Leadership at 20000 feet..!!

Today i had the opportunity to attend a leadership presentation titled"Leadership at 20000 feet" by Capt. Raghu Raman, ceo. Mahindra SSG. Capt. Raghu was a captain with Indian army, served at Siachin glacier and has also been a part of UN peace forces in Angola. Never before in my life have i got a truer picture of leadership than what capt. Raghu gave us today. The hardships and difficulties a soldier goes through while serving in Siachin is overwhelming, our problems lose ground in front of those. These soldiers endanger their lives and bear such hardships for the meagre pay and affection that they get from the GOI and Indian citizens they protect. Capt. Raghu said that its the leader that this soldiers bear such hardships for. Its not the patriotic feeling or the pay that motivates these soldiers to endure such extremes but their love and respect for the leader of the battalion that they lay their lives for. It has been scientifically proved that a soldier who spends more than three terms serving in the siachin glacier develops some form of permanent physical or mental illness. Also 30% of the soldiers serving in Siachin are bound to die due to either the war or the nature extremes they face in the Siachin region. A large part of the remaining flock that survives develops some permanent illness. In such conditions it is the leader of the battalion who keep the spirits high and keeps the camp going. Hearing all these straight from the horse's mouth added conviction to the talk. In the extremes conditions faced by the soldiers at Siachin, the leader at times has to take tough decisions resulting in the death of one or more soldiers. Making the right decision while keeping the spirit of the team together is true leadership. Capt. Raghu was utterly motivating and made audience believe that the problems faced by them in life are nothing as compared to those faced by our jawans on border. We should be greatly thankful for all the luxuries we have in life rather than cribbing about those we don't. Cribbing takes an individual nowhere and we cease to enjoy even the few joyful moments we have in life. Capt. Raghu Raman's Profile: http://www.expressitpeople.com/20030526/people1.shtml