Responsiveness and good leadership, governance

I woke up very early this morning, unable to sleep. Too many thoughts were battling for attention, and I couldn’t shut them off. With barely 5 hours of sleep, I was still sleepy. But I dragged myself out of bed, not wanting to waste time, and instead decided to start my day. Nice and early. I logged into my mailbox and also typed in a few news sites into my browser to access the latest information about the happenings in Egypt.

A mail in my inbox and what I read and heard on several websites taught me my lesson for the day( or month or year) : Listening and responding to what people say is not just good manners, but also critical for good leadership and governance.
The mail I referred to was from Miles Young, the global CEO of Ogilvy Group, the global communications firm, with over 500 offices across the world, of which I was a part in India. Though I left the agency to move to work , I have been in touch with several people from the old office, as well as a few from across the world. The company prides in being a creative hot shop as well as a flat agency, where ideas flow seamlessly and the best ones rise to be implemented. “We are not in the creative business, but that of talent”, says Mr Young’s statement on the website. And having worked at the agency, I can attest to the integrity of that statement. It is not PR speak. That is the truth as it plays out ( well almost) most of the times in the agency. At least the bench-mark and principle is set. This is a company which “listens” to its employees. And responds to the demands. And this mechanism I believe has brought it to the position that it is in today.

Lets look at what is happening in Egypt today. While hundreds and thousands (possibly millions) crowd the streets of Cairo, protesting the overthrow of a leader who is not listening to the demands of the youth -Middle East Youth initiative estimates that unemployment is at staggering heights in Egypt, at around 19% and youth are not able to reach “adulthood”, meaning having the ability to move out of parents home and start families etc. because of purely economic reasons. The government of Mr Mubarak clearly is not responding to this call, and has failed in all the time that it has been in power ( 30 years is a long time to shape a country in a direction that the leaders want to ). If one were to measure the impact of USA’s financial aid to Egypt over the years, clearly the billions of dollars have not had a significant impact on the outcomes that were intended.

The ability of the government to take feedback, modify policies and reflect the public sentiment is in essence the spirit of democracy. In a liberal political set-up this also points to a healthy situation. In this respect, businesses and responsive governments which are successful are similar. One can also extrapolate this philosophy to leadership style and say that a good leader is one who listens, responds and reasons with the people who he / she governs. A leader who is incapable of doing this is not fit to be in this position, and is replaced, sooner than later. Repression, authoritarianism ( both in a political as well as corporate) scenario may last for a while, but ultimately, both market dynamics as well as political calculations will weed out the “inefficient” leader.

Even from this perspective, Mr Mubarak has failed as a leader.
And Mr Miles, thank you for that email. It not only made my day, but also perhaps taught me an important lesson in leadership today.

Call for papers - post-disaster recovery conference 4/15 at Maxwell School of Syracuse Uni

Conference on Post-disaster Recovery
Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs,
Syracuse University
CALL FOR PAPERS
SUBMISSION DEADLINE: FEB 28, 2011

The South Asia Center of the Moynihan Institute at Maxwell School is hosting the first Annual Conference on post-disaster recovery to bring into focus the recent disasters that have wreaked havoc in many parts of the world—the southern US, Haiti, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, among others. The conference is scheduled to be held April 15,2011 at Maxwell School.
Through this one day conference, we hope to bring together scholars and practioners of post-disaster recovery to elucidate the commonalities and differences among these events and how we can best plan for and mitigate the effects of these devastating events.

We have selected four overarching themes for the one day conference and invite papers that address these themes:
1. Climate change and disasters
2. Role of faith based organizations and NGOs in post-disaster recovery
3. Role of advocacy, media in post-disaster recovery
4. Post-disaster recovery and humanitarian assistance
Paper guidelines/ criteria:
- Deadline : Abstracts should be submitted by February 28, 2011 as a Microsoft Word document (.doc or .docx). Email them to Emera at elbridge@maxwell.syr.edu. Please include your name and affiliation. The abstract should not exceed 250 words.
- Length and format : Policy papers not to exceed 25 pages. You are encouraged to present posters too
For further information please contact :
Emera Bridger Wilson, Outreach coordinator, South Asia Center : elbridge@maxwell.syr.edu and Sabith Khan, graduate student, Maxwell School : skhan02@syr.edu

"The new vision is of trans-pacific and not trans-atlantic"

Blake affirms Obama administration’s commitment to Indo-US strategic partnership

1/25/2011
Syracuse, NY: Speaking at the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, Syracuse University, Assistant Secretary of State, Robert O. Blake affirmed the Obama Administration’s commitment to the US-Strategic partnership, which was strengthened by the president’s recent three day visit to India last November. He used the presidents’ words to describe the unique partnership as the “most important one for the US in the 21st century”. Shared values of pluralism, democratic processes, belief in human rights and economic progress are what will help us work together, he added.
He also spoke of the Maxwell School’s connection with India, with the then Dean Appleby making a visit to India and preparing the “Survey of India” in the 1950s’, which led to the establishment of the Indian Institute of Public Administration.
“We believe India is our most important partner both in terms of trade, as well as our regional interests in Asia. Areas of technology, clean energy, Information Technology, healthcare, Human resources and Space exploration were discussed during the Strategic dialogue that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has initiated with the Indian government. We are committed to ensuring that India reaches where it has to, and in it lies the best interest of the USA”, he pointed out.
He also pointed out that India is the rising star of the region, with its GDP being 10 times what it was in 1990, when it liberalized its economy. It is the 14th largest trade partner with the USA, and we have very good reasons to believe that this partnership will only grow in the future, despite challenges. He also fended questions from the audience about security issues, conflicting interests with India and Pakistan and terrorism etc.
Earlier in the day he spent time with graduate students and talked about his experiences as a foreign service officer and shared tips about possible career opportunities.

Key points from his speech :

- The relationship between India-US is one of the most important one in the 21st century from the US perspective.

- The fact that both countries are democracies and economies which are significant on the world stage makes this partnership important

- The strategic dialogue initiated by Secy. of state Hillary Clinton has created a momentum that is both positive and forward looking. There is a need to build on it and India sees the benefit of working to make this happen

- President Obama's visit to India in November shifted gears in terms of our relationship with India, into one of the most important ally in the region

- Tapping areas of common interest and mutual benefit is what will help both countries.

- We signed a few MoUs' with firms and also government entities in India during president Obama's visit.

- We have also facilitated the trade and technology transfer between India-USA, and we will see greater business and other transactions between the US and India

Lesson from Fund-raising campaign on campus - focus on the individual

Raising funds for flood victims in Pakistan is turning out to be quite an experience. Apart from fund-raising, we are also equally focused on raising awareness about this calamity. While more than 20 million people have impacted, and millions others impacted indirectly; through job-losses, the disaster is the biggest one that has hit Pakistan in this century.

On Friday evening, the South Asian Students Association organised its annual cultural show Udaan, where i got a chance to speak about "Syracuse Cares", the campaign we started. Basit Naeem, a graduate student from the LC Smith School of Engineering spoke with me - and we gave a brief overview of what we have done so far and what we intend to do in the near future.

I anticipated that we would collect a few hundred dollars in donations that evening, as most of the audience were students and my expectations in terms of cash donations were low.

As anticipated, we did collect a few hundred dollars. But the biggest discovery for me : Most of the money came from ONE individual. This is the second instance in which this has happened. According to Giving USA, a report compiled annually by the American Association of Fundraising Counsel, figures on American philanthropy indicate the following:

# Americans gave more than $307.75 billion to their favorite causes despite the economic conditions in 2009. Total giving, when adjusted for inflation, was down 3.6 percent, the steepest decline since the Giving USA annual reports started in 1956. It’s important to keep in mind that despite the downturn, giving still totaled $307 billion.
# The greatest portion of charitable giving, $227.41 billion, was given by individuals or household donors. In 2009, gifts from individuals represented 75 percent of all contributed dollars, similar to 2008 figures

( http://www.nps.gov/partnerships/fundraising_individuals_statistics.htm)

Lesson # 1 for me so far : Focus on the individual. Speak to each person and solicit attention, focus, money as well as concern. It usually pays off.

Crisis of Islamic Civilisation - Ali Al Allawi at Central European University

Turkey in Perspective - a panel discussion

One of the advantages of studying at Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs is that one has the opportunity to attend several events on campus. These can range from events related to Africa, Europe, Middle East, South Asia over and above the theme based ones that are organised almost on a daily basis. The one that I attended today happened to be titled "Turkey in perspective".

This panel brought to fore several issues related to modern turkey as well as took a historic look at some issues that continue to impact the politics as well as demographics of this rich country. When one thinks of Turkey, and especially if one has travelled to Istanbul or the touristy southern part, one remembers the Turkish Baths, kebabs and the mosques and it is easy to forget that the country was home to one of the mighty Ottoman empire. The only empire to which the British crown has ever paid taxes. The proof of this is in the Topkapi palace Museum in all its glory.

The panel was organised by the Turkish Cultural center, Syracuse University in association with the Middle Eastern Studies Program, with Dr. James Bennett, from Syracuse University as the Moderator,Dr. Yildiray Yildirim, Maxwell School of Syracuse University who spoke about the Global Economic Crises and Turkish Financial System,Dr. Mustafa Gokcek, Niagara University,Islam and Modernity in Turkey and Dr. Norman York, from Buffalo State College, who spoke about the Balkan Immigrations, Ottoman Empire, and Modern Turkey.

The issues addressed ranged from the Balkan immigration to the Turkish territories in late 19th century which made them a politically significant group and also altered the geo-political landscape of the region forever. The results of this migration continue to have an impact on modern Turkey both in terms of the ethnic mix of people as well as the relations between the Balkans and Turkey, when seen from a historical context.

Dr Yildiray yildirim gave an insighful talk on the global financial crisis and how it has not had much impact on Turkey, since the country went through a market correction in the real estate prices in early 2003, spurred by the European Union regulations for greater transparency and financial openness. This the speaker stressed was a blessing in disguise and also saved the country from being in a precarious position today. To identify 'important but not urgent' issues in the financial world is a work of art and one which one must pay close attention to, he added.

The question of Turkish identity and its ambitions to join the EU were also analysed with the panel pointing out that this has been a subject of discussions since the early 60s', with slow reforms taking place across various sectors: Human rights, democratisation, and greater women's rights. The issue of Turkey being a Muslim country came up with one of the speakers addressing this issue head on and focusing on the fact that the country is coming to terms with integrating with the west while maintaining its proud Islamic identity. The fact that sufism, which is considered a very tolerant version of Islam dominates the discourse in Turkey helps to do this, he added.

The discussion wrapped up with a quick analysis of relations with Greece and Armenia over contentious issues, land and the Armenian genocide respectively. Overall, a very interesting panel considering there were many views represented. I also got a good perspective of Turkey from various angles : Social, Historical as well as Financial. It did challenge me to alter my mental image of Turkey a bit, from one of a country which seems to be focused on entering the EU to one in which there is a lot of dynamism and energy and definitely a will to contribute to the world in all spheres.

Re-branding Indian nationalism

A few minutes ago, i discovered that the famous song " Mile sur mera tumhara", which i grew up watching on Doordarshan, the government owned TV station has been re-packaged. The remake stars the icons of modern day : Deepika padukone, Aishwarya Rai, Yesudas, Aamir Khan among others. I have embedded it here for those who want to have a look

What is going on here ? Is it another attempt at re-branding India, as the emerging 'super-power' ? Or an attempt to bring Indians together ( read all the bollywood stars from all religions, castes and denominations) in a show of unity ? perhaps a bit of both, with a ton of jingoism thrown in. It is also pertinent to mention that as i write this post, the Shahrukh Khan starrer, "My name is Khan" was released across cinemas last friday amidst much controversy. Apparently Mr.Khan has hurt many people by saying that Pakistani cricket players be allowed to play in the Indian Premier League. This is being seen as a very 'un-Indian' thing to do. The right-wing in India has very predictably jumped into the fray and attacked him with all its might. The fact that he is muslim helps their cause. The movie was not due to be released amidst threats from the Shiv-sena in Mumbai, but ultimately was released across the country. Ironically, the movie received much publicity as a result and many more people would want to see it now just to see if there is an element of controversy in it.

The story line itself sounds very cheesy and typical bollywood. From what i could gather watching the trailer, it is about a certain Rizwan Khan, a Muslim who falls in love with a girl in the US attempts to prove to the world that he is not a terrorist by trying to meet the president of the US. How banal and mis-placed can one get ? The saving grace seems to be some of the sound-tracks.

I am curious to see how the movie is received in India and abroad ? king khan is known for his power to drive up revenues of films just by his presence. It remains to be seen if he can draw in the crowds with such a jingoistic and in the face story-line.

Here is the older version of 'Mile sur mera tumhara'. Hope you tell the difference. No prize for guessing which one i like and why.




The older version