Thinking differently and collectively about decision making

I’m sure we’ve all been part of a "groupthink" discussion where the course of action or the decision taken has let us feeling uncomfortable, yet we would like to go with the flow for a number of reasons. The result? We come out of those meetings feeling dissatisfied or not quite aligned, we feel disengaged and we are unable to commit fully to the decision being taken. What we often don’t realise is that we are also part of the problem because there was something about the meeting that stopped us from expressing what we really wanted.

This form of groupthink is called the Abilene Paradox, a term coined by Professor Jerry B. Harvey of the George Washington University, which is about the example of a family making a trip that no one wanted to go on. The paradox is more about managing agreement, instead of conflict, which then leads to decisions that might not be the best for the organisation or the team.

This is a common dilemma facing leaders when getting closure on decisions. When is a "yes" actually a "yes", when it could be a "yes, but", "no, but" or even a "no". What is it that stops people from expressing what they really think? How can people be encouraged to say what they really think without fear of reprisal?

Speaking to some of my peers, there were some valuable insights. There is probably no one right answer. Decisions are made based on a combination of evidence and judgement. As such, there are no "good decisions" at the outset. Only time will tell if a decision was good or not. What we can aspire for are "well-informed decisions". If that is clarified at the very beginning, colleagues are likely to feel more open and confident in expressing views that might not be the most popular in the room.

It is a spectrum. In one of the training sessions I attended, we were taken through a simple tool called "gradients of agreement", where, for every action or decision, each participant had to rate a decision on a grade of one to six, with one being absolutely happy with it and six when you are absolutely opposed to it. The scores in between allow a range of opinions in support of or against the action or decision. This approach steps away from the often used "yes/no" binary approach to decision-making. In addition to the scoring, members are also asked to explain their scores, which opens up a conversation and makes the discussion more well informed.

Think things over and do not decide in haste. Unless there is a crisis brewing, there is no need to take a quick decision if there is some reluctance or uncertainty among the group. Decisions taken in haste on important matters are the ones that might come back to haunt us. Effective leaders are known to suspend the need for a decision so that colleagues can go back to the drawing board, check their assumptions, get better information and, more importantly, create some spaces to continue the conversations. Where there is no pressing imperative to take a decision in terms of timeframe, it often leads to decisions being of much better quality and thus engaging colleagues more in taking these forward.

It is about inclusion, not consensus. Decisions are about choices and hence, in most cases, it is highly unlikely that there would be a perfect consensus on some critical decisions. Based on what I have experienced and heard, effective decisions are those that value inclusion over consensus. Inclusion enables people with different perspectives to come up with insights that lead to better-informed decisions. Consensus can sometimes drive us down a path where we cannot make hard choices. I remember our strategy consultant telling us: "If you come up with a strategy that everyone is absolutely happy about, there is a problem because you might not have made tough choices."

We know from experience that, if the decision-making process is flawed, the decisions that are then taken can have some terrible consequences. So it is important to focus as much, if not more, on the process of decision-making as we do on the quality of decisions or, indeed, the speed with which decisions are taken.

(Originally published in the Third Sector, October 2018) 

Embrace the value of reflection

Reflections are often incredibly valuable, yet that is something for which we seem to have very little time. I suppose it is something like meditation or exercising: we know it is good for us, but struggle to find the time or the discipline.

Many of us rely on a number of articles, books and seminars to capture learnings: the distilled wisdom that we gain from the experiences of others. Little do we realise that we can often gain a lot from our own reflections or even asking others for their reflections. There are some practical benefits too – these are cost and time-effective, and, importantly, we benefit from the lived experience of someone we trust.

When I was new to my current role, I managed to meet a few peers who had been in their roles for less than a year, just about the right time for them to reflect on their early experiences and recollect some of them before they were consigned to oblivion. As you can imagine, a lot came through. Here, I highlight just three of them that I found very valuable.

Remember that the organisation existed before you joined It is a no-brainer, isn’t it? Yet how many times have we heard people talking (or how many times have we talked) about how things turned around after they (or we) joined, sometimes completely forgetting that every organisation has a history (unless you are the founder), a legacy, some foundations, however strong or weak? And the organisation is what it is today because of the people who were there before you. When we "inherit" the organisation, it is something we need to embrace as a whole, remembering that organisations, like people, have their strengths and weaknesses.

But how do we recognise the strengths and build on these, and how do we address the weaknesses? Were these strengths and weaknesses more contextual? For example, fundraising was less of a challenge before 2008 than it is now. So did an organisation have fundraising success in the past simply because of a benevolent environment or because of superlative fundraising expertise or outstanding leadership?

The three horizons principle Often, for those coming into senior leadership, the first few months are full of meetings (inductions or otherwise) during which a long list of priorities are thrust in your direction from the different teams or departments. All of them are important from their perspective, of course. As someone who is new to the organisation or the role, or both, it is often difficult to figure out what needs greater attention and what is more business-critical.

This is where that quintessential leadership quality of judgement comes in. The best advice I have received is to place these in three different horizons: what you think needs to be done in the short term (in three to six months, say), the medium term (the first year or two) or the longer term. Sorting this out helps to clear the clutter in our minds about what needs the most attention. Once done, the next filter would be to consider your specific role vis-à-vis that particular issue in terms of doing it, getting it done or facilitating.

Communication, communication, communication As a person new to the organisation or the role, or both, you are probably relatively unknown. People do not quite know what you think, what you feel or what your approach is and are often trying to make sense of you and your steer. This can be a bit challenging for your colleagues because the inability to fathom you adds to a sense of uncertainty and anxiety, especially for those who are uncomfortable with change. For you, the challenge is about what you say (because you are clear and convinced) or what you don’t say (because you don’t want to be seen as judgemental or are not absolutely sure). It is therefore down to communication.

So what do you do when you don’t know what to say? The best approach is to ask as many questions as possible, which gives your colleagues some inkling of what you are thinking while enabling you to get as much information as possible about the individual and the issues. You can and should be as accessible as possible, be engaging and willing to strike up conversations, so that people really try to get to know you. And, very importantly, try to remember the names of as many colleagues as you can. It is just one way to show how you value and acknowledge them.

As it is said: "From quiet reflection comes even more effective action." The one thing we can offer our peers is the benefit of our own reflections, while also seeking to learn from others’ reflections.

(Orginally published in the Third Sector, September 2018) 

Don't dive into your first 100 days

Summer is the time when some people get ready for a change, to start a new role, fresh after a summer break. And while those who have a new role to look forward to are trying to wind down their current commitments, there is always the excitement that awaits round the corner, a great sense of anticipation that potentially marks the start of a new chapter in an individual’s professional life.

As the day of making that important new start approaches, there are usually a number of ideas buzzing around in people’s heads. Equally, there are niggling concerns and some elements of self-doubt or a slight anxiety about the burden of expectations. The first thing to say is that all these are absolutely normal, just as normal as some of these feelings that many of us might have experienced walking down the aisle to tie the knot and make a deep, long-lasting commitment.

So I thought it would be useful to lay out a few simple principles that I have learnt from my peers and seniors (and tried myself), which could be relevant for any role, but particularly for senior leadership or management.

The first 100 days Many books and articles have been written about the importance of the first 100 days in post, and I have known many people who have had elaborate plans for their first 100 days – as did I. But there’s nothing particularly sacred about this milestone. In reality, you cannot actually achieve a great deal in your first 100 days, so you’re best to treat them as your honeymoon period, a time when you get to know the organisation, the history, the culture, the team, the board, the exciting plans and the big challenges.

Making changes A new leader or manager often signifies change, and everyone will watch you very closely in terms of what you want to deal with. And wanting to stamp your influence on this role, you too will be keen to make some changes based on what you have seen and what you think you have understood. However, proceed with caution. If you want to make some changes, do not do so in the first three months – but if you do want to make some changes, do it in the next six months. Of course, these are not the radical ones, but some changes are absolutely critical and even if the change is not completed it is important to have it charted out in the first six months and communicated.

The unfreezing and refreezing When a new person walks in, there is some disruption, a period of "unfreeze". Some patterns, activities, behaviours, tone, language or relationships are disrupted. It is an uncertain phase. But this is also the best time for the incoming person to identify the opportunities, to elicit and promote some ideas. Before you knew it, you too would have settled into a pattern and thus contributed to a refreeze. Make the best use of the unfreeze period to ask some challenging questions, challenge the status quo (if it needs challenging), reinforce some messages, but also assure colleagues about all the good stuff that is happening and which you will absolutely commit to continuing. When that happens, the refreeze becomes more healthy, trusting and less rigid.

There’s a famous quote that says "the best preparation for tomorrow is doing your best today". So if you really want to get off to a great start in your new role, invest some time in mentally preparing yourself and bear in mind a few key principles. They might prove to be handy.

(First published in the Third Sector, August 2018) 

Culture Can Make or Break Organisations

"It is all about culture," he said. I was talking to a senior leader in the not-for-profit sector before I started in my current role and was generally asking for advice. A lot is said and written about how you prepare yourself for taking up a new senior leadership role. Seeking advice from seasoned leaders is certainly one of them.

Explaining in more detail about what he said, he talked about "getting into the zone". All of us live in many worlds and there are a number of things on our minds – and sometimes it is very difficult to disentangle our lives or compartmentalise them, because we do not live our lives in compartments. The point he was making was that, as we come in to work, it is really important to remind ourselves to get into the zone, just as athletes or actors do. He talked about his "touching out the Oyster card" principle, which he assiduously remembered each time he got off the tube and took the short walk from there to his office.

This is a very simple thought, but quite profound in its implications for our behaviours and role-modelling. Over the years, I am sure we all see the power of body language. And the more senior a role a person is in, the greater is the scrutiny of all that s/he says, does or even doesn’t say or do. Colleagues who see us every day are very astute in figuring out how you feel when you come out of a board meeting or a senior management meeting. This is particularly so in an open-space working environment, where the level and nature of interaction are more intense.

So when it comes to culture, it is worth remembering that every little thing does indeed matter – a word spoken or unspoken, a feeling expressed or not. Our day-to-day behaviours and our interactions go a long way towards defining our organisational culture and how colleagues experience it.

A key part of culture is about empathy: how senior leaders and managers relate to their colleagues during difficult, stressful and challenging times. I once came across a chief executive who knew that her team was working on a very intensive fundraising bid from an institutional donor. The process was quite new, complex and demanding. Expectations were also high. Unfortunately in this case, the project team did not succeed. The team leader sent around a very matter of fact mail to inform the senior managers that they had not won but that lessons had been learned. When the Chief Executive saw this message, she was very disheartened, but did not hesitate to walk up to the section where this team was located and thank them for all their efforts, for the courage and dedication in putting together a bid, encouraging them to believe in themselves and offering her support in any way that she could. That was a simple gesture, but went a long way towards cheering up the team and making them more positive. The message for them was very clear: the chief executive cared and she demonstrated empathy. More importantly, it emphasised that it was ok to fail. The important thing is that we put in our best efforts and learn from our experience.

As the saying goes "not everything that can be counted counts, and not everything that counts can be counted". Culture cannot be "counted". It cannot be measured. Sure, there are proxy indicators that can be generated through staff engagement surveys, which can be quite powerful. But it is important to hold the thought in our minds that culture is a powerful intangible that makes or breaks organisation. And where culture is everyone’s responsibility, the tone is set right at the top.

(Originally published in the Third Sector magazine, July 2018) 

Leading on Governance

Leading on Governance 

When I took on my role as Chief Executive at ActionAid UK in August 2015, one of the first things I did was to have an informal conversation with my then Chair, Dr. Margaret Casely-Hayford. 

Margaret had been in post for over a year then, and among the various things she dealt with in her role, was my appointment. A key piece of advice I had received from a number of people when I was taking on this role was about the critical importance of the Chair - Chief Executive relationship. 

It was meant to be an informal meeting, more for me to get to know Margaret a little better. I thought Margaret did have a good sense of who I was, having gone through two rounds of recruitment and received all the references. But then, it was a good opportunity to have this conversation in an informal setting. 

While I was delighted with this opportunity a few weeks before I joined, I was certainly not prepared for Margaret coming so well prepared. She had had extensive conversations with each one of the trustees prior to our meeting, and she had taken copious notes of the discussions. She had particularly pulled out points which she thought would be important for me to know as reflections of the board. And we spent a couple of hours over a couple of coffees going through some of the reflections. I think she probably realised that I had a rather casual attitude to taking notes ....which meant that a couple of weeks later, there was a document with the compiled and curated version of the trustees' comments, that was so thoroughly done that it gave me a script, a mandate of what I needed to manage / tackle / address in my new role ! And on my first day in the office, she scheduled a Skype call early in the working day, a brief one, just to welcome me and wish me well, which was then followed by a face-to-face meeting a few days later, with a simple question : How are you doing ? 

That is the Margaret I got to know - and the more I got to know her, the more impressed I was with the amazing breadth of her knowledge, her passion and commitment to issues of poverty, inequality, injustice and diversity, and her incredible energy to reach out and support us as the Chair of the organisation. She also led the board in discussions on our new strategy, which we finalised last year, and is titled, 'Together, with women and girls'. She also led, with great passion and insight, our quest to embed feminist principles as a core element of our organisational culture. It is no wonder then, that under her leadership, ActionAid UK won the BOND Award for Governance and the Charity Governance Award for Board Diversity and Inclusivity, both earlier this year. 

I am therefore absolutely delighted that she has been awarded a CBE as announced in the Queen's Birthday Honours 2018, for her contributions. So here is a glimpse of the few important lessons I have learnt from her :

1. Speak truth to power : As a leader and a trustee, she has always welcomed discussions that are uncomfortable but that can result in a better outcome for all, without exerting power and influence. In the context of an international federation that we operate in and the democratic principles that guide us, this is really important, and has to be done rather sensitively given the relative size and influence of ActionAid UK within our federation. 

2. Being true to one's values and convictions : It didn't matter to her if she said something which could be unpopular, as long as it was deeply embedded in her values and convictions about equity, fairness and justice. She was very conscious and self aware of her relative position and privilege in society and she was always keen to use it to promote causes that she deeply believed in. 

3. There is never an end to learning : As a keen listener, she would take detailed notes of all our conversations and during meetings. She never hesitated asking a question. She did not mind saying that she didn't know something. She was never deterred by trying to do things that she was unfamiliar with. All that meant that she constantly absorbed new insights, skills, knowledge ever so effortlessly and contributed so widely. She even immersed herself in understanding rap music because she was very serious about mentoring a talented, upcoming and struggling rap artist make his mark ! 

4. Giving credit where it is due : As a Chair, it was really important for her to recognise the unique and distinctive contributions that each trustee made, big or small, and contribution by members of the staff. Her generosity of spirit was absolutely remarkable and her modesty in attributing any areas of success to herself was absolutely humbling. 

And it is especially on this last point that I am offering this as my own little humble tribute to the amazing body of work that Margaret has led. As a first time CEO, it has been an amazing privilege to work with someone as driven, committed and knowledgeable like Margaret. It was with great sadness that we bid good bye to her last month, as she took up the role of Chair of Shakespeare's Globe Theatre. Our loss is their gain, but we are buoyed by the fact that Margaret will continue to be an ardent and committed supporter of ActionAid UK.

Congratulations Margaret on your very richly deserved recognition - and your contributions also to the Met Police, the Co-op, Coventry University, Great Ormond Hospital, to young artistes, entrepreneurs, the BAME community and to some of the world's poorest communities, especially, women and girls ! Wish you continued success !

The 11 Commandments

“It is all about a balance” – this is a very familiar remark that people would associate with Barbara. “Perhaps it is because I am a Libran”, she once said.

After an incredible 11 plus years as the CEO of WaterAid, Barbara steps down in May 2017. She has every reason to look back with pride at what the organisation has achieved under her stewardship. Before coming to WaterAid, she was the CEO of Action for Disability and Development for 9 years and prior to that, worked with various organisations including ActionAid and Oxfam in southern Africa, after having spent 2 decades in Australia, before returning to the UK.

I had the privilege of working with Barbara for nearly 10 years – those were incredible years as well, enriched with learning and doing things that I had not done before. Working closely with Barbara, I gained a deep understanding of her leadership style.

Initially, for me, it was quite difficult to comprehend her leadership style. Having been schooled in the more ‘directive’  leadership style, it was hard for me to get it. But then, over a period of time, with deeper exposure to newer and more rounded understanding of leadership styles and culture, a lot of that started making good sense.

It is now nearly 2 years since I left WaterAid. And in my current role, I have often reflected on Barbara’s style and picked out some key aspects that I have been keen to embed in my own leadership style. I have spoken about this at a few guest lectures that it did at CASS Centre for Charity Effectiveness.

Now, to coincide with Barbara’s retirement, I would like to share this more widely. Barbara would be mortified by the thought of her style having been referred to as ‘commandments’ – but don’t take that word seriously. That is a bit of a tongue-in-cheek. They are actually more like ‘principles’ that defined her style of leadership, that I was very inspired by, and try to ‘check-in’ many times, especially when I am facing some key challenges. Mind you – this is not what she says about her leadership style – this is what I have learnt and gained as insights.

And given that she is stepping down from WaterAid after 11 years, here are those 11 commandments and I hope you as the reader will find this helpful :

1.      Be mission focussed – avoid mission drift : It is so easy to get carried away and want to do many things or engage with a number of initiatives, often because you want to be in the good books of people by being inclusive. But it can cause ‘mission drift’ and hence, one does need to say ‘no’ if that is the right thing to say.

2.      Build trust, respect and collaboration  - we cannot do it on our own. We need to work with partners, allies, collaborators – whatever is the term we are most comfortable with. And irrespective of the success or size of one’s organisation, it is import to retain a high degree of modesty to work with others.

3.      Keep a cool head – keep smiling even if under pressure : People expect their leaders to be resilient and manage stress, which also drives confidence in their leader to overcome challenges.

4.      Prepare well and ahead – an early (or earlier) morning start helps : The regular working day can be very busy with back-to-back meetings or engagements. We do need some quiet time to focus on some important work or reading. Even a regular meeting or a 1-1 with your direct report requires some prep time for it to be effective.

5.      Be accessible – it is much appreciated: It can cause distraction, but an ‘open door policy’ often pays rich dividends as many organisational issues or myths can be dealt with over a conversation, in addition to building positive relationships. ‘Talk is work’ was her motto. Whether it is around the coffee machine, or in the corridor, or over lunch, make time to talk to staff. People feel respected but more importantly, one learns a lot that does not come out of emails or meetings.

6.      Follow a ‘no surprises’ policy – flag and signpost: This is particularly important in the CEO’s relationship with the Board, and especially the Chair. As long as the CEO has the backing of the Board and its Chair, the organisation will be able to overcome myriad challenges.

7.      Keep the Board engaged – they are a great resource: Make time not just for Board meetings, but to catch up with individual trustees, over the phone, a cup of coffee or by email. Communicating with Board members is so critical to keep them informed and engaged – and it leads to better Board meetings and better decisions.

8.      Keep an eye on the external – think how it can benefit you even if it is not quite obvious: There is always a question of balancing between the internal and the external. Internal issues can take a lot of time, hence it is very important to ring fence some time for external engagements, and to have the external antenna functioning.

9.      Keep circulating and networking – it is great to share ideas, to be out and about: As a CEO, one does get invited to several events, some more relevant than others if one is looking at the theme or purpose of these events. But these are incredible opportunities to meet new people, work the floor and network, and we may be in for surprises as some of them could lead to a longer term relationship – but it definitely gives you a new or a different perspective.

10.  Think of how the organisation can build its profile – look for various channels : It is about ‘getting the message out’ and the CEO has such an important role that cuts across various functional areas. As the key ambassador and spokesperson for the organisation, it is critical to ensure that the CEO is often thinking of building the profile of the organisation and delivering its messages.

11.  Read and recharge – it helps ‘sharpen the saw’: Always make time for some reading, and we can always find some time, however short – on trains, while waiting for an appointment, or a few minutes each day, during or outside work hours. It does help in the process of learning and reflection.

The Quest for Learning

When your boss comes visiting, that is not great news, most of the time. When you are a young 23 year old responsible for your team that your boss is coming to check on progress, that is not great either. And when your boss himself is 60, a very respected retired civil servant, it is rather challenging. And when he is still very passionate, driven, committed and tireless, when he needs only 6 hours sleep, has massive appetite for detail and a workaholic, and cannot stand the sight of anyone  smoking (I was a regular smoker then), nothing can be more disastrous.

That is exactly how I felt when the late Anil Shah, our CEO, announced that he is coming to ‘visit’ our programme area and spend 3 days. I was the newly anointed  team leader of the district team. I had a multi-disciplinary team of about 12 working on various land and water resource management projects in the drought stricken district of Surendranagar in Gujarat, India. It was the mid-80’s and while I felt quite capable, having secured a masters in rural management, ’managing’  a boss like Anilbhai (as he was fondly referred to) was something that they didn’t teach me.

Anilbhai had many qualities that you would look for in a leader. He had charisma, presence, gravitas. He had fabulous networks, was influential  and had vast knowledge about government’s rural development programmes and policies. He was a voracious reader and kept himself abreast with the latest thinking in national and international development. We kept wondering how he got his energy for a 60-year old to work 16 hours (oh yes – the concept of ‘work-life balance’ was not yet in vogue). He even had looks of an ageing yet immensely popular Bollywood star. 

Preparing for his visit meant a lot of hard work. All project updates had to be ready with all kinds of details. We never could be prepared enough for the questions he would ask. We had to update ourselves on any changes in the district administration, else we would expose our lack of interaction with them. We could expect questions on issues of culture, or barriers to progress. We had to pretty much prepare for anything. But more importantly, he would ask us about what we had ‘learnt’ from our experience of interacting with the local communities. We thought we knew enough. I had a masters, after all, a decent academic qualification. Yet, to our annoyance, he wanted us to tell him what we had ‘learnt’ – how could a bunch of arrogant, English speaking, city bred youngsters expect to learn from the rural folk ? At that stage in one’s life, these questions didn’t make much sense.

Well, he arrived, we went through the grind, there were tough questions and we as usual felt under prepared. We failed woefully on his question of learning. His next question was – how much time do you spend in the villages in talking to the community ? Now that, for us, was not work. Work was going and implementing projects and coming back – simple ! He asked us if we stayed overnight in the villages to ‘learn’ about them – we couldn’t get that around in our heads either. Learning by living in the villages ? Nah….we were better off coming to our little homes for a nice hot meal, crowding around the only telly we had amongst us and watching the late the latest episodes of the popular soap opera. Plus, there were no toilets in the villages, so we couldn’t be ‘bothered’ to stay there overnight.

I think Anilbhai realised that he had to ‘demonstrate’ what he meant by learning. So, off we went to one of the villages, which was one of our ‘success stories’. We wanted to show him the best. We had organised a village meeting as we knew they will say nice things about us and our work. All project records were ready. People were waiting in the courtyard of the village leader’s house. He came in and greeted them graciously – but then said that before he had the meeting, he would like to go around and meet people in their homes to understand some of the issues they were dealing with. That struck us as being odd – after all, we had taken the trouble of organising this meeting, yet he wanted to go around and visit homes. But we had no option. In those days, you didn’t challenge those you are meant to respect – end of story !

So, we set off, walking with him. He asked questions on crops, cropping cycles, livestock, productivity, jobs, migration, politics. We gave half-baked non-convincing answers. So he decided that it was best for him to just ask the households directly. Even the local community was amused. ‘What can we tell you about us ? There is nothing to tell. It is pretty straightforward. And you are a ‘mota manas’ (translated crudely from Gujarati as ‘important man’) and you know everything’. With his characteristic smile, he set off, down the dusty village lanes, popping into houses at random after a respectful greeting. He would sit down, open his diary, patiently ask questions with curiosity, carefully note down the answers. We had no idea why he was subjecting himself to such an ordeal. 

The afternoon sun was blazing hot, the lanes were dusty, we had often to make way for cattle strolling by, side stepping the dung laid all over. But Anilbhai carried on. What we did notice though was that in each household, he would request the male member, who was invariably the person welcoming us, to ask their women to join the conversation, and he would then direct his questions to the women as he was convinced he would get a very different perspective – on farming, on cattle, on children, on the local economy, on public services – and generally, on life !

At the end of his walking around for a couple of hours, he came back to the village leader’s house, a wide smile of satisfaction that he had ‘learnt something’. Equipped with that new information, he started a conversation with those who were still around. He validated some of the information he had collected to ensure he had got it right, talked to them on their collective understanding, and asked them questions on solutions.

I had the privilege of many such interactions with Anilbhai over a 3-year period. There were some key lessons that he was passing on to us as youngsters :

·         Learning never ends : As a retired senior civil servant with four decades of experience, having interacted with some of the most influential people during his time, it would have been very easy for Anilbhai to sit back and bask in the glory of his incredible career reputation. But he chose otherwise. There was this insatiable energy and enthusiasm for learning. He would get into deep conversations with communities and families in the villages he visited. Shorn of the grandeur of his government position, he felt much more enabled and comfortable to do so. He never hesitated to ask a question. He took detailed notes. He would constantly be accessing research papers (these were pre-internet days) to enhance his knowledge or meet with people who are experts in their field. It was amazing to see how he left no stone unturned to keep learning. And he did that to almost the very end of his life.

·         Trust the inexperience : Being the CEO and founder of a fledging organisation is in itself a risk. To manage that, he recruited a team of experienced hands, some retired, to ensure that his organisation had the right technical skills. But in the 3 field programme teams, he recruited mostly youngsters. Of the nearly 40 staff in the 3 district teams, perhaps only about 10 were over 35. And there was a time when all the 3 district teams were led by those in the mid-twenties, all relatively inexperienced – my close friends Shankar and Apoorva being two of them, and I being the third. I am still amazed at the boldness of his decision at such a foundational stage in the life of an organisation, given our relative inexperience and lack of a track record, to trust us with running team, managing staff and sizeable budgets !

·         There is no alternative to hard work : Anilbhai made no apologies for the need to work hard. For him, there was no substitute. Work was worship.  He was respectful of those with experience and expertise – and as someone who had both, it still didn’t matter when it came to himself. He kept a punishing schedule complemented by a disciplined lifestyle. He saw no other way to lead from the front – at a time when leadership was mostly about being directive. Having worked his entire professional life in the government, he wanted to ensure that he was offering his best to the not-for-profits sector.

As young people, we tried in vain to keep up to his standards – we did succeed, at times, if you could read the rather enigmatic smile that he had when he was pleased with something.