Leadership in Crisis: Lessons from India
Society is going through transformation and disruption from time immemorial. Globalisation, liberalisation of the economies and technological disruptions have created unprecedented eventualities in the political, economic, social and industrial domains. The recent COVID-19 pandemic has added enhanced complexities to these domains. The role of leaders, thus, becomes an integral part of addressing these complexities. The authors argue that the leadership role in the business world appears to have transformed from top-down autocratic leadership to inclusive leadership; with each of the stakeholders having critical roles to play. The article summarises the lessons learnt from the Indian texts, scriptures and philosophy that contemporary leaders can consider and possibly adopt. A few examples from the scriptures and texts are discussed, linking to current leadership practices. Further, leaders are encouraged to expand their roles to address well-being, compassion, empathy and trust. To be more effective and impactful, the leaders need to continuously reinvent themselves with changing times and contexts.