A couple of days back, I happened to attend an
event, titled “Leadership Series – Good to Great,” organized by the CIO Klub,
Delhi Chapter, and sponsored by HP and Microchip.
I was in two minds about going, as it was
scheduled for late evening in the middle of the week. But two things
contributed to making up my mind: the first one, obviously, was to avail of the
opportunity to catch up with the IT decision makers from across the city.
The second one had to do with the leadership
session by Tapas Dasmohapatra. In all ignorance and humility, I must say I hadn’t
heard of him before. But the line in the invitation seemed intriguing, even if
a bit presumptive or frivolous. It said about the speaker: “He is a darling for
anyone who invites him for key-note address because of his friendly and high
energy program.”
In the middle of an unusually cold Delhi winter
(unusual for the past 15 years or so, quite usual before that), I thought maybe
I could use some energy and friendliness. So I went.
Soon as the event progressed, I realized that rather short-statured and plump in a cutesy way, Tapas was indeed a little
darling!
With his quick “connect,” sharp and focussed wit
and a beguiling manner, he indeed showed that the gap between good and great
has nothing to with your size or natural looks—and everything to do with how
you “design” your success.
In what I believe was a towering session on
leadership, motivation and success rolled into one, Tapas uncoiled the secrets
of going from good to great in a tightly knit capsule of an hour or so.
I have always held that humor is one of the
greatest ways to connect with people. Now I saw the living proof of it in the
person of Tapas. As he cracked joke after joke and related anecdotes in quick
succession, the audience—mostly somber-faced, time-challenged Chief Information
Officers by day—were in splits.
And not only were the jokes funny on their own,
they seemed to fit, like IT folks often say fondly, seamlessly into the
larger scheme of things. Recalling the relevant joke at just the right moment
and delivering it with style is an art, and Tapas looked like its high priest.
He began his seminar with how people, especially
educated guys, indulge in “self-deception”— whether knowingly or unknowingly.
“When we are already good, who can hold us down
from being great? We ourselves,” he said.
So people must recognize and acknowledge the
instances of self-deceit in their lives if they want to work toward designing
their success.
Using the technique of keywords to drive his
message clearly and unmistakably, Tapas then focussed on the two words “natural”
and “design,” and related the commercially successful role of design (which I
think can be broken down into planning, resource mobilization and effort in the
context here) in our lives.
Another pair of significant keywords he used: “connect”
and “correct.” The success mantra of great leaders is to connect with people
before they attempt to correct them.
This tenet matches a similar one I had come across
sometime back in relation to giving feedback to people (especially your juniors) in the right
way: praise, criticize, praise.
The best part about Tapas’s session, I think, was
how he picked specific examples to illustrate his points and used an effective
mix of English and Hindi to drive them home.
I have attended tons of presentations and
management sessions but seldom have I seen people glued to their seats for more
than an hour—a sentiment echoed by senior CIOs who were present there.
Tapas ended the session with some music and
jumping and holding of hands and going around the room hugging people—and there
were many who rushed to hug Tapas first.
Did the invite mention the word “darling”?!
(Note: Along
with his co-founding partner Suresh Mohan Semwal, Tapas Dasmohapatra runs the
training and speaking consultancy Possiblers out of Jor Bagh in New Delhi.)
