After a 15 hour long flight, then almost 10 hour bus ride on the curvy roads of the mountain sides, and almost passing out, I come to share some learnings. Turns out theres something called motion sickness, and from I have learned so far, it is when your brain thinks you are moving but the eyes don’t recognize it. It is very cruel. For me, it started around the 6-7 hrs mark when the roads started to turn every few meters. It is then that I realized that I should have taken the advice and taken medication when I was offered. I learned it for the next time. Anyways, for future I also learned that the best way to prevent motion sickness is by looking out of the window to show your eyes that you are actually moving.
Now to reflect on some questions:
- What cultural norm(s) of the host country do you anticipate being a challenge to learning about leadership? Why?
- The one cultural norm of India that I anticipate being a challenge to learning about leadership is personal space. In India, people are generally more comfortable with closer physical proximity, which could impact how we understand leadership. Unlike in some Western cultures where personal space is generally expected, in India, personal space is not a general expectation. Therefore, this could limit how a leader would communicate with the team. It is pretty common for groups of people to stand or sit in very close proximity and it is seen as perfectly normal in most parts of India. This closeness in physical distance could cause a lot of leaders to feel pressured and not free to make independent decisions. However, I believe in India, leaders who make decisions in close circles or have close interactions with their team members are considered idle leaders. And, I think this would be most closely related to democratic leadership, as learned in the class, they are leaders are generally closely connected with the team members and will consider most, if not all the suggestions and bits of advice given to them by the team members. In other words, personal space in India can impact how leadership is presented and practiced. In the Indian culture, it is more about adapting to work along with the people rather than leading them.
2. Are leaders born or made? Why?
- Leaders are made. I believe leadership is a skill and skills are learned and practiced. I want to first talk about how leaders being born as a leader does not make much sense. If we consider how most great leaders have a great leadership background or education, we can confidently conclude that it is not just birth that makes someone a great leader. As learned in class, we have a lot of ways to understand and lead a group of people and become a great leader. If it is something that can be taught then it is something that practice can make perfect.
3. What do you think is the hardest part about being a good leader?
- Being a good leader requires strong communication and problem-solving skills. However, I think the hardest part of being a good leader is always keeping ethics in mind and actively practicing it. It is hard for us humans to make decisions when they involve people that we love and care about, so that is where the hardest part comes. It is when we have to decide between doing something right and ethical or something that will benefit the team the most. Sometimes a good leader must sacrifice their own self benefits and do what is morally right, even if that means something bad for the team.