When I was reading the great Bhagwat Geeta, in the first chapter (introduction part) there is a small anecdote on Lord Krishna, Duryodhana & Arjuna.

The chapter starts post the decision being made on the war , Duryodhana & Arjuna went their ways to solicit warriors for their sides.

When Duryodhana & Arjun reached Lord Krishna’s palace, Lord Krishna was asleep. Duryodhana went to his huge room to retire & rest, while Arjuna sat in the corner, at the feet of Lord Krishan to wake up from his slumber.

At an opportune time Lord Krishna opened his eyes & his gaze fell on Arjuna first & then on Duryodhana. Duryodhana being Duryodhana asked Lord Krishna to join him to which lord Krishan replies, Dear Duryodhana, while you speak of your need, my eyes first fell on Arjuna , hence I give the choice to dear Arjuna by virtue of his being younger as well as me seeing him first. The choice that I give are

1. Narayani Sena
2. Me

Though be assured that I shall not be an active participant in the war, but a mere observer.

Another Anecdote that is often discussed is the story of Mrs Sudha Murty & JRD.

The anecdote goes as below….

While one day Ms. Sudha Kulkarni (she was yet to become Mrs. Sudha Murthy) was walking down from her hostel campus at IISc, thinking of applying for computer science degree or moving to US to pursue higher education she chanced upon the advertisement on the notice board of IISc about a job opening in Telco (now Tata Motors) which said that it required young , bright engineers, hardworking & with excellent academic records with a disclosure…. Lady Candidate need not apply.

This one sentence, though she was not intending to apply, she was up against the gender discrimination.

Hence out comes the fierce lady with the paper & pen & she writes a post card to JRD which read

'The great Tatas have always been pioneers. They are the people who started the basic infrastructure industries in India, such as iron and steel, chemicals, textiles and locomotives they have cared for higher education in India since 1900 and they were responsible for the establishment of the Indian Institute of Science. Fortunately, I study there. But I am surprised how a company such as Telco is discriminating on the basis of gender.'

She wrote & forgot all about it. 10 days passed, and then she received a telegram asking her to appear for an interview at Telco, Pune. And the rest is history.

Yet another one that comes to my mind is the story of SuMo SUV … its no Japanese concept.

The story within the C-Suite is that while the Top Executives of Tata Motors used to have lunch together, often Mr. Sumant Moolgaokar used to disappear in his car and come back after hours.

This started the buzz… Find Moolgaokar.

In their pursuit, one day they saw his car parked outside a Highway Dhaba. On further probing, it was seen that not only did he pay for the lunch but was diligently taking notes from the Drivers on the type of vehicle that they would love to drive.

This not only showed his attention to detail, but customer orientation which was still an emerging word thus was the birth of SuMo MUV…

The Soap & The Fan … The real Corporate Saga:

As a management student in 1999, we were made to read various case studies. One of such case study was in a Soapmaking factory in Japan.

The problem was that one of the customers had bought an empty soap box, with no soap inside.

The management got together & the brains storming began. Soon everyone was engrossed as to the possibilities by talking from tools, technology to new process innovation.

The management almost zeroed in on an expensive X-Ray technology which would screen the soapboxes, someone said; let’s try this solution in the assembly line.

A workman was watching this with an amused expression, this took the management by surprise & one of the executives asked the workman to provide a better solution.

He being the workman, simply, got a Pedestal fan and the empty boxes would just fly off from the assembly line.

This saved the company millions of dollars as well as reputation.

In all the anecdotes the 6 C’s of Inclusive Leadership stand out tall & clear.

1. Communication: Communication is the exchange of meaningful information. Lord Krishna made his stand clear through the use of adequate, balance, unbiased words there by providing a complete range of resources & facilitating the choice between him & Narayani Sena between Duryodhana & Arjun
2. Collaboration:Today’s world is more of collaboration than competition. I have witnessed many a times inside the Gems & Jewelry Industry where when a company exhausts its production capacity & is running against time to deliver, other companies step in to facilitate as in the world of gems & Jewelry, the Industry’s image is more important than the individual wins.
3. Creative Problem Solving:In our pursuit of finding solutions, we look for complex problem solving. However, what is to be understood is the Creative Problem solving just like the Japanese workman
4. Commitment:SuMo gave an insight into the psyche of the actual user. And at the time when the market was dominated by a few players, giving customers a priority was unheard of. However, talking to drivers & almost creating a tailor-made vehicle was what made Tata Motors stand apart and that’s commitment
5. Courage: While in Mrs. Sudha Murthy & JRD case, communication with a purpose & larger vision was a key which a true leader identifies laid the foundation of the New Age World. Mrs. Murthy’s courage to stand up and voice it out, made the system see, identify & realign its strategy of hiring.
6. Cultural Acceptance: In Sudha Murthy’s case, Telco’s interview panel told Sudha that the shop floor is not a co-ed collage where boy & girls of equal caliber sit & learn. The shop Floor is full of workmen who would not identify women as equal participants. To this Sudhaji said, that its high time that such cultural changes take place.

While many organizations pride themselves in calling inclusive, one still gets to hear stores of voices being mutes by muscle, Ideas being pilfered owing to insecurities, recognition not provided to the deserving & a system of utter chaos where firefighting is equated to problem solving.

Inclusivity is beyond genders, caste, nationality, or demographics, inclusivity is a mind game. A leader that adopts as per Harvard Business Review article by Juliet Bourke & Andrea Titus is as follows

1. Visible commitment: They articulate authentic commitment to diversity, challenge the status quo, hold others accountable, and make diversity and inclusion a personal priority.
2. Humility: They are modest about capabilities, admit mistakes, and create the space for others to contribute.
3. Awareness of bias: They show awareness of personal blind spots, as well as flaws in the system, and work hard to ensure a meritocracy.
4. Curiosity about others: They demonstrate an open mindset and deep curiosity about others, listen without judgment, and seek with empathy to understand those around them.
5. Cultural intelligence: They are attentive to others’ cultures and adapt as required.
6. Effective collaboration: They empower others, pay attention to diversity of thinking and psychological safety, and focus on team cohesion.

Sensitive, Secure, Solution provider with an ability to understand beyond spoken makes a leader truly inclusive.