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Soft Skills – IV

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 SOFT SKILL ASSIGNMENT

S.No Contents Page No

1 Leadership Skills
2 Organization Skills
3 Presentation Phrases
4 Interview Questions
Biography of your favorite
5 Leader
6 Resume

2
 LEADERSHIP

Leadership is embedded in every one of us, but the key is to unlock our personal
passion which will give us the courage to do things that appear difficult, uncertain
or even unpopular.

1. Congruence

2. Authenticity

3. Breaking Boundaries

4. Coaching

5. Emotional Intelligence

6. Critical thinking

7. Feedback

8. Influence

Types of Leadership

1. Autocratic Leadership

2. Democratic Leadership

3. Laissez-faire Leadership

4. Paternalistic Leadership

Authenticity:

Authenticity as a leader means3 aligning who you are with what you do. It means
making sure that your actions live out your words: if you say something is
important, this is reflected in how you spend your time. When we see authentic
leaders, we see congruence – people who are consistent
in their beliefs and who behave in a way that demonstrates those beliefs in action.
For example: if you say people are important, do you spend enough time with
people, really listening to them? Authentic leaders have a reputation for keeping
their promises - they are 100% trustworthy because they are driven by their values.

Leadership is about working with people to do new things in a world which is

increasingly complex and fast changing. We need organizations that are flexible
and sustainable, and organizations are made up of individuals.

Leadership is not necessarily linked to authority. It is about mobilizing people to

tackle the toughest problems and to do their best work. Leadership is embedded in
every one of us, but the key is to unlock our personal passion which will give us
the courage to do things that appear
difficult, uncertain or even unpopular.

This short guide is intended to do just that - to review what you do and why you do
it and to help you become an enlightened leader. We hope that you will take a few
minutes each day to read and then think about an aspect of leadership. Devoting
time to noticing how you are and what
you do and say will enable you to improve as a leader. Use this booklet to make
notes on the ideas suggested. Try it every day for the next 26 days and see the
difference it can make!

Margi Gordon, Principal Consultant for Leadership and Management

For example: if you say people are important, do you spend enough time with
people, really listening to them? Authentic leaders have a reputation for keeping
their promises - they are 100% trustworthy because they are driven by their values.

What values and beliefs are most important to you as a person?

How do you demonstrate them in what you do as a leader?
“Moral Courage is a higher and rarer virtue than physical courage”
William. J. Slim

Boundary breaking is often 4the mark of a leader. Boundaries define what people
are responsible for and enable them to decide what to do and what not to do. Many
organisations decide to ‘empower’ people but then constrain them with rules and
procedures to follow.
Boundaries exist in job titles, allocation of resources, working practices, methods
of communication, and hierarchical reporting lines. Leadership is about pushing at
boundaries, using initiative and doing new things. It is easier to ask for forgiveness
than to ask for permission. Organisations need structures that create freedom - try
describing what you will not do,instead of defining what you will do. Focus on
what needs to be achieved and the procedures or protocols that get in the way.

What are the boundaries that constrain you at work?

Where could you add value as a leader if you pushed at a boundary?
Where could you remove a boundary for people that would increase their freedom
to act as leaders?

Coaching is the key to developing new leaders. Some people feel threatened by
sharing their knowledge, but these days, most information is accessible through the
Internet. People, not knowledge, make the difference. Enlightened leaders
understand that they get good results by working with the best people. Coaching is
one way of developing the best team.

The performance of even the greatest experts can be enhanced, by ‘nondirective’

coaching. This means helping people to review their performance and understand
how to build on their strengths, by asking them open questions. For example:
What have you done recently that was successful?
What made it go successfully?
How did you feel about it?
How can you build on this success?
with that person today.
Distributed leadership means empowering people to take leadership at every level
in an organisation. It means giving the work back to people, instead of trying to be
the leader who knows everything and solves all the problems. Use the skills and
energy of the people around
you. Ask them how improvements can be made. Encourage them to take
responsibility for things that are annoying them. If you develop people,you can
delegate to them. Delegation is not about dumping tasks you do not want to do. It’s
about delegating responsibility but retaining the
accountability for achieving the desired results. It’s about creating capable people,
and it can free you up to be more creative.
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What could you delegate today?

Who would you empower to do it?
What result are you looking for?
What coaching or support might be needed to enable them to achieve a good
result?
Remember it is important to discuss what and why, but let them decide how.
“A leader is best when people barely know that he exists, less good-Tzu
Emotional intelligence (EI) is the understanding of your emotions and how to
manage them, and it is recognizing emotions in other people and then managing
your relationship with them. The ability to recognize and manage emotions is
considered as four times more important than IQ in achieving success.

First of all you need to become aware of your emotions and how they affect you.
Think about your emotions - they usually fall into one of the following categories;
happiness, sadness, anger, disgust or fear.
Which of your emotions is most likely to take control of you, so that you feel you
have no choice in your response to it?
How could you change your response when you feel that emotion?
What other ways of responding can you think of?
Start noticing when you respond differently to this emotion e.g. if you stop
shouting when you are angry, or stop procrastinating when you are anxious.
This is what is meant by ‘using your emotional intelligence’. Once you have
mastered your emotions, pay attention to other people’s emotions and acknowledge
them: ‘You look worried, what’s concerning you?’ You seem happy today, what’s
going on?’ You will get new insight into other people’s situations which will help
you to develop your relationship with them.

Feedback is one of the great tools of leadership. It is the ability to give people real
feedback about what they have done well and what needs improving. Many people
avoid giving negative feedback but it’s equally difficult to give positive feedback
without being patronizing. Effective
feedback is given with positive intent, either to build confidence, recognize a
contribution or to identify what might be getting in the way of progress. Another
facet of leadership is the ability to receive feedback with an open mind and not to
become defensive. The more senior managers become, the more they are protected
from feedback. Try to ensure you are always asking for feedback and that you are
open minded when you get it - it is not always easy to accept other peoples’ views
of us.
Are you open to feedback? Do you respond you to clarify the feedback?
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Identify someone that you could ask for feedback today- ask them what they think
you should do more of, what you could start doing and what you should stop
doing.
Stay open-minded and get curious about what they are telling you. You can always
choose whether to act on their feedback.

Global leadership requires new ways of thinking. The world is increasingly

unstable, technology has created increased connectedness, organizational structures
are diffuse, teams are virtual, and change continues at a greater rate than ever
before. Today’s organizations need to be able to deal with cross-cultural working,
political crises, and natural disasters and still behave as responsible corporate
citizens. Roffey Park research

(Building Global Leadership, 2004) has identified some key capabilities that
distinguish effective global leaders:

• Strategic thinking – the ‘helicopter’ view that bridges boundaries between local
allegiances
• Intercultural competence – the creation of inclusive work environments
• Crisis management – the anticipation of risks and a focus on response to change
• Political astuteness – the ability to network with a wide range of stakeholders
• Ethical leadership – an understanding and demonstration of social responsibility
and governance
• Improvisation – at ease in dealing with uncertainty and ambiguity
• Global mindset – a broad outlook that is open to the unfamiliar

Where are your strengths? What capabilities do you need to develop?

Hero or helper? Are you determined to lead from the front or are you more likely
to be a supporter of people? Do you see yourself as the knowledgeable expert, who
can solve any problem that comes up? Are you the person who makes all the
important decisions and who is at
the centre of all the action - in control of the situation - the hero? Or do you believe
that your role as a leader is to support and encourage people so that they can solve
their own problems. Are you a developer of people who empowers them to make
decisions at the front line - the helper?

Most of us assume that we need to be heroic leaders, but in today’s reality, where
we are dealing with new and complex scenarios, the skills of the helper are often
more useful (see Wicked problems). Both styles are needed. You need to be able to
7
walk the line, recognizing when direction and decision making are needed and,
when new situations arise, moving to collaboration and discussion - so you can tap
into the expertise in the team.
What would you need to do to develop your ability to flex to helper, and vice
versa?
Influence is the hallmark of an effective leader. People work in matrix structures
with multiple reporting lines: they may report to a line manager, a project team
leader and a head of function. People are constantly telling us that they need to get
things done, but they are not in a position of
authority where they can tell people to get on with it. They need to get buy-in, and
influencing skills are crucial.

Influencing can range from a request ‘I need you to do this’, to sharing an

attractive vision of what you want to achieve, to asking questions and identifying
common ground. Once you understand the other person’s position, you are more
likely to find ways to achieve their buy-in to your proposal. You can build trust by
keeping the other person’s interests in mind at all times.

How do you influence others - by making clear statements about what you want or
by asking questions and drawing out other people’s needs?

Is your attention focused primarily on you, or on the other person?

Do you identify common ground before trying to influence the other person?

Try using a different approach to influencing today, and notice the impact. Job
performance can be related to the way people are managed and led. Leadership
impacts on the climate at work and climate can determine how well people
perform. Your leadership can have a direct impact on people’s motivation and self-
esteem, and subsequently their performance. Most people are motivated - your role
as a leader is not to de-motivate them. If people are engaged in their work and have
an opportunity to do what they do best, they will be high performers. You create
the environment where people excel.

Know yourself. The most inspirational leaders are people who know themselves.
Their leadership is developed from the inside out. They are able to speak
confidently about their strengths and weaknesses without any embarrassment or
defensiveness. They get their confidence from understanding and liking
themselves. They are open to feedback, and they
8
are able to apologize and admit mistakes. Their self-esteem is based on recognizing
that no-one is perfect, but that life is a journey with lessons to be learnt along the
way. Learning about yourself is often the hardest lesson.
Write down your top three strengths. How can you use these to down three
weaknesses that need
4 Different Types of Leadership Styles
1. Autocratic or Authoritarian leadership
An autocratic leader centralizes power and decision-making in himself. He gives
orders, assigns tasks and duties without consulting the employees. The leader
takes full authority and assumes full responsibility.

Autocratic leadership is negative, based on threats and punishment.

Subordinates act as he directs. He neither cares for their opinions nor permits
them to influence the decision. He believes that because of his authority he alone
can decide what is best in a given situation.

Autocratic leadership is based upon close supervision, clear-cut direction and

commanding order of the superior. It facilitates quick decisions, prompt action
and unity of direction. It depends on a lesser degree of delegation. But too much
use of authority might result in strikes and industrial disputes. It is likely to
produce frustration and retard the growth of the capacity of employees.

The employees work as hard as is necessary to avoid punishment. They will thus
produce the minimum which will escape punishment.

This leadership style is less likely to be effective because (i) the new generation is
more independent and less submissive and not amenable to rigid control; (ii)
people look for ego satisfactions from their jobs and (iii) revolution of rising
expectations changed the attitude of the people.

Autocratic leadership may be divided into three classes:

(A) The hard-boiled autocrat who relies mainly on negative influences uses the
force of fear and punishment in directing his subordinates towards the
organisational goals. This is likely to result in employees becoming resentful.
(B) The benevolent autocrat who relies mainly on positive influences uses the
reward and incentives in directing his subordinates towards the organisational
goals. By using praise and pats9 on the back he secures the loyalty of subordinates
who accept his decisions.
(C) The manipulative autocrat who makes the employees feels that they are
participating in decision-making though the manager himself has taken the
decision. McGregor labels this style as Theory X.
2. Democratic or Participative leadership
Participative or democratic leaders decentralise authority. It is characterised by
consultation with the subordinates and their participation in the formulation of
plans and policies. He encourages participation in decision-making. He leads the
subordinates mainly through persuasion and example rather than fear and force.
Sometimes the leader serves as a moderator of the ideas and suggestions from his
group. McGregor labels this style as Theory Y.

Taylor’s scientific management was based on the inability of the ordinary

employees to make effective decisions about their work. Hence the decision-
making power was vested with the management. But recent studies indicate the
need for participation by subordinates. The modern trend favours sharing the
responsibility with the employees.

This will foster enthusiasm in them. The employees feel that management is
interested in them as well as in their ideas and suggestions. They will, therefore,
place their suggestions for improvement.

Advantages for democratic leadership are as follows: (i) higher motivation and
improved morale; (ii) increased co-operation with the management; (iii) improved
job performance; (iv) reduction of grievances and (v) reduction of absenteeism
and employee turnover.

3. The Laissez-faire or Free-rein leadership

Free-rein leaders avoid power and responsibility. The laissez-faire or non-
interfering type of leader passes on the responsibility for decision-making to his
subordinates and takes a minimum of initiative in administration. He gives no
direction and allows the group to establish its own goals and work out its own
problems.

The leader plays only a minor role. His idea is that each member of the group when
left to himself will put forth
10 his best effort and the maximum results can be
achieved in this way. The leader acts as an umpire. But as no direction or control is
exercised over the people, the organization is likely to flounder.
An experiment conducted among Boy Scout Clubs of the USA in 1940 shows
autocratic leadership is likely to rouse antagonism in the group and produce
hostility towards the leader. In democratic groups, the absence of the leader made
little difference, while in autocratic groups productive work dropped to a
minimum, when the leader was out of the room.

Democratic leadership is more likely to win the loyalty of the group. The laissez-
faire groups also developed friendly approaches to the leader as in the democratic
group. But suggestions from the groups were very low and they were also less
productive.

4. Paternalistic leadership
Under this management style the leader assumes that his function is fatherly or
paternal. Paternalism means papa knows best. The relationship between the leader
and his group is the same as the relationship between the head of the family and
the members of the family. The leader guides and protects his subordinates as
members of his family.

As the head of the family he provides his subordinates with good working
conditions and fringe benefits. It is assumed that workers will work harder out of
gratitude. This leadership style was admirably successful in Japan with her peculiar
social background.

This leadership style has still been widely prevalent in small firms in India.
However, this paternalistic approach is unlikely to work with mature adult
employees, many of whom do not like their interests to be looked after by a
“godfather.” Instead of gratitude, it might generate antagonism and resentment in
the subordinates.

11
 ORGANISATIONAL SKILLS

 Organization skills Definition: the ability to

use your time, energy, resources, in an effective way so that you achieve the
things you want to achieve

Why do we need Organizational Skills? / Why Organization Skills Are Important

Organizational skills" encompasses physical and mental organization and time
management abilities. Organizational skills are essential for successful business
owners who need to balance a host of different duties. Organizational skills play an
important role in determining the quality of leadership. In the absence of a quality
leader, most organizations struggle to cope up with the challenges that are being
posed to them. These skills are not an inherent quality, and one needs to build them
over a course of time. These are essential and help an individual become
multifaceted.
Three broad classifications of Organizational skills
1. Time Management Skills; 2.Mental organizational Skills; 3.Physical
organization Skills. Now

 1. Time Management Skills: the point of a deadline is to keep tasks,

deliverables, and projects under control so that business operations can flow
smoothly. In retail or restaurant jobs, time management is crucial for serving
customers promptly and keeping them pacified even when it is busy. Time
management is an important skill employers look for because without it, a
business can lose clients, miss goals, fail in efficiency, or miss important time-
specific opportunities. Time management requires a good sense of work gauge so
that you can correctly allot the time needed for a task. But it's not just about
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scheduling. Good time management also requires discipline, quick thinking,
knowing how and when to delegate, and knowing when to use strategies for
dealing with procrastination, distraction, and even unplanned events.
 Creating and keeping deadlines

 Delegation--- The task of a delegation, each member of which can be called

a delegate is to represent a larger group, often at a conference.

 Goal setting and meeting goals

 Decision making

 Managing appointments

 Team management

 Project management

 Making schedules

 Coordinating events

 Problem solving

 Productivity--- Productivity is usually expressed as a ratio of output to inputs.

It can be expressed as units of a product (e.g. cars) per worker-hour.

 Teamwork

 Team leadership

 Multitasking--- the ability to do several things at the same time.

 Strategic thinking----- the ability to come up with effective plans in line with
an organization's objectives within a particular economic situation. Strategic
thinking helps business managers review policy issues, perform long term
planning, set goals and determine priorities, and identify potential risks and
opportunities.

Implementing strategy---- Strategic implementation is a process that puts

13
plans and strategies into action to reach desired goals. The strategic plan itself
is a written document that details the steps and processes needed to reach plan
goals, and includes feedback and progress reports to ensure that the plan is on
track
 2. Mental organizational Skills: Many jobs demand strong focus,
concentration, clear, coherent thinking, and good memory - all traits of a
mentally adept and alert person. Mental organization skills allow you to process
information quickly, translate thoughts to clear and articulate communication,
and focus on fine details correctly. Mental organization can also apply to the way
you use tools and strategies to aid mental tasks.

 There some very important qualities for this Mental Organizational Skills :

 Analysis

 Assessment and evaluation

 Listening skills

 Communication

 Creative thinking---- Creative thinking is a way of looking at problems or

situations from a fresh perspective to conceive of something new or original

 Working with data

 Design

 Taking notes

 Documentation--- Minutes of the meeting(Later explained)

 Identifying problems

 Conflict resolution

 Multitasking

 Developing strategies

 Developmental planning
14

 Public speaking

 Reviewing, reporting, and research

  Attention to detail

 Making presentations

 3. Physical organization Skills: Keeping your work space - whether that's

your desk, restaurant kitchen, or desktop computer - neat and functional is
another important organizational skill. Clutter all over your desk spells coming
trouble. It's just a matter of time before items get misplaced, lost, or accidentally
damaged. Examples of physical organization skills are keeping track of items as
they're used, returning items to their places after use, and creating and
developing sensible strategies and physical solutions for facilitating work flow,
cleanliness, and efficiency in a work space. Skills you could put on your resume
that show physical organization include. Under time management there are some
very important attributes,

 Filing (organizing documents in separate files),

 Record keeping recording transactions and events in an accounting system.),

 Office management ,Office management refers to the process of planning,

organizing, guiding, communicating, directing, coordinating and controlling the
activities of a group of people

 Resource management: Resource management is the process by which

businesses manage their various resources effectively. Those resources can be
intangible – people and time – and tangible – equipment, materials, and finances

 Stock inventory: inventory control, is used to show how much stock you
have at any one time, and how you keep track of it.

 Multitasking: Multitasking, in a human context, is the practice of doing

multiple things simultaneously, such as editing a document or responding to
email while attending a teleconference.

 Responsibility for office materials and equipment

 Office maintenance, 15

 Coordinating and executing event.

 Why Organization Skills Are Important: One has to wear many hats, meaning
many roles
Ways to Improve Your Organization Skills: There are ways to improve
Organizational skills
1. Be proactive--
Most people take the work one day at a time, coming in ready to take on whatever
happens. However, that means you are reacting to a situation rather than preparing
for it in advance. The best way to make the most of your day is to prepare for it in
advance. Know what you need to do for the next day and make preparations for
them before you leave for the day. This not only takes the guesswork out of your
workday, it might even give you some insights or ideas of how to do the work
better.

Make a list. Part of being proactive is making a list of all the things you need to do
for each day. The benefits of this are of course so you don’t forget anything. An
added bonus to making a list is crossing it out. It gives you not only a concrete way
to keep track of the tasks you need to do, but it motivates you to keep doing it
because it gives you such a sense of satisfaction and accomplishing crossing each
item on your list. This is putting all your ducks in a row, and you shoot them down
one by one, metaphorically speaking. At the same time you are planning the day
and making your list of tasks, you should make a schedule, giving each task a
prescribed time to do each one. You can ensure you meet all your deadlines, and
nothing is left by the wayside
Establish a filing system
Most of your files are probably going to be digital, but you still need to know
where everything you need is stored. Looking for lost files will take up as much of
your time as looking for misplaced items. You need to make sure all your files are
in its proper place. You should also have a master document of all your files, and
the location of those files.
Make the most of your prime time
Everybody has a certain time 16 of the day when they are most productive. Some

work well early in the morning, while others work best in the evening. You should
schedule all you’re most demanding or challenging work during this time. Of
course, if your business involves meeting with other people, you need to
coordinate your prime time with theirs.
Minimize interruptions
You may think it is obvious, but you waste a lot of time dealing with interruptions
to your work. This is why it is important to make a schedule. Follow the schedule
and avoid distractions as much as possible
You might think you are saving money by doing everything yourself. The fact is,
you can save a considerable amount of time and effort by delegating tasks to the
right people and focusing on core activities that will make you money.
Writing minutes can take time, and may seem like an unimportant task compared
with getting on with “real work”, but in fact not taking meeting minutes can be
costly in terms of both time and resources. If you don’t take minutes, you will find
that your colleagues have different recollections from the meeting than you. They
also may have different ideas about what was agreed. If there are no minutes, then
important tasks will be forgotten or not achieved by the due date. Without meeting
minutes, you have no recourse if an action was not carried out. In the worst case, if
meeting minutes is not written you may end up having to repeat the meeting.

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18
 MEETING MINUTES LAYOUT:
Date:

Time:

Location:

Call to Order

Team name/Organization

Meeting to discuss (Agenda)

Attendee Names

Attendees not present

Remarks

Approval of Previous Minutes

Remarks

Reports

Unfinished Agenda

Remarks

Motions

Signature
19
 Presentation Phrases:
Starting the presentation
Why you are giving
this presentation
Stating the main points
Introducing the first point
Showing graphics,
transparencies, slides, etc.
Moving to the next point
Giving more details
Changing to a different topic
Referring to something
which is off the topic
Referring back to
an earlier point
Summing up or
repeating the main points
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Good morning/Good afternoon ladies and
gentlemen
• The topic of my presentation today is ...
• What I'm going to talk about today is ...
• The purpose of this presentation is ...
• This is important because ...
• My objective is to ...
• The main points I will be talking about are :
◊ Firstly,
◊ Secondly,
◊ Next,
◊ Finally ... we're going to look at ...
• Let's start / begin with ...
• I'd like to illustrate this by showing you ...
• Now let's move on to ...
• I'd like to expand on this aspect/problem/point
...
• Let me elaborate on that.
• Would you like me to expand on/elaborate on
that?
• I'd like to turn to something completely
different ...
• I'd like to digress here for a moment and just
mention ...
• Let me go back to what I said earlier about ...
• I'd like to recap the main points of my
presentation:
◊ First I covered ...
◊ Then we talked about ...
◊ Finally we looked at ...
• I'd now like to sum up the main points which
 were :
◊ First ...
◊ Second,
◊ Third,

Conclusion • I'm going to conclude by ...

◊ First ...
◊ Second,
◊ Third,

• In conclusion, let me ...

◊ First ...
◊ Second,
◊ Third,
Questions
• Now I'd like to invite any questions you may
have.
• Do you have any questions?

INTERVIEW QUESTIONS

1. Tell about yourself?

2. Why should we hire you?
3. Have you ever had a confrontation at your last job?
4. What are your positive and negative traits
5. Why do you want to work in our company
6. What are your strengths?
7. What are your weaknesses?
8. Tell me what you know about this company?
9. Why did you choose this industry?
10.What are your career goals?
11.Tell me something about your values?
12.Do you possess leadership skills?
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13.What is your greatest accomplishment?
14.What Are Your Academic Achievements?
15.Describe a difficult work situation and what you did to overcome it?
16.Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
17.Why Do You Think You Are a Good Fit For the Company?
18.Do you have any questions for me?
19.Tell me about an achievement of which you are proud?
20.What are you looking for in a job?
21.How long would you stay with us?
22.How do you explain your gap in employment?
23.When were you most satisfied in your job? I was satisfied when
24.What did you like least about your last job?
25.Describe a time when you did not get along with a coworker. Well,
26.What do you do to keep up-to-date in your job? How do you improve
yourself professionally?
27.How Would You Describe Your Work Style?
28.How do you handle stress and pressure?
29.What type of work environment do you prefer? I prefer
30.What Can You Do for This Company?
31.Why do you want to work here? I want to work here because
32.What challenges are you looking for in a position?
33.How long do you expect to remain employed with this company?
34.Can you work under pressure? Yes, I can work under pressure
35.On a scale of one to five, rate your level of communication
36.Where do you see yourself five years from now? I would like to see
myself as
37.Who does your personal work?
38.Will you work hard?
39.Do you speak English well?
40.Who do you like to talk to when you have a problem? I would like to talk to
my __
41.When do you prefer to study, in the morning or in the evening? I prefer to
study in the morning because
42.Who was your favorite instructor in College?
43. What are your team-player qualities? Give examples.
43.What goals have you set for yourself? How are you planning to achieve
them? I have short team and long term goals. I have planned to achieve them
by
44.What makes you to think that you can handle this position? My theory
knowledge and practical experience will help me to handle this position
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45.What is your most significant accomplishment to date?
46.The most significant accomplishment up to date is
47.Why do you want to work here?
 48.Describe a leadership role of yours and tell why you committed your time to
it.
49.In a particular leadership role you had, what was your greatest challenge?
50.Give me an example of an idea that has come to you and what you did with
it?

MY LEADER
23
Vallabhbhai Patel (31 October 1875 – 15 December 1950), popularly known
as Sardar Patel, was an Indian politician. He served as the first Deputy Prime
Minister of India. He was an Indian barrister and statesman, a senior leader of
the Indian National Congressand a founding father of the Republic of India who
played a leading role in the country's struggle for independence and guided
its integration into a united, independent nation.[1] In India and elsewhere, he was
often called Sardar, meaning "chief" in Hindi, Urdu, and Persian. He acted as
Home Minister during the political integration of India and the Indo-Pakistani War
of 1947.Patel was raised in the countryside of state of Gujarat.[2] He was a
successful lawyer. He subsequently organised peasants from Kheda, Borsad, and
Bardoli in Gujarat in non-violent civil disobedience against the British Raj,
becoming one of the most influential leaders in Gujarat. He was appointed as the
49th President of Indian National Congress, organising the party for elections in
1934 and 1937 while promoting the Quit India Movement.

As the first Home Minister and Deputy Prime Minister of India, Patel organised
relief efforts for refugees fleeing from Punjab and Delhi and worked to restore
peace. He led the task of forging a united India, successfully integrating into the
newly independent nation those British colonial provinces that had been
"allocated" to India.[3] Besides those provinces that had been under direct British
rule, approximately 565 self-governing princely states had been released from
British suzerainty by the Indian Independence Act of 1947. Threatening military
force, Patel persuaded almost every princely state to accede to India. His
commitment to national integration in the newly independent country was total and
uncompromising, earning him the sobriquet "Iron Man of India".[4] He is also
remembered as the "patron saint of India's civil servants" for having established the
modern all-India services system. He is also called the "Unifier of India".[5] The
Statue of Unity, the world's tallest statue, was dedicated to him on 31 October 2018
which is approximately 182 metres in height.[6]

Quit India

Main article: Quit India Movement

On the outbreak of World War 24

II, Patel supported Nehru's decision to withdraw the
Congress from central and provincial legislatures, contrary to Gandhi's advice, as
well as an initiative by senior leader Chakravarthi Rajagopalachari to offer
Congress's full support to Britain if it promised Indian independence at the end of
the war and installed a democratic government right away. Gandhi had refused to
support Britain on the grounds of his moral opposition to war, while Subhash
Chandra Bose was in militant opposition to the British. The British rejected
Rajagopalachari's initiative, and Patel embraced Gandhi's leadership again.[38] He
participated in Gandhi's call for individual disobedience, and was arrested in 1940
and imprisoned for nine months. He also opposed the proposals of the Cripps'
mission in 1942. Patel lost more than twenty pounds during his period in jail.
[citation neededCabinet mission and partition

Integration after Independence and role of Gandhi

When the British mission proposed two plans for transfer of power, there was
considerable opposition within the Congress to both. The plan of 16 May 1946
proposed a loose federation with extensive provincial autonomy, and the
"grouping" of provinces based on religious-majority. The plan of 16 May 1946
proposed the partition of India on religious lines, with over 565 princely states free
to choose between independence or accession to either dominion. The League
approved both plans while the Congress flatly rejected the proposal of 16 May.
Gandhi criticised the 16 May proposal as being inherently divisive, but Patel,
realising that rejecting the proposal would mean that only the League would be
invited to form a government, lobbied the Congress Working Committee hard to
give its assent to the 16 May proposal.

Political integration of India

Main article: Political integration of India

This event formed the cornerstone of Patel's popularity in the post-independence

era. Even today he is remembered as the man who united India. He is, in this
regard, compared to Otto von25Bismarck of Germany, who did the same thing in the
1860s. Under the plan of 3 June, more than 562 princely states were given the
option of joining either India or Pakistan, or choosing independence. Indian
nationalists and large segments of the public feared that if these states did not
accede, most of the people and territory would be fragmented. The Congress as
well as senior British officials considered Patel the best man for the task of
achieving conquest of the princely states by the Indian dominion. Gandhi had said
to Patel, "[T]he problem of the States is so difficult that you alone can solve it".
[60] Patel was considered a statesman of integrity with the practical acumen and
resolve to accomplish a monumental task. He asked V. P. Menon, a senior civil
servant with whom he had worked on the partition of India, to become his right-
hand man as chief secretary of the States Ministry. On 6 May 1947, Patel began
lobbying the princes, attempting to make them receptive towards dialogue with the
future government and forestall potential conflicts. Patel used social meetings and
unofficial surroundings to engage most of the monarchs, inviting them to lunch and
tea at his home in Delhi

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