24 June,2011 08:14 AM IST | | Arindam Chaudhuri
Writing today's editorial gives me immense pleasure as my professional area of interest is leadership. But with so much rotten occurring around with our leaders, when it came to writing, I have mainly been writing about the pathetic deeds of our leaders instead of what makes a good leader! But today one lady has finally emerged as a symbol of magnificent leadership in this country!
Mamata Banerjee was able to throw the CPM out of power after 34 years of governing. Never in the history has such a feat been pulled off! And this was possible only and only due to Mamata's amazing leadership skills and genuine commitment to bringing about real change in Bengal. One of her statements that best highlighted the same was, "We want badal which means change, and not badla, which means revenge". The instruction to her party workers was very clear. No post-poll killings. In fact, she banned any kind of massive victory procession as well.
It is what she is doing on a daily basis by leading from the front that is creating the biggest impact. She starts her work sharp at ten in the morning and ends office at ten in the night. This means that the office staff, the bureaucracy ufffdeveryone is being made to work as hard. True, this cannot continue forever, but even if it continues for a few months, Bengal could be a changed place in terms of the work culture of the government.
She has kept some of the key portfolios with herself ufffdlike Health, Home, Hill Affairs etc. And she is making full use of this, by starting the day with surprise visits to any and every place that concerns the ministries in her hand.
u00a0Her genuine commitment has given the Gorkhaland leaders an opportunity to come to an agreement, because they are realising that her promises are not empty. In education, she has already initiated the process of freeing the Presidency College from being a place of useless student union activities by appointing Sugata Basu and Amartya Sen as key mentors to bring back quality! Her simple living, absolutely honest record, white saree with blue border ufffd in the true Mother Teresa tradition ufffd simple chappals and nonstop brisk walk from one corner of Bengal to another, all of this is setting a huge example of genuine leadership that Indian political leaders need to learn from.
As a management teacher, what Mamata is doing right now is to make a new path-breaking political leadership theory ufffd 'The Mamata Banerjee Leadership Theory of Aggressive Action with Commitment for Change'. And this theory has the power not only to change Bengal but also change India.
