Gandhi, A Character Study...

Mohandas Gandhi was a key figure in winning India its freedom from British rule in the mid 20th Century.

Having studied to be a lawyer in Britain, Gandhi travelled to South Africa, where he appealed for civil rights, employing a strategy of non-violent civil disobedience. This same idea was a key part of Gandhi's fight when he returned to India, leading huge campaigns in an attempt to eliminate poverty and achieve economic self-sufficiency.

Gandhi stood for non-violence and truth, in a world where war and deceit reigned supreme. As a student of Hindu Philosophy, Gandhi lived a very simplistic lifestyle, but knew much of other world religions, famously stating that "An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind".

Much of what Gandhi stood for was based on his strong, yet varied, religious beliefs. Highly concerned with the area of morality, Gandhi was able to find amazing ways of bringing about change without losing sight of his life before God.

"As soon as we lose the moral basis, we cease to be religious. There is no such thing as religion over-riding morality. Man, for instance, cannot be untruthful, cruel or incontinent and claim to have God on his side." (wiki). - What an insight. So simplistic, and yet so accurate (although I'm not convinced that a lack of ability to voluntarily retain bodily discharge symbolized our distance from God?). The point is, that Gandhi saw something in religion that so many people miss - our human rights are primarily based in our equality as children of one creator God, and therefore are not rights at all if taken out of the "God equation".

The one thing that makes Gandhi stand out as an influential leader is that he never set out to become a leader, in fact he was known on several occasions to comment that seeking after status was a very dangerous thing.

I decided to study Gandhi for various reasons - partly because he was one of the leaders that was mentioned as "a good one to study" at the first MLS residential, secondly because I had read a small amount about him before and always intended to read further into his life, and thirdly (to be brutally honest) I was at my parents house over the weekend and spotted a copy of "Gandhi" in my fathers DVD collection.

Whilst studying the story of Gandhi I have been struck by how closely his style of leadership fits with the principles of GREAT companys in the book "Good to Great" that I've been reading. Gandhi had an extremely clear concept that focused everything he did - freedom from oppression through non-violent non-conformity. He was passionate about equality, whilst knowing that choosing to fight would simply fuel the case for further restraints upon the country - his "economic engine" could only be driven by opposition to the regime through efforts that would not question the peoples' integrity.

The thing that really amazes me about Gandhi, is that he somehow was able to change public opinion (and action) by simply threatening to die from starvation. I mean, if you decided to starve yourself until something changed, who would listen? What would happen as a result? I'm guessing that for most of us, the only real difference would be meeting our maker, but somehow, for Gandhi, it brought about the results he could only hope for.

Gandhi clearly had a huge impact on Indian history which has stretched across the globe. His leadership style is one that, on paper, you would never expect to work, but Gandhi's strong convictions regarding religious unity were a strong enough motivating force to see him lead a nation to freedom from foreign rule.

Since his death, Gandhi's birthday, October 2, has been held as a national holiday in India, "Gandhi Jayanti". And on June 15th this year, it was announced that the "United Nations General Assembly" had unanimously adopted a resolution which has declared "Gandhi Jayanti" to be "the International Day of Non-Violence."

So, what have I learned about leadership through studying Gandhi?

I've learned that using your skills & abilities wisely can make all the difference (Gandhi had a vast knowledge of the British legal system, and therefore knew how to challenge that very system).

I've learned that sometimes you need to do whatever it takes to bring about the changes that you believe need to happen, but usually at personal expense, not by abusing power.

And, most importantly, I've learned that it's so important to keep your focus. That anything is achievable if you're prepared to make huge sacrifices, and look for the little things that will have the biggest impact - even if that just means walking to the beach!!

And that's it. Maybe one day I'll return to my study of Gandhi. I'm sure I've only touched the surface of the lessons to be learned from this amazing guy who's life still profoundly influences world leaders to this day.

(and while I think about it, try watching the Gandhi movie late at night, without convincing yourself that the cornish pasty that gets thrown on his bed at the end looks jolly tasty!! By the end of the film I couldn't wait for it to end so I could go and get some food - even at 1 in the morning - I blame the pasty).