed and the faculty, very good. Great, I said.
What did you learn here ? ... I enquired. Finance, Marketing, HR, Supply Chain, Systems & Project Management. Prompt & straight came the collective responses, without any hesitation.
Super. Why did you want to learn these subjects ? "We want to be good business leaders !!!!"
This is where we lost the theme. Mixing-up science of Management with the Art of Leadership !
Syllabus of the Leadership college taught different seven subjects - Integrity, Character, Decision Making, Influence, Communications, Resilience & Capability. Did you do courses on these? Silence, pin drop. No was evident.
Most brilliant leaders - Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Michael Dell, Richard Branson, Warren Buffet and a cart-load more, never studied management but learnt great leadership through the hard-knocks school of Business. They succeeded where the Ivy School toppers failed.
You have studied Management, now please invest time and learn real leadership as you step-out. Knowledge of Management is not a precondition for sound Leadership in the business corridors though being a good leader is a precondition to you Manage well !!!
No syllabus, no course-credits. Just native, innate learning. Your time begins now and I wish you good-luck for that.
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