(Speech given at "Toastmaster For Global Entrepreneurs" Meeting on 2nd June 2022)
What is Leadership? What is entrepreneurship? What is success?
The evolution of the meaning of these 3 words is the central topic of my speech today. The food for thought that i "bring to the table" (idiom of the day)
Leadership is the act of leading. But the word 'lead' has a different meaning for everyone. For some a leader is someone who can enthrall their followers with charisma, for others a leader is someone who can do the right thing at the right time. For some others a leader is just a figurehead while the real planning and execution happens behind the shadows. A puppet of the powerful.
If we examine our myths and legends we see they exhalt heroes often with godly mandates who become the saviours of humanity. Even in the superheroes of Hollywood and the KGFs and Bahubalis of Indiewood we see the fixation of humans with larger than life personas. Today we know that a pretty face cannot be an effective leader. In the age of capitalism, technology and democracy we have surely evolved to look beyond the pretty face and focus on their skills to see if they are worthy of being leaders. Or have we?
Kings, Queens, Princes and Princesses . They wielded absolute right over their dominions and can decide the fate of their subjects according to their whims without any consequences. The public couldn't question their authority or right to rule at all. Today we know it is injustice yet don't we all harbor a secret desire to be a king or a queen. Kids want to be princes and princesses. Why do we say we want equality and still support such barbaric leadership?
How did we reach here?
Before we move on to the next section please hold this thought in your mind.
"A fish cannot be judged by its ability to climb a tree"
The explosion of intelligence that engulfed humanity happened circa 70,000 years ago. Before that human consciousness was akin to that of animals, not thinking beyond immediate survival. It is with this explosion that the big question mark that humans including us have buried deep down in our minds began to take form. "Where do I come from?" "What is my purpose?" "Where do I go when I die?"
These questions are not easy to answer. The answers to these questions often lie hidden deep within the person and can only be unearthed by the person themselves by going on a pursuit of their own.
This pursuit to find the answers to one's questions is what I think entrepreneurship is all about.
A teacher burning with passion to teach impoverished children is an entrepreneur.
An artist wanting to draw to his heart's content is an entrepreneur.
A person wanting to write philosophical books is an entrepreneur.
Even a person who wants to build a golden toilet or climb coconut trees is an entrepreneur
Yet 99 percentage of people are relegated to being voyeurs to the exploits of "better looking" better equipped" people without realising that the same skills that put them in awe are present in them as well. We think we are "naive"(word of the day) pawns who feel that real success can only be achieved if we fight hard and reach the other side to get promoted to be a better piece. Yet every effort will be for nought if the king dies. What use is winning the fighting if the fight itself is not yours to fight.
What went wrong? We believed that a simplistic model of society can solve all of humanities problems. We believe in a centralised system where there exists a few "leaders", a few "successful" "entrepreneurs" and the rest of them follow them. We can't even imagine a society where everyone can be succesful.
Point is I believe there isn't a threshold to be a leader or entrepreneur. You are already all of these things. If there was a chess match we would all be kings or even better queens. You are already equipped for success. You just need to take that first step in finding the answer to the questions that are crowding YOUR mind.
Thank you.
