New Delhi: The one person who has inspired generations with her courage, conviction and integrity is the living legend, Dr. Kiran Bedi. She was India’s first and highest ranking woman Police officer who single-handedly converted a notorious jail like the Tihar into almost a peaceful ashram. Among many other honours, she has also been decorated with the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay award.
Thus, it was indeed a grand occasion for the students of FMS, Delhi when this very epitome of endurance, integrity and devotion to duty came down to the campus to address them. She talked about the importance of leadership in every sphere of life and on how they, as the wealth generators of tomorrow could actually be ‘Value Generators’. She also came up with a seven step code for success for the emerging leaders of tomorrow. For many of the students it was an emotional moment where they got to meet and interact with their childhood idol.
Dr Bedi started off by asking the future managers about their goals in life. Explaining the importance of the first 100 days at a new workplace where we either establish or demolish what we promise, she recounted her experience when she was promoted as a Director General and had to take command of a sleepy and heavily bureaucratic branch of the Police. She explained the underlying organizational behavioural principles to her strategy which helped her in creating a highly integrated, responsible and accountable team. She then proceeded to her Seven-Step code for success - Work Habits, Sensitivity, Skills and Knowledge, Proactivity, Hunger for Knowledge, Team Work and Communication Skills.
After this the house was thrown open to questions which saw several eager hands shoot up in the air. Talking about the scanty interest of today’s youth in working for the have-nots, Dr. Bedi said that the seeds of compassion and sensitivity for the underprivileged need to be sown at an early age. She recalled her own days of volunteering for the Red Cross at the tender age of 14 and encouraged the students to volunteer for internships at her two foundations- Navjyoti India foundation and India Vision Foundation to get sensitized to real issues. Answering another question, Dr. Bedi said that earlier the question used to be “How can a woman do it?”, but now the question has become “How dare she leave us behind?” – leading to vehement nods from the women in the audience. She laid great emphasis on the importance of an understanding family which she described as her bedrock of success. Dr. Kiran Bedi rounded off the discussion by encouraging the students to manage their own expectations and do the right thing by listening to themselves. She urged them to be good human beings, nurture relationships and do their duty without expecting anything in return.