9 C's of Leadership by Lee Iacocca

I was reading a book 'Where have all the leaders gone?' by legendary ex-ford/chrysler CEO Lee Iacocca in which he explains essential ingredients of a leader. He coins it as 9 c's of leadership. Here is what he says.

1. A leader has to show CURIOSITY. He has to listen to people outside of the 'Yes, sir' crowd in his inner circle. He has to read voraciously, because the world is a big, complicated place. If a leader never steps outside his comfort zone to hear different ideas, he grows stale. If he doesn't put his beliefs to the test, how does he know he's right? The inability to listen is a form of arrogance. It means either you think you already know it all, or you just don't care.

2. A leader has to be CREATIVE, go out on a limb, be willing to try something different. You know, think outside the box. Leadership is all about managing change -- whether you're leading a company or leading a country. Things change, and you get creative. You adapt.

3. A leader has to COMMUNICATE. I'm not talking about running off at the mouth or spouting sound bites. I'm talking about facing reality and telling the truth. Even if the truth is painful you need to say it as is without fear.

4. A leader has to be a person of CHARACTER. That means knowing the difference between right and wrong and having the guts to do the right thing. Abraham Lincoln once said, 'If you want to test a man's character, give him power.'

5. A leader must have COURAGE. I'm talking about balls. (That even goes for female leaders.) Swagger isn't courage. Tough talk isn't courage. Courage is a commitment to sit down at the negotiating table and talk.

6. To be a leader you've got to have CONVICTION -- a fire in your belly. You've got to have passion. You've got to really want to get something done.

7. A leader should have CHARISMA. I'm not talking about being flashy. Charisma is the quality that makes people want to follow you. It's the ability to inspire. People follow a leader because they trust him. That's my definition of charisma.

8. A leader has to be COMPETENT. That seems obvious, doesn't it? You've got to know what you're doing. More important than that, you've got to surround yourself with people who know what they're doing.

9. You can't be a leader if you don't have COMMON SENSE. In essence you can't even dream of being ahead of the pack if you don't have commonsense and can't distinguish between a bull shit & vanilla drop

THE BIGGEST C IS CRISIS. Leaders are made, not born. Leadership is forged in times of crisis.

Lee Iacocca goes on saying these are guiding principles which you must apply to every situation. Where does 'CHANGE' stand in the above C's. Looks like Barack Obama has most of the above C's and has intelligently used 'CHANGE' as well to lead this 2008 US Presidential election. Does talking about 'CHANGE' make you a leader? That's for you to decide.

Kedar Shinde, The Rising Marathi Film Director

Marathi Cinema has witnessed Golden Era in its 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s when great actors and directors like V Shantaram, Bhalji Pendharkar, Acharya Atre, G.D. Madgulkar, Dada Kondke, Ashok Saraf & Laxmikant Berde to name a few contributed in its creation. Marathi Cinema had its own place in Maharashtra & especially in villages of Maharashtra. With no dearth of creativity & a staunch support by Maharashtra Govt, this theatre made its mark at the national level. Then came late 90s where the theatre started seeing its debacle with no production of quality marathi films, marathi songs & overall lackluster in its own youth about marathi. The proximity to Hindi Cinema (Bollywood) made things worst. Bollywood started encroaching on the identity of marathi cinema. But in recent few years things have been changing. The theatre has produced not only nationally acclaimed movies but many more commercially successful movies. Marathi Television is also getting vibrant once again & providing stage to thousands of artist throughout Maharashtra. One person has been strikingly noticeable in this revived marthi theatre, Kedar Shinde. He has been producing, directing, writing some blockbuster marathi movies. Some of his hit movies are "Aga Bai Arechha", "Yanda Kartavya Ahe", "Majha Navra Tujhi Bayako", "Mukkam Post London", Bakula Namdev Ghotale", "Galgale Nighale". He has been masterfully depicting the marathi life & its subtleties. Even the comedy is so genuine and at times throwing light on the plight of our social life. When people see images resonating with their life & inner anguish about societal degeneration the movie naturally gets overwhelming response. He has tapped that intelligently & is coming up with even more brand new productions. In his movie Aga Bai Arechha, he has so artfully utilized the devotional prayer of God durga (Aarti); "Duge Durgat Bhari". I haven't seen the use of aarti to effectively show the excitement amongst women in any marathi movie. I am sure Kedar Shinde will continue to provide much needed entertainment to marathi people. The theatre has enormous influence on its followers and should be used to eliminate corrupt mentality for econmic & social well-being of all Maharashtrians. Great Job done so far..... Here are some exciting links to his work.... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hZrmH0RDSY (Hillarious Marathi Ballad) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LL9r5tq3ksk (Man Udhan Varyache, Beautiful song from his film Aga Bai Arechha) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-ySIO0W5Vs (Durge Durgat Bhari, Another nice song from Aga Bai Arechha) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9H7Ou1IQaA4 (Malhar Varri, Aga Bai Arechha)