ANALYSIS OF A LEADERSHIP STYLE OF AN EMINENT

PERSONALITY - MAHATMA GANDHI

Introduction:

Leadership is the ability to guide, direct and lead people in an organisation towards the
attainment of the organisational goals. Besides this, leadership is the ability, capacity and
potentiality to persuade and influence others to follow him.

Terry points out: “a leader shows the way by his own example. He is not a pusher,
he pulls rather than pushes.’

A leader should possess different qualities such as self-confidence, courage, flexibility

in thoughts, intellectual capacity, communication skill, sense of responsibility, ability of
inspire, sense of judgement , instinct to lead and initiate. The leadership is classified into
different styles such as Democratic, Autocratic, Laissez-Faire, Strategic, Transformational,
Transactional, Visionary, And Situational. These leadership styles were followed by our
prominent leaders such as Gandhiji, Savitribai Phule, Mother Teresa, Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar
etc.

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MAHATMA GANDHI -

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (1893–1948)

Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi is widely recognized as one of the twentieth century's

greatest political and spiritual leaders. Honoured in India as the father of the nation, he
pioneered and practiced the principle of Satyagraha resistance to tyranny through mass
nonviolent civil disobedience. Without doubt he was a complex man, believing in simple
things.

While leading nationwide campaigns to ease poverty, expand women’s rights, build
religious and ethnic harmony and eliminate the injustices of the caste system, Gandhi
supremely applied the principles of nonviolent civil disobedience, playing a key role in freeing
India from foreign domination. He was a leader that brought one of the world's most powerful
nations to its knees... by using peace, love and integrity as his method for change. He was often
imprisoned for his actions, sometimes for years, but he accomplished his aim in 1947, when
India gained its independence from Britain.

Due to his stature, he is now referred to as Mahatma, meaning “great soul.” His life was
a message - a message of peace over power, of finding ways to reconcile our differences, and
of living in harmony with respect and love even for our enemy.

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Bapu's leadership qualities and skills:

Gandhi would teach us countless lessons about life, leadership and much more. Gandhi
learnt his Leadership skills during his years in South Africa, and honed them in India.

He was naturally charismatic. He wanted to make major changes at every turn in his
life, and he had a totally interdependent relationship with his followers. As a man of action, he
used the 4 E's throughout his life: Envision, Enable, Empower, and Energize. Although there
are many traits and behaviours that caused the success of Gandhi, the research has a few picked
ingredients:

1. Leadership by examples

Gandhi's greatest ability was to walk his talk at every level and in every way. He practiced
what he preached at every possible level. Be it how he dressed like the poorest Indian with a
hand woven cotton cloth that barely covered his body and had the simplest of watches and
glasses.

2. Treatment to others

His letters and writings to other great leaders in India, the world and even to young children
never had a patronizing element but always looked at everyone as equals. He made an effort to
truly understand his people. He spoke from their point of view...from what motivated them.

3. Persistence

A critical success for Gandhi was the support he got across the nation and in the international
community. A significant part of this was due to his extraordinary persistence once he had
articulated his vision and his methods.

4. Constant Growth

Gandhi would understand the importance of continual growth in his life. Despite being an
accomplished leader in his community, he continually sought out greater understanding
through much study of religious scripture.

5. Strength Is Not Shown Through Muscle Power

Gandhi displayed great strength, not through using his strength to force others to bend to his
will, but by using nonviolent means to achieve his goals. Learn to use respect to win people

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over, instead of using power to bend people to your will. The force of power never wins against
the power of love.

6. An Eye For An Eye Will Only Make The Whole World Blind

No matter where we live, what religion we practice or what culture we cultivate, at the heart of
everything, we are all humans. We all have the same ambitions and aspirations to raise our
family and to live life to its fullest. Our cultural, religious and political differences should not
provide the backbone to invoke conflicts that can only bring sorrow and destruction to our
world.

7. Become The Change, We Want To See

Mahatma Gandhi sacrificed his thriving law practice and adopted a simple life to live among
the millions who lived in poverty during his freedom struggle. One cannot bring world peace to
all unless a leader demonstrates peaceful acts of kindness daily.

8. Reasonable

Even after stating that India would be divided over his dead body, he realised that partition was
inevitable as the only solution to the Hindu-Muslim divide, and accepted it. Although Gandhi
was a man of faith, he did not create any specific dogma for his followers. Gandhi believed in
the unity of all mankind under one God, and preached Hindu, Muslim and Christian ethics.

9. Strategist

Gandhi was a wonderful strategist, showman and leader. He had an amazing public relations
network and a very good relationship with the press then. For instance, the Dandi march, if
Gandhi had gone there quietly, it would just not have made an impact. He knew he had to
create an event to make an impact and so he took his followers on a march that stirred popular
imagination of the time. He had a total understanding of the human psychology and used it
along with his public relation skills.

10. Discipline

Mahatma believed that challenging his self-discipline heightened his commitment to achieving
his goals. He was a focused leader that had a "Do or Die" attitude. He 'would free India or die
in the process. Mahatma would do extraordinary things to improve his discipline and his
commitment.

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LANDMARKS OF GANDHIJI’S LIFE

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PROS OF TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP STYLE:

1. Promotes motivation
2. Define clear goals and vision
3. Maintains workplace integrity
4. Encourages professional development
5. Improves loyalty
6. Encourages passion
7. Eases transitions
8. Improves communication

CONS OF TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP STYLE:

1. Prioritizes long-term goals over short-term goals

2. Requires continuous communication
3. Increases potential for burnout
4. Slows decision making

IMPLICATION OF HIS TRAITS IN MANAGEMENT TODAY

1. Clarity of goals
2. Flexibility
3. People's Empowerment
4. Social progress
5. Credibility
6. Inspire
7. Motivate

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CONCLUSIONS AND FINDINGS:

Gandhi’s entire life story is about action, to bring about positive change. He both
succeeded and failed in what he sought to do, but he always moved forward and he never gave
up the quest for improvement, both social and spiritual, and both for individuals and for the
Nation as a whole. Today, Gandhi is remembered not only as a political leader, but as a
moralist who appealed to the universal conscience of mankind. He changed the world.

Gandhi’s effect on the world was and still is immense. From a practical viewpoint, his
focus on "Swadeshi" formed the core of India’s industrial policy. Gandhi’s success and
continued reputation make him a leader worthy to learn from. All of us who aspire to lead
ethically may never “be like him”.

One of his most admirable qualities was that he led by example and never preached
what he himself was not willing to do. He was a transformational and transactional leader too.

Mahatma Gandhi taught us that we can bring harmony to our world by becoming
champions of love and peace for all. If all of us do our bit, to be like him in every relationship
we forge at work and elsewhere, we have no doubt that our successors will inherit a better
world.