What two powerful men have just taught us about the power of the small

The headline picture of this post will be the defining image of the three-day US Presidential visit to India. If ‘one picture is worth a thousand words’, then what this one picture packs in is priceless: hope, friendship and warmth. I have been deeply influenced by Don Miguel Ruiz’s writings on creating ‘white magic’ (as opposed to black magic) by the use of those tools called words. Now, with words, gestures, symbols and events, these two world leaders – Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Barack Obama have created that kind of positive magic that has people around the world watching in admiration. Can we create that kind of white magic in our organizations, as we work? Of course, we can. Let’s see how, as we try and decode the magic.

The Power of the Small: When the Prime Minister served the President with a cup of tea on the lawns of Hyderabad House, he also served up a gesture of elegant humility that said “you are an honored guest or friend. Come, let’s strike an enduring partnership between our two great nations.” It was, obviously, a political gesture because both are politicians, but it was path-breaking. And, the two did go on to announce breakthroughs in the dialogue between the two sides. In “The Portrait of a Lady” Henry James writes, ‘There are few hours in life more agreeable than the hour dedicated to the ceremony known as afternoon tea’. The consequences of that agreeableness were there for all to see. Likewise, in organizations, individuals can build telling rapport with gestures this small. Leaders have to create opportunities for others to meet, sup and deal. This is not to say that we have not been doing so in organizations. The Prime Minister’s gesture just brings it to the forefront of our consciousness.

When women lead, Imagination plays catch-up: The sight of the young Wing Commander, Pooja Thakur (in the picture above, accompanying the President on his inspection of the Guard, the first time a woman officer has done this duty during a leader's visit), leading the inter-services Guard of Honor to the President soon after his landing in India, was electrifying. It showcased the arrival of the achieving Indian woman at the vanguard of the country’s renewed thrust. Combine this with the march of three all-women contingents drawn from India’s armed forces at the Republic Day Parade, where the President was the Chief Guest, and the world should get the message. A country that has been racked with episodes of atrocities on women is also on a parallel track, encouraging and growing its women. In a recent post on linkedin, "Let Women Rule the World", I had argued that women simply make better leaders. When women break through the glass ceiling, a whole mass of creative potential takes flight. Organizations can harness this potential to their benefit.

The informal touch, it works wonders: Symbolism it might be, but the warm hug with which Prime Minister Modi received the POTUS has captured our imagination. As has his addressing the President by his first name ‘Barack’. The PM knows that the Americans love their hugs and the easy informality of being addressed by their first name. Small gestures, but significant nevertheless. Path-breaking again because, as politician Jay Panda told a news channel, it has not been done before. This easy informality eases the ego divides, creates camaraderie. There are lessons in this for hidebound bureaucracies lurking in our organizations that can do with a shake-up.

Then, there is the power of the ‘local look’: If there has been one image that has rivaled, and sometimes surpassed, the best foot that the two powerful men have put forward, it is that of the First Lady of the US (FLOTUS, if you please!) stepping off Air Force One (above) in a designer ensemble created by India-born New Yorker, Bibhu Mohapatra. Mrs. Obama, in wearing it, deftly connected with Indians. That it was a lovely dress only added to the charm of the gesture. As organizations spread their wings, go global and also venture into the hinterland in their own countries, this kind of local touch can be the wind beneath their wings. Training employees to be culturally adept and sensitive can be fruitful for everyone.

I noticed these little things in the POTUS visit. Do you have something to share on this subject? I would welcome it.