Prime Minister Modi's leadership qualities elevate our understanding of what makes for effective national and global leadership designed to produce quick, better results impacting the world immensely, writes Kk Srivastava

‘And everywhere is darkness

There is a challenge, there is a call…..Search for dreams in ruins

For they give living meaning

Forgetting yesterday

Opening our hearts today

Extending the horizons

We resolve to save the drowning ones

Taking support of each other

Usher a bright new beginning

There is a challenge, There is a call.’

These lines are from then Chief Minister of Gujarat Narendra Modi’s poem “Tomorrow’s Challenge” included in his book of poems: a JOURNEY, (translated into English from Gujarati by Ravi Mantha and published in 2014). While one may sink into the sweet cadence of these lyrical lines, these also arouse interest in another area. It is the subject of national leadership which makes possible realisation of the dream of “Taking support of each other/Usher a bright new beginning” or the dream Irish poet Seamus Heaney so analogously expresses, “The longed for tidal wave/Of justice can rise up, and hope and history rhyme.”

People are fascinated by such a leadership; a few traits of which I intend to analyse here. Many have attempted solving the riddle of what effective leadership is all about. George W Bush once quipped, “A leadership is someone who brings people together…” John Kenneth Galbraith argued a great leader is one who is willing “to confront unequivocally the major anxiety of their people in their time” but also who changes himself “as these change”. An unknown satirist described a leader as someone who turns her/his back on the people and then claims they are all standing behind her/him. Another view: a great leader is one who creates a problem for her/his people and then convinces them only s/he can solve it. However, the best classification and by corollary the best definition of leaders came to me from an entirely unexpected quarter: literary critics. I found it in a 1959 edition of the book titled Living Biographies of Great Poets by Henry Thomas and Dana Lee Thomas. They introduced to readers three types of leaders in the world. The Sayers: those who make laws and direct our activities. The Seekers: those who examine the nature of the world and invent new tools. And the Seers: those who interpret the spirit of the world and proclaim new truths.

The authors claimed poets belong to the last category, for they, “articulate the best thoughts that arise in all the other classes.” More importantly, while “We all have an instinct for noble ideas and hopes, but it takes the poet to express this instinct in noble words.” Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s poems bring insightfulness in others’ hearts and awaken the minds to bloom, expand and grow. 

Prime Minister Modi’s leadership qualities elevate our understanding of what makes for effective national and global leadership designed to produce quick, better results impacting the world immensely. Modern World is highly complex, uncertain and full of market volatility. Already existing thin lining between polity   and economy is almost extinguished. A good politician has got to be a good economist. Prime Minister Modi has a sound understanding of the processes of economic expansion and required structural changes through which people’s life can be improved. He knows a proper nexus between politics, economics and policies leads to good politics where political processes are sorted out effectively which in turn produce enduring policies. Only then good governance can be a reality.

A successful leader has to anticipate and navigate inherited and emerging complexities. He has to be courageous, conscious, and of impeccable integrity and character.  Above all, the leader has to relentlessly pursue sustainable collective welfare while being such a creative person as to shape the future of not only the nation but also the world. When Modi became the Prime Minister in 2014, he realised huge expectations placed on him by the people of the country. Expectations were both explicit like the ones flowing from BJP’s manifesto and implicit also. Implicit expectations are what people look forward to seeing in the leader: commitment, listening, acting on suggestions, fairness, competence, imparting meaning and direction to the society and economy, creating international impact et al. Implicit expectations, once met, carry a huge impact of the leader’s image on people. People silently believed, given his performance as Chief Minister of Gujarat, he would fulfil both expectations. Put it differently, he would fulfil what his leadership has promised.

Prime Minister Modi has been displaying a few characteristics so symbolic of his effective leadership. He has been setting the vision of his leadership and then directing his team to make strategies needed to achieve the vision. From such a direction flows national and international identity and brand which, in turn, seek to answer the question what peerless contribution can be made to the international community.

Secondly, he has been engaging all stakeholders (Various States and Opposition parties) inviting suggestions to draw holistic plans of action. Thirdly, Prime Minister Modi has been ensuring that processes and systems are devised in all areas in such a manner as to facilitate execution, linking efforts to results. Fourthly, he has been steadfastly maintaining his leadership strengths, with increased pace, making these relevant to the complexity of the milieu the world is in. These characteristics, lumped together, have boosted his image as a global leader enhancing the possibility of India becoming “Vishwa Guru”.

His messages are succinct, direct and clear. It is another important quality of Modi’s leadership. We all know how unclear messages from leaders can cause confusion, distract attention and lead to problematic situations. Democracy, Leadership, Commitment: last chapter of John Kenneth Galbraith’s book The Age of Uncertainty deals extensively with how bad consequences can be of a leader’s not sharing accurate information with the people. In 1933, the Great Depression was an anxiety arousing phenomenon. President Hoover could not face an economic disaster of that magnitude and falsely conveyed to people the slump was over. On the contrary President Roosevelt, in his inaugural address itself, laid bare the truth before the public and directed all his energies towards tackling the problem. Galbraith  summarises, “The people’s concern was his concern. What could be done, he would do. There would be no pretence.”

Modi does not mince words when he foresees difficult times ahead. He takes utmost care to ensure that people do not get mired in a state of helplessness and hopelessness. His vision and ensuing strategies capture people’s imagination and act as a source of morale booster. With passing time and experience, his credibility enhances and expands itself. This is what has been making a difference globally.

Yet another extraordinary feature of Modi’s leadership has been his emphasis on desired future vision while confronting current scenarios and hurdles and taking cohesive, collaborative and direct steps to actualise future vision. There is a direct nexus between his passion, mental and physical agility, innovativeness and empowerment that facilitate attainment of desired future goals.  There is a belief in need for change, sometimes drastic change for betterment of human welfare. Robert F Kennedy remarked, “Some men look at the way things are and say why. I dream of things that never were and say why not.” Prime Minister Modi keeps asking himself, “Why not?” Evolution of New India has deep roots in things that were never there with the leader of the nation questioning why not. Modi’s India-Vision 2047 is a shining example of future vision.

Modi tackled, with ingenuity, courage and vigour, the image of India as a “soft state”. His vast experience as Chief Minister of Gujarat and later as Prime Minister convinced him of Gunnar Myrdal’s assertions that competence of government in developing countries itself is a part of the equilibrium of poverty and backwardness. The governments of developing countries are politically and financially vulnerable; they have a limited resource base and enormous civil service set up and other micro/macro level responsibilities. These, coupled with absence of strong political will, rendered India very much a soft state. Sensing the necessity to escape from India being a soft state, Prime Minister Modi’s emphasis on “minimum government” and “maximum governance” paves the way for smooth and hurdle less governance. 

Correction of a historical wrong i.e the abolition of Article 370 that gave special status to Jammu & Kashmir required tough interior of Modi’s leadership. Removal of Article 370 wiped out in one stroke the veil enveloping J&K. One of the most path-breaking consequences has been assimilation of Kashmiris into the national mainstream and much reduction in acts of terrorism.

Demonetisation in November 2016 was a sharp attack on black money that was eating into vitals of healthy economic relations. The swiftness with which the exercise was carried out nationally was remarkable and the laudable objectives, inter alia, of curtailing black money running as shadow economy and preventing use of counterfeit cash to fund illegal activity and terrorism have been amply achieved. Digital empowerment of citizens of the country is amazing and citizens across the country can now access electronic and digital services of the government.

During management of Covid-19, Modi had a hands-on approach towards energising the healthcare system, tackling pharma-related issues and coordinating with various Chief Ministers through regular meetings which led to worldwide appreciation. Many countries asked for help from India and under Modi’s guidance a helping hand was extended to many countries. He, through his actions, proved the words of Rabindranth Tagore, “When a light is lighted, it cannot be held within a short range. It is for the whole world.”

New tools like Jan Dhan, Aadhar and Mobile (JAM) are crucial in India’s empowerment the poor and downtrodden. Middlemen and corrupt practices have vanished and direct benefits reach households without any interruptions. Institutional complexities of socio-economic development: allocation of resources, distributive justice, ease of business, etc, are resolved at reasonable speed. Ayushman Bharat: a comprehensive need-based health-care service aims at undertaking pioneering interventions to address holistically the healthcare system at the primary, secondary and tertiary level.

At the website of any scheme, one realises the presence and value of crucial information about that scheme. Good economics reveals maximum information to the beneficiaries. Now poor people don’t lack critical information about what the government is doing for them.  Above cited cases are illustrative only.

Wider acceptance of India in the world as a democratically functioning country which shows a clear, illumined path for progress and which solves intricate problems efficiently has much to do with Prime Minister Modi’s capability as a leader who has built rich linkages with the world. The Prime Minister knows how to lose himself in a worthwhile “cause” which improves life for others in different parts of the world. Formation of meaningful and warm relationships with other nations reflects on Modi’s brilliance as a leader. 

Last but not the least, Mann ki Baat, a programme conveyed through Radio, represents collective thoughts and experiences of people of India and the Prime Minister himself. It, inter alia, caters to broader requirements of plurality and heterodoxy empowering the most disadvantaged members of society to reach the Prime Minister. It is a fusion of rarest order signalling an unprecedented oneness between the Prime Minister and the people of the country and vice versa.

Rounding up Modi’s leadership, one gets a feeling there is much more than competence, skills and capability. In him, we come across abundance of passion, compassion, honesty, intellectual integrity, courage, intuition, reliance on internal strengths, humility, et al. Modi has reached that stage of self and conscious awareness where philosophy, human psychology, meditation and spiritualism blend harmoniously. This blend has evolved into a leadership model enabling him decipher reality, ruminate comprehensively, act decisively and wallow in creativity. As a leader, Prime Minister Modi is an epitome of what Henry Thomas and Dana Lee Thomas describe as three types of leaders: a Sayer, a Seeker and a Seer.

(KK Srivastava is a former Additional Deputy Comptroller & Auditor General. He is a poet, writer and columnist. Author of three volumes of poetry, his poems have been translated into Hindi (Andhere Se Nikli Kavitayen) and his book ‘Shadows of the Real’ into Russian by veteran Russian poet Adolf Shvedchikov. His fourth book ‘Soliloquy of a Small-Town Uncivil Servant: a literary semi-autobiography’ published in March 2019 by Rupa Publications, has received international acclaim. His fifth book: ‘The Descent: Essays and Critiques’ was published in 2022 by Authors Press, New Delhi. He writes for The Pioneer, The Daily Guardian and Brazilian Literary Magazine SIBILA. Views expressed here are his personal views)