THE VIRTUOUS LEADERSHIP

These are the times of virtual reality where surrealism rules. Naturally, talking about virtuous reality may appear totally out of sync. But is it really so? Given the crisis of the present times and the decline in the values of people in leadership positions, there is a need to revisit the concept of effective leadership and its essence. And none will refute that we need virtuous leadership. Understanding what this virtuous leadership is may not be easy given the fact that virtues are no longer a valid currency. But it can be understood by observing the actions of those who epitomise virtuous leadership. An ideal example will be Lord Ram whose life and time has been elaborately narrated in Ramayana. It was exactly one year ago, on October 14, that the International Ramayana Conference was inaugurated in Fiji. Sponsored by the Government of Fiji in collaboration with Fiji Sevasram Sangh, the conference was organised on the theme, ‘Universal appeal of Ramayana’, to commemorate 100 years of Fiji Sevasram Sangh. Being an invited speaker in the conference, this columnist had the opportunity to interact with Ramayana scholars from eight different countries of the world. For Fiji, of course, the Ramayana has a special significance for it was the Ramcharitmanas of Goswami Tulsidas that gave sustenance to the indentured labourers from British India who were taken to Fiji as slaves. The magnificent eloquence of the keynote speech at the inaugural session by the acting Prime Minister of Fiji set the ball rolling by elaborating the many qualities of the Maryada Purushottam, the greatest among the human beings. His central idea and that of almost all other speeches was the supreme leadership qualities of Lord Ram that revolved around his quality of being virtuous; a man of character, conviction, and courage. It may certainly appear outlandish to talk of being virtuous in this age of self-adulation and deceit. Leaders inebriated with power are embodiments of pride and egotism. For these persons with bloated egos, humility is a sign of weakness and not greatness. In such a scenario, virtuous leadership may appear to be an extinct concept. But that is the essence of leadership, which management theorists and practitioners have been trying to find out, ever since statesman philosopher Sir Thomas More raised the question of why enterprises fail, more than 500 years ago. For Sir Thomas More, the reason was poor management. Obviously the answer would lie in effective leadership. But it all boils down to one thing — virtuous leadership. A leadership that is sustainable, a leadership that transcends time and space. A leadership that has universal appeal and is accepted across cultures and societies. It was this leadership that Lord Ram epitomised in Ramayana; the story of Lord Ram is about morals, ideal conduct and character. It is about those principles and lessons that cut across the boundaries of time and space. All these principles and lessons were embodied by Lord Ram. He represented all that was good — righteousness, compassion and gentleness. He was the ideal son, the ideal father, the ideal husband and the ideal king. He honoured his word and was not a hypocrite. Contrast this with Ravan. He was egotistic and arrogant. He did not listen to anybody and was not compassionate. Those were what we call the demonic qualities, the sum and substance of which is ahankara. Humility is an important trait of virtuous leadership. This makes leaders respectable, acceptable and sustainable.