Change the world!

Many companies have a lofty vision which all boil down to a single point – “Change the world”! It is very much like all Hollywood potboilers that “Save the world!” How many of them succeed in doing this? To be fair, many of them do. Apple, Microsoft, Google, Facebook and Amazon are four that come to mind right away. Each and every one of them has done their bit, earning their respective CEO’s fame and renown for their exemplary vision and drive to succeed. Of course, my list of companies is skewed towards the technology world, but I would argue that the major transformation in the world in the past 20 years has been because of technology.

I read somewhere, that one has to be the change that one wishes to see in the world. Very true. So how does a leader transform his or her team if he is only taking care of changing himself? First up, of course, lead by example. If you are embodying the change and the vision that you have for success, then you can inspire the team to do the same. Then, it comes to finding the right people. If the team does not have individuals who are committed to excellence for the right reasons, then no amount of examples is going to make a difference. One factor that is overlooked in the success stories of all these companies is the team that stood behind the leader. None of them would have succeeded if they had not had the team that did the work for them. Little wonder then, that the title of recruiters at companies is nowadays “Talent Acquisition”. Find the right talent and the tools for motivating the talent and you are on your way!

We know that Steve Jobs was a mercurial leader who would often berate his employees on how terrible they were, how bad their ideas were, etc. He would then turn around and plead them on the very next day. He was oustpoken, brash and intimidating. Jeff Bezos is known to be a hard taskmaster, driving down his decisions hard on his employees. Google, on the other hand, is driven towards employee satisfaction. Stories of spas, cinema halls, day cares, free snacks, etc. at the offices fill non-Google employees with envy. So clearly, there is no single mantra for a leadership style to ape. There are hugely successful companies out there that have had down-to-earth leaders, who stay away from the spotlight.

Fundamentally,  doing what is good and provides satisfaction to the self will lead to peace of mind. If self-satisfaction is achieved by changing the lives of millions (while earning millions en route), then so be it! One could arguably fit Baba Ramdev in that list too – he has changed the lives of millions with his brand of Yoga and now with his Pathanjali range of products, he is taking market share in the FMCG market. Who is to say that he is any less successful in changing the world (through Pranayam) than any of the other visionaries? Opportunities are galore – how you chose to change the world is down to your own choice, isn’t it?