V-shaped recovery: Virus to Vaccine & beyond
Eleven years ago, crores of Indians were introduced to a Virus of the most infectious type – Professor Viru Sahasrabuddhe, affectionately called Virus by the 3 Idiots (if you know, you know). He was a teacher and a caricature. Eleven years hence, we have another Virus, also an infectious teacher and caricature, both with spiky hair.

What a transformation we have seen – from an obstinate, overbearing, omniscient villain (also level 1, individualist leader, deadly virus with no cure) to an empathetic, incomplete yet authentic hero (95% efficacy vaccine on which rides the hopes of 7 billion citizens and 100 million investors).

I am imagining the Vaccine being interviewed for a job and on being asked why it is best suited for the job, with vanity oozing from its lips, proclaiming – “My efficacy is 95%! The next best I heard is 90%. Try me.” Oh! What a welcome it has got with 95% efficacy – twitter feeds are overflowing with people of all race, color, age pulling up their sleeves with so much glee. Never has human kind been so receptive of a needle. If a vaccine can be successful with 95% efficacy, you can too. You must read this very old article on HBR. https://hbr.org/2007/02/in-praise-of-the-incomplete-leader.

It gives me so much satisfaction to discover that there is such a thing as an incomplete leader, and I thank the virus, the vaccine and my new-found love for reading old articles for that.

By the way, there’s one other thing. It’s not even the end of the year but have you noticed that conversations on vaccines outnumber the virus 99:1 and people moving around with masks outnumber masked idiots 28:1? Why don’t people wear masks? Why does a virus that you have not seen bring too much fear and a vaccine that you have not felt bring too much hope? It has to do with communications efficacy and the traps we all fall into (including me) – too much data, formal language and the us/they syndrome. Coursera has a course.

I can somehow connect the dots. Professor Viru Sahasrabuddhe (Virus to his students) failed because he assumed (falsely) that he was a complete (100%) leader. “Life begins with murder. If you don’t compete you will die.” And “Life is a race. If you don’t run fast, you will be a broken andaa.” His words, not mine. We all know how that story ended.

Our lives in 2020 has vacillated between a virus and a vaccine. From my vantage position, I propose adding one more V word to it – validate. After 2020, will I seek validation for my self-worth. NeVer!

Winston Churchill made the V famous for defiance and the unrelenting charge toward Victory during World War II. Which V word would you like to add?
['Bijesh Kamath']
['Leadership Development', 'Communication', 'People', 'Leadership Skills', 'Communication Skills']