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UNBANKED SCENARIO OF UKHRUL DISTRICT: ONE OF THE MOST MAIMING BOTTLENECKS OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
Thanchipem Jagoi on 07/27/2010 at 2:41pm (UTC) | | | As far as I know there are only two banks in ukhrul district, where 140778 i.e. 6.14% of the states’ population thrives, as per 2000 census. Manipur state Co-operative bank is almost a non functioning bank. Practically, UBI is the only bank in the district Head Quarter, which is not a core Banking enabled one either. However, we appreciate their commitment to serve and empower the rural people financially, despite hardships characteristic to rural areas. -upgrading and innovation in its function and management would be highly appreciated. I have heard many nightmarish banking experiences with the UBI. Whatever the case be, we need more banks urgently to usher in a new era of economic transition.
For instance, we have no Airtel, Aircell or BSNL etc, outlets with smart customer cares, as we see in other places, who are mostly smart local youngsters. We see no franchised entry of any company, even in the FMCGs level. It is not because we consume different kind of goods and services. It is because of the obvious lack of investment machinery. A tourist or a businessperson would not always take the risk of handling loads of cash to fulfill their dreams, in the district. Precisely, these are just indicators to many other viable business ventures and employment generating opportunities left unexploited, and one of the ultimate reasons of the district being investment- shy.
The need for widespread banking facility can never be overlooked for rural economic upliftment. In our context, banking facilities should precede trade and industry. Banking in fact should be a habit of the rural people before grappling for any other lucrative enterprises. This I believe is the core of Financial Inclusion envisaged by the government. If we remain unbanked, we remain alienated from the economic heartbeat of the nation. Each Economic Planning of the centre and the state with schemes and special financial packages for the rural poor reverberate as far and faint cry._ Or empty loud promises heard only on radios and Televisions, and specially during each elections.
Yes, they are siphoned on the way, waylaid and looted again and again by the so presumed responsible officials in connivance with unscrupulous politicians and their party workers; whose hierarchy seems endless…. Making the common man wonder who, why, what and for whom the Govt is. Needless to say, I don’t have good feelings towards these people. And I am proud that no one in the chronicle of my family has been a government servant in this 60 years existence of India as an independent republic (we don’t have the money to bribe in fact). Let us get back to the topic before I start cursing them dangerously.
According to available data, there are only 96 bank branches operating in the state. Out of this, nine branches of the Manipur Rural Bank are non-functional. Out of 41 blocks across nine districts, 19 blocks are unbanked, and these are mostly in the rural areas. The overall outreach of bank in the state is observed to be below average. This means saving and credit facilities are very low. Total number of scheduled commercial banks in Manipur was 77 as on March 31, 2007 of which Manipur Rural Bank, SBI and UBI are the top operators. Some of the reasons cited for problem of penetration of banks and financial services in the in the rural areas of the state are:
1. Difficult terrain.
2. Sparse population.
3. Poor infrastructure.
4. Difficulties in obtaining Land as Collateral.
5. Insurgency/Law and order problems.
6. Lack of formal banking Knowledge of the rural People.
7. Complicated System/procedure of banks in establishing branches.
When we analyze the points above, point no.7 is to be blamed, in my opinion. The other six points are characteristics of almost all the states of the north East and even some mainland states. At this juncture, Arunachal Pradesh is worth mentioning. It is a hilly state, sparsely populated and undeveloped like us in all aspects. Nevertheless, you will see that, almost all the petty hill stations are banked and ATM enabled. If it is a national policy for matters related to national security for its proximity with china, why can’t we have rural people oriented banking coverage programme? Friends, it all depends on the will of the government. Why blame the rural circumstances and ignorance of the poor people. If we are left excluded like this; we never can come up to the mainstream, and our near future is very gloomy.
Manipur State Level Banking Committee constituted by the state Government has proposed hub Branches in the unbanked blocks long back, but materialization is yet to be seen. Let us all support and be vocal for the cause, least we be left behind in the race for economic development. | | | |
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A NOVEL APPROACH TO UPLIFT THE AILING ECONOMY OF UKHRUL
Ringthing Hongchui on 07/23/2010 at 1:21pm (UTC) | | | As India celebrates its 60 years of republic, and prepares for the 61st Republic day celebration on 26th January 2010, the national newspaper flashes a number of advertisements saluting the nation for its enormous economic achievement. The same day, ‘The times of India’ published the sad incident of rescuing 71 malnourished children from Manipur and Assam from a home in Tamil Nadu. It unfolded the existence of child trafficking networks, in which children from the North Eastern (NE) states are taken to different parts of the country, mostly in an orphanage home run by masquerading Christian missionaries by receiving crores of rupees from churches and societies abroad. Lately, some young girls from Manipur were also rescued from a clandestine agency before being taken to the South East Asian Countries for flesh trade, on the pretext of providing job in hotel industry. It reminded me of an allegation about the molestation of some Tangkhul teenage girls by their warden in an orphanage home a couple of years back: one in Jaipur, another in Uttarakhand. Whatever the circumstances may be, they may well be said to be the victims of the so called “poverty” and “ignorance due to illiteracy”.
The sorry state of affairs of the economy of our District is further exposed by the recently published ‘District Infrastructure Index’ (DII) prepared by the Ministry of DoNER (development of north eastern region) based on 7 indicators, viz., transport, energy, water supply, education, health care, communication infrastructure and banking facility, which placed Ukhrul at the bottom 68th position out of the total 86 districts of the 8 NE states clubbed into 80 districts. Therefore, there is an urgency to scale up our economy to catch up with other parts of the region. In this endeavour, three areas that strike my mind to improve our economy from the existing condition are as follows:
• agriculture and allied sector
• Vocational studies and
• Financial sector
Agriculture and allied sector:
History and experiences of the industrially developed nation shows that agricultural revolution has been the backbone for the success of industrial revolutions. These can broadly be understood in two ways; firstly, the output of agriculture serves as the input to many industries. As for example, potato and wheat are the inputs to the potato chips and Biscuit industries respectively. Secondly, the increase in disposable income earned out of agricultural production is spent on consumer goods which are the output of the industrial sector. Consequently, the bountiful harvest of the farming communities boosts the expansion of the industrial production. Today, in many developing countries the growth of agriculture sector is hampered by low level of awareness due to illiteracy and the agricultural practices remains at subsistence level and for their livelihood. As such, these countries are plagued with over-dependence on agriculture by large percentage of their population which signifies partial success in agriculture revolution.
In India, wastage in this sector to the tune of 30% of the total output is caused by lack of warehousing, cold storage, transportations and marketing strategies. Besides, pathetic power supply discourages private investment in our district. However, with the advancement in technology and the favourable government policy towards renewable energy, a prospective entrepreneur can explore the viability of installing a hybrid of Solar and Wind Mills along with conventional Electricity. For instance, loans for installing a solar thermal energy can be availed at 3% interest rate per annum and for Wind Mills, fiscal incentives (such as cheap import duties, tax free, etc.) are provided. Furthermore, the thrust to the feasibility in this venture has been demonstrated in Phungyar town by the successful installation of two Wind Mills to light up around 250 houses of three tubes each per household.
Another probable area of improvement in this sector is to increase the capacity of value addition through processing (like; lemon to pickle, juice...), vacuum packaging (for prolonging shelf live & enhance aesthetic value) and sanitary & phyto-sanitary measures (pesticides & hygienic standard like doctor certified meat, etc.). This area has a huge potential for improvement, as the present value addition capacity of fruits and vegetables in India is abysmally low at 2%, against 30% in china and 40% in New Zealand & Australia.
The availability of cold chain, warehousing & value addition facilities will revolutionise supply chain in one hand and enhance the expansion of retail marketing system on the other. It will also augment the substitutes of a large number of food items which we depended mostly on import during off-season. The procurement of agriculture products in bulk with the organisation of the said infrastructure will reinforce food crop production capacity and change the orientation of farming activities from subsistence to profit making venture. Thereby, reduce disguise unemployment and distress migration in search of job. But in course of time more section of the people from agriculture sector should be encouraged to enter the industrial & service sector to maintain stability and higher level of development in the economy. For this we will require an increase in literacy rate. So, a large percentage of school dropouts may possibly be tapped by imparting vocational studies to enhance functional literacy and for better employment opportunities.
Vocational studies:
In 1996, Jean Dreze (architect of NREGA) and his research team conducted a survey in rural- Bihar, M.P, U.P, & Rajasthan, which was resurveyed in 2006, to investigate the reason for the low motivational level and the high dropout rate among the poor students from school. The result found, among others, was the non availability of employment opportunity even after attending 10-12 years in school. It even discouraged parents from retaining their children in the school by encouraging helping them in work. This is because of the non-creation of employment opportunity for the mass which, in literal sense is known as the “structural unemployment”. In many developed countries this problem is addressed through vocational employment. Though the relative importance of vocational studies vs. General Degree course is still debated, nevertheless many high income countries have higher level of vocational employment. For instance; South Korea has the highest rate with 88%, Europe- 60~75%, U.S -54%, China- 40% and India is yet to catch up with only 3%.
Thus, to address the problem, India has also initiated to set up 1000 more ITI (industrial training institute) and other polytechnic institutes in addition to the nearly 7000 existing vocational schools in the next 10 years. The private sector is being encouraged to participate through PPP (public private partnership) model. Changing the orientation of some vocational courses is on the pipeline so as to make it flexible to switch over to a degree course, if one so desire. These initiatives will encourage students from classes- viii, x & xii, who are not likely to enter university to opt for vocational course and get absorbed in the market for employment.
Ukhrul has a vocational school-ITI at Luiyainaotang (near petrol pump) which offer courses like: computer, carpentry, stenography, food preservatives, motor work, electrician, beautician, tailoring, etc. Quality of the institute will definitely improve if there is a considerable demand from our people for the courses. Moreover, civil societies and student bodies can play a proactive role in sensitising and improving the quality of the institute to a certain level. This sector has the potential to boost the self employment capability and entrepreneurial spirit of our youths to establish a stronger local based economy. On the other hand, the more literate sections of the society should avail the financial facilities to maintain a more secure and improve the living standard.
Financial sector:
The financial system refers to the borrowing and lending of funds, it consists of two parts, viz., the banking sector and the capital market. In modern days, the vibrancy of the economy is viewed through the prism of the financial sector, because only strong financial system can sustain the high growth rate of the economy and thereby support the higher living standard of the society. India has a strong financial system backed by the active participation of more than 300 million middle class of the country. The saving rate of the country is around 32% of the GDP (gross domestic product) and the investment rate is 34%, the major component of which is contributed by domestic savings. This is the reason why we talk about 7.2% growth rate in the economy when many countries around the world are struggling to come out of negative growth rate due to the global financial crisis. We also need to save the equivalent percentage of our income and become a part of the financially educated sections of the society. This will secure our life in the backdrop of many financial liabilities, especially, the high cost of medical expenditure which is seen to consume around 27% of the income and also comprises the second largest debt driver to the people in rural India as stated by Jairam Ramesh (Environment Minister).
The low savings (deposits) and the high default rate (not paying back loans) faced by the lone bank (i.e., UBI-United Bank of India) in our district is an obstacle to the penetration of banks, especially the private banks. It speaks volumes about the financial illiteracy of our people. The proposal to set up SBI (state bank of India) with ATM facility near Assam Riffle post at Somsai, to be shifted to the under-construction Mini secretariat building, Ukhrul on its completion is a welcome step, but it will not suffice for a population of 1.41 lakh if our people make use of banking facility as it stands with the rest of the people in the country. At an average, the number of bank per population in rural India stands at 17,000 in 2007. With this ratio our district requires at least 8 banks. Of late, the govt’s policy of financial inclusion has enforced the compulsory opening of account in banks or post office for the payment of salary, scholarships, wages of govt schemes like NREGS, etc., and the Budget (2010-11), announcement to set up bank branch in every village with a population in access of 2000 by march 2012 is a step in the right direction, But it may not get materialised unless we make use of the available facilities to the optimum capacity.
One can also diversify savings & investment through capital market: especially stock, mutual funds, insurance, bonds, etc. The stock market is a less explored area for a common man. And the movement of sensex in the stock market doesn’t mean anything to the common man, but it reflects the most unbiased response of the educated class who understands the economy, to the different policies of the government. Increase in the stock market implies the buoyancy of the economy. Stock markets are very risky, which can make you a millionaire or a pauper at the blink of an eye, says an economist. But the average return in stock market is seen to be 14% over 50 years, giving them enormous advantage over returns from bank, bond & securities which are less than 10% per annum. Today, the second richest man in the U.S, Warren Buffet (chairman-Berkshire Hathaway) is regarded as the most successful stock investor by profession. The total population participating in this sector in India is only 1% unlike, 16% in the developed countries. To begin with, all you need is to open an account which is known as Depository Participants (DP) in either NSDL (national security depository ltd.) or CDSL. Shares are dematerialised in your DP’s account and trading is done electronically.
In case of having inadequate knowledge about stock market, one can go for investment through Mutual funds (MFs). It is the intermediary to the stock market and the public. Investment in MF is said to be a far better way to understand the nature of stock market than as an individual. The managers of the MFs have a well informed decision based on scientific research, but it doesn’t offer assured returns. It only allows you to take risk depending on your appetite for risk. Most of the banks (SBI, ICICI) and financial institutions (Kodak, Franklin Templeton) offers MFs. Participation of the people in this market is close to 40% in E.U & U.S, but it is only about 2% in India. However, it is considered to be the fastest growing sector in the financial business today, with an annual growth rate of 60%.
The New Pension Scheme is worth exploring as it offers assured returns in three asset classes to both salaried and non-salaried investors. Insurances are another prospective area worth exploring for investment despite our negligence.
Conclusion:
Having emphasized upon the three sectors, it would be naive to assume these sectors as the most important area or a panacea to the ills of our economy. Rather, I feel the need to harness these areas which still remain largely untapped in our district. I will outrightly agree that good governance is a necessity for sustaining the economic development. Yet many changes can be brought about by the people as well. And in my subtle opinion, our peoples’ hesitation to undertake entrepreneurial venture due to its inherent risk has given foothold to outsiders to control & exploit our economy. It has also contributed inter alia towards overwhelming dependence of our people on government services: which dragged us into vicious cycle of corruption. We need to understand that entrepreneurship is all about taking a calculated risk besides, imbibing the ethics of successful entrepreneurs which includes; being a good paymaster, sticking with time, honesty, etal. If it takes 6 months for Narayan Murthy & six of his colleagues at Infosys in 1980s to import a computer, and yet dared to take the journey, which now provides well paid jobs to 70,000 people, why can’t one amongst us create job for some hundreds of our people. The thumb rule to head start an entrepreneurship is the fresh and young mind. Let one among us take the journey today for our better tomorrow. | | | |
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Why Smoking Is Bad For You
source: cancer research UK on 07/23/2010 at 1:53am (UTC) | | | Smoking causes cancer, heart disease and chronic lung disease.
Smoking is the biggest avoidable risk factor for cancer. It causes nine out of ten cases of lung cancer, the most common cause of cancer death in the UK. Smoking is also a risk factor for cancer of the bladder, kidney, cervix, throat (pharynx and larynx), mouth, oesophagus (foodpipe), pancreas and stomach and for some types of leukaemia (cancer of the blood). Smoking causes a third of all cancer deaths and lung cancer alone
How does smoking cause cancer?
Cigarette smoke is packed full of roughly 4000 compounds, many of which are toxic and can cause damage to our cells. Some are carcinogenic (cancer-causing). The three main ingredients of cigarette smoke are:
Nicotine
Carbon monoxide
Tar
Nicotine is not carcinogenic. It doesn't cause cancer. But it is a highly addictive and very fast-acting drug. Once inhaled, nicotine reaches the brain in less than 15 seconds. Most smokers are addicted to nicotine and crave cigarettes to feed their addiction. This is the key ingredient that keeps people buying cigarettes and keeps the tobacco companies in business.
Carbon monoxide is a tasteless, odourless poisonous gas. It is taken up by the bloodstream quickly and impairs the smoker's breathing. The gas is also emitted by car exhausts, faulty boilers and fires and is very dangerous in badly ventilated spaces. Inhaling too much carbon monoxide causes coma and death by asphyxiation.
Tar is a substance made up of various chemicals, many of which are known to cause cancer. Around 70 per cent of the tar in cigarettes is deposited in the smoker's lungs.
Other harmful chemicals in cigarette smoke include
ACETONE, more commonly used in nail polish remover
AMMONIA, used in the dry cleaning industry
ARSENIC, a deadly poison used in pest control and insecticides
BENZENE, a cancer-causing agent used in the production of fuel and chemicals
CADMIUM, a very poisonous chemical that can cause liver, kidney and brain damage, used in batteries
FORMALDEHYDE, a known carcinogen used to preserve dead bodies
Passive smoking
Smoking doesn't just harm the smoker. It can also cause disease and death among people exposed to the smoke. Passive smoking is thought to cause several hundred deaths from lung cancer every year in the UK. Passive smoking is particularly harmful to babies and children whose parents smoke in the home. Passive smoking may also cause miscarriage, premature birth, low birth weight, stillbirth, cot death, 'glue' ear, asthma and other respiratory problems.
What are the risks?
Tobacco smoking has no safe level of use. It is the only consumer product that kills a high proportion of those who use it in the way intended by the manufacturers. Overall, one in two smokers (smoking 20 per day from age 18) will die from their habit, half of them in middle age.
The risk of getting lung cancer from smoking
is directly related to the number of cigarettes smoked. The higher the consumption, the higher the risk.
is highly dependent on how long a person has smoked. So smoking 1 packet a day for 40 years is much more hazardous than smoking 2 packets a day for 20 years.
is drastically reduced by quitting. Smokers who stop before the age of 35 have a life expectancy not significantly different from non-smokers. Even stopping in middle age has great benefits.
is is halved by staying off cigarettes for ten years. The longer you don't smoke, the more you lower your risk.
Giving up smoking
It is never too late to quit smoking, although the sooner you quit the greater the long-term benefits for your health. There are also instant benefits to be had from giving up smoking, like improvements in your breathing. Also, your sense of smell and taste will improve and skin problems may clear up.
The physical craving for a cigarette can disappear as soon as one week after giving up. But the psychological cravings may last for much longer.
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The Focus of leadership
By Michael McKinney on 07/23/2010 at 1:42am (UTC) | | |
American newspaper commentator Walter Lippmann defined leaders as "the custodians of a nation's ideals, the beliefs it cherishes, of its permanent hopes, of the faith which makes a nation out of a mere aggregation of individuals."
Custodians. The word means a keeper, a guardian, or a caretaker. It is a proactive word that implies action on the part of the bearer. Custodians hold something in trust on behalf of others. It is not a behavior motivated out of self-interest.
A custodian then, is an individual who upholds what is best for all people even if it may not be in their own interest to do so. A custodial role must be approached as a temporary role, preserving something greater than the self—principles of enduring and lasting value. This is an attitude of mind that focuses on the task at hand and not on what the leader may gain from the position. It implies a caring and concerned relationship between leaders and followers; individuals motivated by their constituents' best interests.
This idea seems at odds with what we see happening around us today. In all too many arenas, we see many of our leaders holding nothing in trust for those they purport to serve but advancing only their own ideals and hopes.Today, it is often difficult to tell if our leaders are serving themselves or us. And it is all too common to find leaders simply helping themselves to privilege and power. Mismanagement, deceit, greed, and frying-pan-into-the-fire problem solving all beg the question, "Where are our leaders leading?" "To whom can we look to for the direction we need?" Is Lippmann's statement merely an idealistic, unrealizable dream?
Choosing Service Over Self-interest
Throughout time, leaders who have exhibited the proper kind of custodianship—leaders who have sought service over self-interest—have been held in high regard. We gladly look to them for direction and guidance in times of indecision, turmoil and trouble.
One such custodian stood out in the Fifth century BC. The Roman army was surrounded. The country was in need of a leader who would seize the moment and turn the situation defeat into victory. They called upon a man who was out plowing his field, a farmer. He came. He saw. He conquered. He went home. Cincinnatus gained fame for his selfless devotion to his country. This half-legendary hero of the Roman Republic gave his all in a time of crisis and then gave up the reins of power when the task was done and went back to his plow.
In more modern times, America's first President, George Washington, considered "the Father of his Country," provides a paramount example of this same kind of custodial leadership that Lippmann espoused.
Washington was an aristocratic gentleman farmer of distinctive character. When called upon to defend the interests of a fledgling nation as Commander in Chief of the Revolutionary Army during the American War of Independence, he rose to the challenge and persevered against all odds. Then, after eight and a half years of being the most powerful man in America, he resigned his commission and returned to his agricultural pursuits.
Not surprisingly, he became the reluctant, yet automatic and unanimous choice for the first president of the United States. He served two terms. His final and perhaps greatest act of service to his country was that like Cincinnatus, who he had often been compared to by his contemporaries, he stopped serving and retired back to his Mount Vernon estate in Virginia.
Washington is remembered for his strength of character and discipline, his loyal patriotism, his principled leadership and selfless devotion to public duty. He held in trust for the American people the very values and beliefs that made their nation possible without regard for his own gain.
In reality, true leadership is and has always been a selfless action. It involves taking yourself out of the picture and considering the needs of others. It is a way of thinking that takes other people into account even when your own needs are pressing. It asks what is right or best in the wider interest. Few would doubt the need for more leaders like Cincinnatus and George Washington today. Leaders who will complete the job they were asked to do without regard for themselves; leaders who will lead and not merely register the popular will of the people. Yet it would be difficult to build a consensus as to how a leader might do that; how a leader might be a custodian of or hold in trust a nation's or a groups values and beliefs.
How might we answer this question in a world that has seemingly grown unmanageable? Today our world is faced with serious, even life-threatening problems of a global nature. Where will we find the wisdom necessary that might be applied to modern civilization's most pressing dilemmas?
Leadership Is Everyone's Business
Clearly, leadership is an issue that affects all of us. Not only are we impacted by it, but also, we are all called upon to exercise it. Whether we are called upon to be involved in leading government or business, guiding young minds, leading a family, standing for what is right, or organizing a dinner, a carpool, or a household, everyone has a leadership role to play. We are each thrust into many different leadership roles again and again, throughout our lives. We are each called upon to be custodians of what is right and good, lasting and of value, for those in our care.
Surprisingly, this idea of custodianship even runs through the writings of the Renaissance writer often thought to be one of the most cynical yet most observant political thinkers of all time, Niccolò Machiavelli. Machiavelli insisted that leadership was virtuous only if the good of the community was sought out and achieved above all else. A good leader, in other words, was a steward of the community.
When we are called upon to lead, what kind of custodian we will be depends greatly on what we understand a custodian to be, on how we think about other people, and on how we determine what is right and worth holding in trust.
The word custodian as we are applying it here is the same as the word steward that we find in the pages of the Bible and used throughout history. A custodian or steward performs the task of watching over that which is placed in their trust by the one who owns it or for those who will benefit by it. It is a service performed for others. It is not about ownership or control. It is not a technique. It is who the leader is. It is an attitude—a state of being—a way of looking at the world. But it is not the passive, hands-off leadership that some have attributed to this way of thinking. It is a component of leadership that leaders were not intended to function without.
In the context of what Mr. Lippmann is talking about, it means not only maintaining the vision of and faith in those ideals, beliefs and hopes but, living those values as a model and example for others to follow. It means raising the sights and holding the focus of those we lead such that they are empowered to reach their potentials. It means enabling people by getting the roadblocks out of their way and often out of their thinking. To do this, of course, the leader must grasp the larger picture at all times and hold the course for the benefit of all.
Understanding Servant Leadership
In the widening chasm between what we want and expect from our leaders and what we are getting, it seems only natural to take a hard look at leadership itself. And many do. Finding the leadership we see around us lacking, our traditional views of leadership might seem to be archaic. Out of what can only be frustration, we often find many traditional ideas tossed out for new and myopic ideas of what leadership is all about. Due to real and perceived problems with what we have seen leaders doing, the faults of the old views seem sufficient to float the new. The self-serving nature of many of the leaders we have looked to in the past, have led some to call for more passive, follower-driven leadership.
One such version has called for replacing leadership with a concept called "stewardship." Although this might look at first blush to be what Mr. Lippmann was referring to, it is not. Neither does it refer to the biblical concept. Stewardship cannot replace leadership because indeed it is an integral part of it.
This nouveau-stewardship, as we will refer to it here, has as a guiding principle, the belief that others have the knowledge and the answers within themselves. As such, there is no need to manage other adults. No need to teach others how to think, behave or conduct themselves. While this sounds very appealing, democratic, liberating and almost mystically primal, it is naïve. We know from experience that people do not always act in their own best interest.
All of this might sound arrogant to an age that has placed in higher esteem personal knowledge over external guidance. As the structures and institutions that have traditionally provided us with external guidance are dissolving—the family, schools and religion—the desire to believe that we are our own best source of wisdom and will act in our own best interest, is strong. Theoretically, it would seem to make sense. Practically, it has never worked in any sustainable way. Human studies have shown that we all take our cues not from the realities of the environment, but from our own biases, desires, perceptions, and distractions. A function of leadership then, should be to help followers create a more accurate and constructive view of reality by painting the larger picture.
What Is Stewardship?
The nouveau-stewardship model is based on a myth that leadership—where direction, vision and guidance comes from the top of an organization—creates a dependency on the part of the followers and removes personal responsibility and satisfaction. But does it really?
When the concept of nouveau-stewardship is presented, it most often claims to have roots in the Bible. Perhaps so. But then proponents of this nouveau-stewardship go off on a tangent that the Bible never intended. When the concept of stewardship is first presented in the Bible, in Genesis 1 and 2, Adam was instructed to "dress and keep" the physical creation God had made. Not a passive hands-off approach. Adam was to apply God's Laws and thinking to the physical realm he created. Adam was expected to do something. In living with it, he was to make changes in accordance with higher laws and thinking other than his own.
In the same way, when we are given any other leadership responsibility, we are responsible for maintaining a set of standards that is line with higher laws. Again, we are not to impose our own thinking, wants and desires on those we lead, but to apply those standards that are the best for the whole as authored by God. Naturally, this is implemented with respect for and two-way communication with those the leaders serve.
True leadership, not to be confused with dictatorship, does not take away an individual's freedom, choice, accountability, or responsibility. Just as the leader is to be serving and taking into account the ideas and needs of those they lead, those following that lead are to be doing the same thing. In doing so, they, along with the leader, practice self-restraint, develop character, integrate discipline, and practice love and respect for other people. This creates a kind of self-leadership at all levels of the group. It promotes a self-leadership environment where all are empowered and working toward the good of the whole because it is in the best interest of all.
Daniel Goldman, author of Emotional Intelligence, refers to this kind of concern for others feelings, ideas and opinions, as empathy. But, he cautions in a Harvard Business Review article, that "empathy doesn't mean a kind of 'I'm okay, you're okay' mushiness. For a leader, that is, it doesn't mean adopting other people's emotions as one's own and trying to please everybody. That would be a nightmare—it would make action impossible. Rather empathy means thoughtfully considering employees' feelings—in the process of making intelligent decisions." In other words, true stewardship or custodianship means taking others' ideas and feelings into account while holding in trust—keeping as boundaries or guardrails—the groups ideal's, beliefs and hopes. Ironically, an attitude of service keeps the leader aware of other's needs while in turn enabling them to become better leaders.
The nouveau-stewardship model sounds right on the surface, but it plays out more like a defense mechanism than a constructive method to get leadership thinking back on track. As Mr. Lippmann correctly defines, leadership is truly about choosing service over self-interest. Leadership properly performed is not a consensus-building exercise but an exercise in outgoing concern for others including defining and setting boundaries as needed.
Leadership's Firm Foundation
What is critical to the leadership process and its success, is where those values come from that determine those boundaries. They can't come from a single individual. Nor can they come from the collective whole. Where do we get the ideals, the beliefs and the permanent hopes that Mr. Lippmann wrote of, that define the boundaries—those guides that mold and shape us?
George Washington believed that those values and boundaries came from God. In his first Inaugural Address he asserted that "we ought to be no less persuaded that the propitious smiles of Heaven can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right which Heaven itself has ordained."
Again, our boundaries must come from something outside of ourselves. That something is God. An effective leader has an agenda designed to produce results, but is guided by a core of values that come from outside and not from within. This process is maintained by means of the leader's integrity or custodianship of those values.
Stressing the need for integrity to an outside core of values in the performance of proper leadership, John Adair, Visiting Professor of Leadership Studies at the University of Surrey and Exeter in England, states, "Although it is impossible to prove it, I believe that holding firmly to sovereign values outside yourself grows a wholeness of personality and moral strength of character. The person of integrity will always be tested. The first real test comes when the demands of the truth or good appears to conflict with your self-interest or prospects. Which do you choose?"
Perhaps it is time to apply those "eternal rules of order and right", those values, to the leadership roles we must perform and lives we do lead. Everyday activities are opportunities to demonstrate and illustrate the values and beliefs for which we must be custodians. Thus, the element of empowerment is introduced into our lives. Every person becomes in some sense a leader.
The Being that created us and knows what is best for us, is the source of the values we must demonstrate. In His Word he teaches us how to serve, how to look after each other, how to esteem others higher than ourselves, how to teach—in other words, how to lead. It is where we will find the guidelines we seek to steer a course through this complex age. | | | |
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Career
R Shokwungnao on 07/23/2010 at 1:36am (UTC) | | | Life is full of choices. In the same way, there are multiple choices for our Career too. I felt that the information, guidance and counselling on CHOOSING A CAREER is a must to every student before reaching collegiate level. Choosing a Career is one of the basic factors which determine the type of life a person wants to live. Our choices in life have consequences. We are free to make our choice but after we have chosen, the choice controls us. The choice is ours. Life can be compared to a potter maker who shapes clay in any form he wants. Similarly, we can mould our lives in to any shape we want. It is something like hundreds of boats sailing in all different directions in a lake going in different directions as determined by the sailor, even though the wind is blowing in only one direction. The same applies to our lives. We cannot choose the direction of the wind, but we can choose how we set to sail.
Some of the qualities that I felt make a person successful in life:
1. Desire-A burning desire is the starting point of all accomplishment,
2. Commitment –Dedication, Committing oneself to the goal that is set before him/her. It is our decision what thoughts will dominate our lives. Success is not an accident. It is the result of our attitude.
3. Responsibility – Accepting responsibilities involves taking risks and being accountable which is sometimes uncomfortable. Most of the people want to stay in comfort zone and live passive lives without accepting responsibility.
4. Hard work –“The harder you work, the luckier you get”-Henry Ford. One cannot develop a capacity to do anything without hard work. Hard work is both a beginning and an end in itself. The harder a person works, the better he feels, and the better he feels, the harder he works. Without hard work there is no success.
5. Character- Character is the sum total of a person’s values, beliefs and personality. Character-building starts from infancy and goes on until death. Character does not need success. It is success.
6. Positive Attitude- Living a positive life is not easy, but then neither is negative living. Given a choice, I would go for positive living. Positive thinking will help us use our abilities to the fullest.
7. The Power of Persistence: To preserver is to succeed. Persistent means commitment and determination. It is a commitment to finish what you start. Nothing will take the place of PERSISTENCE.
8. Learning Attitude-Get a mentor, choose your mentor carefully, a good one will give guide and give direction. It is the teacher who makes the highest contribution in shaping the future of society.
Above all trust God, because His word says –“For I know the plans I have for you,
-declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future”.(Jer.29:11).
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Hatred Antidote
Y Anon on 07/23/2010 at 1:25am (UTC) | | |
To Hate, if we go by its literal meaning is to love less or an aversion of something that does not appeal to one's taste or opinion. Yet when hatred brews between Humans its dictionary meaning is an understatement. To 'not like' someone and to 'hate' someone should not be mistaken as the same. Because i believe the latter involves an irrational contempt which may or may not be based on sum underlying issues.
Our society is not free from this malady, yes no society is perfectly free from it, but sadly i must say we Nagas are a bit ahead of most. i will not say that my Observations are correct, rather if they are proved otherwise id be most happy, and in this regard I am listing some of my observations down:
1. if something is wrong, we Nagas in most cases don’t care to look for" what is wrong?", rather we only look for " who is wrong?". I am of the opinion that both the questions are required and inseparable for solving any problem effectively.
2. we all expects people from other community to respect us ( Human dignity) and our rights yet quite a lot of us are not returning or displaying the same courtesy.
3. We tend to stereotype sections/tribes of a community on the MISTAKES that some individuals have committed.
4. We are proud, and rightly so of our forefathers, the tradition and culture that they have left behind for us, but I fear that it’s not enough to save our Image as a cultural society. Most of our youngsters’ don’t know or aren’t interested in our own History. i do fear we may soon stereotype the FEW among us who really cares for our History and culture, into something Unfavorable by the Fashionable Majority.
5. in most discussions and debates the use of ABUSIVE Language is becoming rampant (especially in community/social websites), both between us and against others, displaying for all to see how rotten we are. we are giving far too less importance to etiquette in conversations and I am very fearful of a backlash.
Whether you subscribe to it or not, the proclaimation “Nagaland for Christ" is a popular declaration among our people. i guess with this we have brought upon ourself the responsibility to be MODEL CHRISTIANS in the eyes of the world. Going by the parameters that describe good CHRISTIANS (apart from the number of concrete church buildings) I am not even slightly convinced that we are living up to the TASK. i hope we are Lucky enough to say NOW that its not too Late to rebuilt our society. a good start in this regard would be to do away with Hatred, i do not know if there is really an ANTIDOTE to hatred, for it can be caused by numerous and compounded reasons, but i would like to think that our religion has a nice remedy for it that says something like "we should love even those who hates us, its better to be hated that to hate". Well even if we can’t follow through, we can at least consider those who indulge in "HATE" as ARROGANT and pity the arrogance. | | | |
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