Which Leader has inspired you?
Here is a discussion topic on self or personal motivation.
Which inspirational leader, past or present, have you modeled your life after?
Explain, using examples and references, how this leader has helped you improve your personal or professional life, and relate your comments to the Four Principles for Purposeful Action.
This post was written by Margaux Ellis-Hall, who will lead the discussion for the week starting on March 10.
I was inspired by Indira Gandhi.In Indian history has been witness to only one female Prime Minister - Indira Gandhi. She was the third Prime Minister of India and the daughter of the first - Pandit Jawarharlal Nehru. Her charm, intelligence and charisma made her a powerful statesperson, much loved and admired by her people. Born on 19th November 1917, in Allahabad, she was greatly loved by her parents and her grandfather Motilal Nehru, who was a famous lawyer, and a public figure in his own right.Her father had joined the freedom struggle, so little Indira was exposed to politics from the age of 3 or 4 years.she was greatly affected by his thinking. A visit to the Sabarmati Ashram left an indelible mark on her psyche and she was impressed by the simple, hard life and patriotic feelings that she witnessed there.She passed her Metric from Pune University and was then sent on to Shantiniketan, formed by Rabindranath Tagore. Here she was made to lead a strict highly disciplined life. From here she went on to study in Switzerland and then to Oxford University in London.After her return to India she married Feroze Gandhi, in March 1941 much against the wishes of the conservative Hindu community, as he was a Parsee. But Nehru was on her side. When Indira’s father was in jail he used to write beautiful, long letters to her about his patriotic feelings and the current political situation. This led her to understand the intricacies of the nation, better than the most. In 1942, she joined the ‘Quit India’ Movement along with her husband and was arrested and jailed.After India gained freedom, Pandit Nehru was elected Prime Minister. After his death in 1964, Lal Bahadur Shastri took over. And then in 1966, Indira Gandhi was elected leader of the Congress.Indira will be remembered for her commendable efforts in the development and progress of science, space exploration, irrigation, as well as policies like the nationalisation of banks and the 20-point programme.But on the other hand, the enormity of the problems she faced was the cause of much heartache. There were problems in Assam, Punjab as well as East Bengal. And in 1971, Pakistan attacked India and forced another smaller partition - the creation of Bangladesh.On June 26th, 1975, Mrs. Gandhi declared an emergency, due to the turbulent political situation in the country at that time. Janta Party leaders like J.P. Narayan were arrested and jailed. But Mrs. Gandhi lost out to them in the next election in 1977 and was re-elected to power in 1980. Later, in Punjab there was a demand for a separate state of Khalistan, and the Sardarji’s were up in arms. But their demands were not met and this was the cause of her ultimate assassination.On Wednesday, October 31, 1984, when Indira Gandhi was proceeding to her office, she was gunned down by her own bodyguards. This day has gone down in History as national Unity Day, as a tribute to the memory of a Great lady, leader and statesperson.
Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indira_Gandhi
http://www.indiaparenting.com/stories/greatindians/gi010.shtml
Since learning about the Founder of INFOSYS INDIA pvt LTD, I have been a total fan of Mr. Narayan Murthy. He too wears the company badge when he goes for a check in or as we may say for rounds as he believe in all employees irrespctive of their designation to be equal.
Narayana Murthy is the Non-Executive Chairman and Chief Mentor of Infosys Technologies Limited. He is a living legend and an epitome of the fact that honesty, transparency, and moral integrity are not at variance with business acumen. He set new standards in corporate governance and morality when he stepped down as the Executive Chairman of Infosys at the age of 60.
Born on August 20, 1946, N.R. Narayana Murthy is a B.E.Narayan Murthy Electrical from University of Mysore (1967) and M.Tech from IIT Kanpur (1969). Narayan Murthy began his career with Patni Computer Systems in Pune. In 1981, Narayana Murthy founded Infosys with six other software professionals. In 1987, Infosys opened its first international office in U.S.A.
With the liberalization of Indian economy in 1990s, Infosys grew rapidly. In 1993, the company came up with its IPO. In 1995, Infosys set up development centers across cities in India and in 1996, it set up its first office in Europe in Milton Keynes, UK. In 1999, Infosys became the first Indian company to be listed on NASDAQ. Today (in 2006), Infosys has a turnover of more than $ 2billion and has employee strength of over 50,000. In 2002, Infosys was ranked No. 1 in the “Best Employers in India 2002″ survey conducted by Hewitt and in the Business World’s survey of “India’s Most Respected Company.” Conducted in the same year.
Along with the growth of Infosys, Narayana Moorthy too has grown in stature. He has received many honors and awards. In June 2000, Asiaweek magazine featured him in a list of Asia’s 50 Most Powerful People. In 2001, Narayana Murthy was named by TIME/CNN as one of the 25 most influential global executives. He was the first recipient of the Indo-French Forum Medal (2003) and was voted the World Entrepreneur of the Year - 2003 by Ernst and Young. The Economist ranked Narayana Murthy eighth on the list of the 15 most admired global leaders (2005) and Narayan Murthy also topped the Economic Times Corporate Dossier list of India’s most powerful CEOs for two consecutive years - 2004 and 2005.
Here are few of his famous quotes:
“Our assets walk out of the door each evening. We have to make sure that they come back the next morning.”
“Performance leads to recognition. Recognition brings respect. Respect enhances power. Humility and grace in one’s moments of power enhances dignity of an organisation,”
“The real power of money is the power to give it away.”
“In God we trust, everybody else bring data to the table.”
“Progress is often equal to the difference between mind and mindset.”
“I want Infosys to be a place where people of different genders, nationalities, races and religious beliefs work together in an environment of intense competition but utmost harmony, courtesy and dignity to add more and more value to our customers day after day.”
nsreesh
I have never heard of Mr. Murthy, but by the quotes you listed, he sounds like a leader that will inspire many.
Yes Sreesh, I truly admire Narayan Murthy for his spectacular achievements. The organization Infosys itself boasts of its ethical and balanced work culture, unknown for most of the organizations.