Leadership with Special Reference to Gandhian Techniques

Yashika Swami Research scholar Business Admin. Deptt. University of rajasthan Abstract Mahatma Gandhi ji was a prominent leader of freedom movement & is considered as one of the world most influential leaders. Ganhijis well known philosophy is satya, ahimsa, non-violence and Swaraj. With the help of these weapons he made the dream of independent India possible.. Gandhiji as a leader practiced open mindedness, continuous learning, self awareness, self discipline, developing vision & action plan, values, ethics, non-violence, truthfulness, no discrimination, hard work, listening skill, trusteeship. Gandhis these core principles are remarkably relevant in todays world. This paper throws light on the leadership qualities of Gandhiji.

Leadership "Leadership is a function of knowing yourself, having a vision that is well communicated, building trust among colleagues, and taking effective action to realize your own leadership potential." (Warren Bennis) "Leadership is a process that involves: setting a purpose and direction which inspires people to combine and work towards willingly; paying attention to the means, pace and quality of progress towards the aim; and upholding group unity and individual effectiveness throughout." (James Scouller, from The Three Levels of Leadership, 2011.) Gandhian techniques for Leadership Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi, known as Mahatma Gandhi and the great leader of the masses in India, is the important architect and significant leader of the Indian freedom struggle. Study of his life provides an endless store of leadership qualities. Some of them is discussed below. Continuous learning and improvement Gandhi always believed in continuous learning. Similarly a leader needs to learn continuously so as to combat with changing circumstances. Be an excellent listener Gandhi was not a very skilled public speaker; generally he was believed to be quite average. On the other hand, he was an exceptional listener of both the articulated and the unsaid. A leader

needs to be a good listener so as to understand the problems of his follower & resolve that to achieve organizational goal. Proactively identifying barriers to make change sustainable In the 1920s an American journalist asked Gandhi what the biggest problem was that India faced at the time. The journalist expected Gandhi to say that the problems were slavery and British rule or pervasive poverty. But Gandhi said the biggest challenge facing the country was callousness of intellectuals. He was not just thinking about getting independence but about building a sustainable society. In order to make change sustainable in the organization, leader needs to be proactive in his nature. So the problem can be rectified timely. Self-awareness and discipline gandhiji was a strong believer of self awareness & self discipline. Because unless you dont know completely about your-self, you cant lead others. And if you are not disciple you cant make others be in discipline. Self discipline is the training of your mind to control, perceived harmful, urges, and to continue to control these urges until a satisfactory resolution has been sought. Self discipline is the key to success. Develop a vision and action plan A leader with vision has a clear, vivid picture of where to go, as well as a firm grasp on what success looks like and how to achieve it. Along with that a leader must also share its action plan to achieve it. A leader must be able to communicate his or her vision in terms that cause followers to buy into it. He or she must communicate the vision & Action plan clearly and passionately. The same was practiced by Gandhi ji during the freedom movement. Be open-minded Always keep things in perspective. Do not dismiss others or anything big or small without giving a try. We never know where the next cool or useful idea may come from. Ganhi ji was always open for discussion with British government on any issue. Ahimsa (non- violence) Gandhi displayed great strength, not through using his strength to force others to bend to his will, but by using nonviolent means to achieve his goals. As a leader, it is a very simple matter to leverage on your position or your authority to coerce people to bend to your will. However, it is your true strength as a leader that can persuade and convince people to follow you with their hearts. Value based leadership Gandhiji valued truth, non-violence most and lived his life on these values. It is also visible in his decision specially the freedom movement led by Gandhiji. Vales-based leadership philosophy asserts that people are mostly motivated by values; people care deeply about their personal values, and live according to these values. In other words, values are our most natural motivators. So it makes sense, and is natural, for leaders to refer to their own values in creating a vision or making decisions. Ethical leadership

Gandhi ji was an ethical leader as he was a follower of truth. An ethical leader is always transparent in his deeds. Ethical leadership is knowing your core values and having the courage to live them in all parts of your life in service of the common good. Work hard & be persistent In order to achieve something, one needs to work hard and persistent in his behavior. This is the basic mantra for any successful venture, or to achieve any significant goal in life. Have a vision toward the goal, plan for it, and work hard to achieve it. Gandhi can be the best example for it. No discrimination among human-being Gandhi ji never discriminate among human-beings on any basis such as caste, creed, religion etc. He even said that hate the crime and not the criminal. The leader needs to treat his employees on equal plat form to give them a feeling of belongingness & care. Consequently they will feel motivated and more committed towards the organization. Trusteeship Gandhian philosophy of trusteeship includes-no recognition to right to individual property, resources must be held and utilised for the benefit of society, management is the trustees of the stakeholders and must work towards optimising stakeholder value, not merely maximising shareholder value. Trusteeship refers to the act of holding and managing resources on behalf of the stakeholders of the firm.

Conclusion Gandhiji was a visionary, charismatic & transformational leader. The above mentioned Qualities of his leadership is un-ending and the list is inexhaustible one. These techniques are as useful and relevant as it was during his life time. The researchers are continuously analyzing and developing new theories on leadership from the life experience of Mahatma Gandhi.