The trouble with mindsets!

Do I know if I have a mindset? Of course, I do; like everyone else. But I don't realise it; like everyone else. I don't know if this is a generalisation, but what the heck! This is my voice and my blog after all.
This will be a long post. May you have the patience to go through it with an open mind! Amen!

Some months ago, I was headhunted for a European role in a large American MNC. The consultant was damn confident (like they always are when speaking to you). During my interaction with him, I realised that suddenly my Indian experience of 13 years was being recognised.

Circa early 2005
When I began my job hunt during Cranfield MBA, the feedback that I received 95% of the times was on the lines, "You have a very strong CV and blue chip experience! But you don't have UK experience!" And my journey to the prospective job used to end there.

I give complete credit to Prof David Butcher - Director at Cranfield SOM. When I met him, he asked on why did I accept such an opinion. His guidance was, "Challenge this mindset!". And I did. What does "UK experience" mean? How does it differ from my Indian experience? If my 13 years with German, British, Indian and American MNC's on Indian soil wasn't enough, what would be? Could someone make a list of those organisations that operate globally but are yet to step in the Indian markets? From Ford & Toyota to Phillips & Nestle to Reuters, Unilever and P&G. Who's missing?
Needless to mention, I never got welcome faces when I politely contested their mindsets. After all, it is not easy to be told that you're wrong.

Circa mid 2005
I am on Business week MBA forums. An American, MBA alumni of a renowned school in UK makes mockery of the spoken English of the Chinese ambassador who addressed an audience in London. I asked him, "How should he expect the Chinese audience to react if and when he addresses them in their language?" No comments came back. That was another mindset.

Circa January 2007
The headhunter has called back expressing regret from the client. Reason? "I do not have European experience"!! Interesting! Very interesting indeed! The ghosts continue to haunt. Anyways. It hasn't impacted me in any way as I continue to enjoy my current role. But the experience of such a mindset was quite intriguing.

Circa 2009 (and this could very much be for real)
International citizens are flocking for a career in India. At an organisation, I am in the selectors chair. I receive the CV of a European (for e.g.). I reject the candidate. Why? Because s/he does not have "Indian experience"!

Of course, I won't do that. Else how would I demonstrate a different mindset from the rest? There are a variety of tools to help you understand your personality types, etc. Does anybody know of a tool that helps one to "check one's mindset"?

Leaders - Born or Made!

Classic and perhaps an endless debate!

I do not know if the management community has concluded anything on this! But it was interesting to read an interview of Prof. Andrew Kakabadse, Deputy-Director at Cranfield School of Management. I was fortunate enough to attend a few sessions of Prof. Kakabadse during the Cranfield MBA.

I share here a couple of his quotes:
"The worst aspects of leadership came from younger managers, especially those who were well educated, and intellectually very bright. They tended to make the worst decisions because they turned strategic concerns into operational concerns. They want to make an impact within eighteen to twenty-four months before they move on - the business, the profitability looks good, but have they actually invested in the long-term effectiveness of the brand? The answer is no. What we noted is that middle, i.e. younger managers tended to look at operational costs and operational gains, i.e. short-term costs and gains, rather than opportunity gains or costs, the impact of which takes longer to realize. "

"From a survey in which I have been involved, covering 8,000 organizations across 14 countries, the overall finding is that leadership qualities are all learned."

As I introspect, I remember studying a few electives on Leadership. I believe that while the theory is good, whether you are indeed a leader or not depends on what you practice. And whether you practice Leadership or not depends on the choices you make. No one taught me Leadership during my 13 years of corporate career in India prior to MBA. No one is teaching it to me now after the MBA. But what you don't practice, remains nowhere. I learnt the most of it on-the-job! How?

By observing my supervisors and other managers around me! Learning and adopting their practices which I found good! Ensuring that I avoid the mistakes I saw them making! And I continue to use this tactic even today. If the proof of the pudding is in the eating, my career till date has at least confirmed that this practice works.

Is there a better way to learn or become a leader? I am very interested to find out. And I'll save the desire to see a simple, plain English definition of Leadership for another day.