As an anchor, I’m often on the front lines handling some very tricky situations at my events and shows. Such episodes happen more often than we care to think about.
Recently, I was brought on board to host the inaugural business conclave on ‘Emerging Risks and Solutions for Global Corporations’, put together by the American Chamber of Commerce. On that day, more than anything, I was simply excited to be back at one of my favorite venues; The Taj Mahal Palace, Mumbai.
As we waited for our key guests to join in, the event got off to a slightly late start. Later, speaker sessions and panel discussions progressed smoothly and we were able to make up for the time gap. Next, insurance major Lloyd’s India CEO, Mr.Shankar Garigiparthy, was scheduled to deliver his keynote address and launch an important industry report. But, midway during a keynote address, I was asked to cue and stop him from taking further questions in the Q&A section. We were hard-pressed for time as I had to quickly pace through a number of pending items on the agenda. I wasn’t too sure, how this situation would pan out after the event. But I had a feeling, this would end up with a bruised ego.
Later, as I was out in the hallway perusing my script, Mr.Shankar spotted me and said that he didn’t keep track of time during the Q&A and apologized for the same. I was dumbstruck for a few moments. There was absolutely no need for him to tell me those things. He is a leading business figure who was invited to share his thoughts at the conclave. He could have simply overlooked that hiccup and went about completing his speech. But, he did not. He respected the decorum of the house.
As I reflected on that encounter, I learned some lessons:
a) Truly great leaders are not only mindful of their own time, but also of that of others. They realize that time is a scarce and non-renewable commodity.
b) Humility is a remarkable quality in remarkable leaders. They don’t fake it. Marketing maven, Seth Godin explains remarkable as “something worth talking about. Worth noticing. Exceptional. New. Interesting.”
c) Lessons of leadership, are best taught in action. He taught me to be respectful of others, by being an example.
Although that moment was brief, it left a lasting impression on my mind. After the event, he actually appreciated my work; and in all honesty, it meant a lot.
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