I have said on this blog that leadership starts with the individual. It is about relationships, it is about service, it is about love, it is about caring. By serving the ONE, leaders ultimately are able to inspire and lead the masses. Narayanan is one such leader. I am very grateful for leaders like Narayanan.

I realize that this post may be my most controversial post ever due to my sharpness. But I am going to say and post it any way. Most managers that lack the guts to provide honest feedback might very well be doing it because they are selfish, not because they care. I have heard many managers I have consulted with over the year say something like…

There is no training program that teaches it that I am aware of. The skills of strategic planning, organization, sharp decision making and delegation don’t require it. But yet the best leaders I have known possess it. What is it? Kindness. Is it a natural or learned skill that can be developed later in life? I don’t know. But one thing I do know is that kindness is necessary if a leader wants to be as effective as they can be.

The term leader is used loosely. Leaders leave legacies of integrity, caring, love, giving back more than they took and inspiring others to do the same; they have purpose and sustaining value. Leaders leave an impact on the things that matter most. not how much money they make or worlds they conquer. John Wooden was a leader in the purest definition.