Leadership principles by Sam Manekshaw

Leadership lessons

1. Leadership can not be achieved without personal competency.
1. Leaders do not born. Anyone with rational thinking can be trained to become a leader.
2. Leaders should acquire professional knowledge throughout their life.

2. Ability to make up mind and quickly take decisions
1. No comeback after the decision

If you must be a bloody fool, be one quickly.

2. Art of commission > Art of omission
3. Taking full responsibility of the outcomes of the decision without blaming your sub-ordinates.
4. Why a person can not take decision? - Lack of confidence - Lacks Professional competency (see #1) - Never learnt trained on the circumstances or assumed it is not serious enough

3. Absolute Justice and Impartiality
1. A person will accept the punishment if she thinks she deserves.
2. A person will accept to be superseded if she thinks the other person deserves it.
3. Why should not I punish you? Punishment should be a lesson learnt not to destroy someone

4. Moral Courage
1. Ability to distinguish the right from the wrong
2. Once distinguished, have the courage to stand up and speak your piece irrespective of what your superior/colleague/subordinate/parents etc. thinks.
3. A “Yes man” is a horrible man; never ever a leader
1. May rise high, but
2. Used by superiors
3. Disliked by colleagues
4. Disrespected by subordinates
4. Physical courage: Everybody fears. Never show your fear to others and never ever to your subordinates. Once you show fear to them, you quit.
1. Only way to face fear is by facing it.

5. Loyalty
1. Loyalty is a two way thing between leader and subordinates.

Leadership is nothing but management of men (with sense of humour and empathy) and resources.

6. Discipline
1. Show up five minutes before the time. Always be punctual.
2. Always sleep on time and wake up on time.
3. Be focussed.

7. Character
1. Know what you really are inside (and what you portray) rather than what others decipher about us.

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