DISTRACTED LEADERSHIP

For the first time in the history of this country, every single Indian has been gripped with fear. More than the disease itself, it has broken down the mental psyche. The economic backlash has made things unbearable. The different levels of breakdown of medical infrastructure in different areas is one issue, the other nagging one is the cost. What if the patient is not able to find a hospital bed, the horrid tales are far too many. We are still operating at the highest numbers this country has seen so far and amongst the highest in the world, since the onset of this pandemic. When will it plateau is unknown, the number of infection descending drastically is not even in the realm of conjecture.

What is the nature of leadership required to deal with a pandemic of this nature. The general perception of only political leadership does not fully serve the purpose in totality and to finality. Not denying the fact that even a fully focussed 24/7 leadership will find it difficult to contain and control this nature of contagion. Contact tracing and other tools, by now completely known elements of preventing this disease, also has chinks in its armour. Thousands of the patients cannot be contacted because of false or incorrect information. The spread then becomes unknown. The leadership is also an end to end story, distraction at any level becomes the weakest link. The chain they say is as strong as the weakest link.

Leadership is top to bottom also bottom to top. The data has to move both ways to provide the situational awareness and has to be worked upon. Distracted leadership at any level might mess it up and is happening in many areas here and large parts of the world. Have administrations ever worked collaboratively and that too at these humungous levels and endlessly? The lack of infrastructure adds to the incapability of concentrate, remain focused and keep delivering. Are the purpose and the modalities known, clear and precise. That is what non-distracted leadership is all about. It’s a war. It’s like military strategy and precision. A focused leadership would allow for iterative learning and consolidation to become the winner. Focused leadership end to end will help evolve ideas which keep emanating from ground level operations.

The focused leadership will have time and energy to strategise way beyond fire fighting. The leaders of medical care, who have brought corporate hospitals to the doorstep of every big city home, should have seamlessly merged with the governmental effort. There cannot be any bystanders, at least amongst the well known stakeholders. The experts self created full scientific body would have added to the fight. Only they can be the real navigators, completely unmoved by any other consideration. Scientist’s focused leadership can be real value add and the true North Star. The issues in Rajasthan at this time displays a grim picture of a distracted leadership. It’s time, we still start working endlessly, seamlessly, fully focused with all leaders / experts coming together in an Indian mosaic to pull off a victory, which looks seemingly so difficult.

A 24/7 FOCUSED LEADERSHIP OF ALL STAKEHOLDERS NEATLY INTERWOVEN TO DELIVER IS WHAT INDIA YEARNS FOR.
Sanjay Sahay

Safety is Home.