Workshops :
"People's Beliefs with Powerful Examples"

Dinesh Chandra's association with Eicher began when he helped the group to implement total quality management during the late eighties. He has facilitated several workshops on transformational leadership for ECS. Dinesh is President of Global Quality Associates, USA, which specializes in organizational change brought about by personal transformation and by renewing the strategic planning process and developing strategy in an integrated manner - to create shared ownership and synergy. Despite being based in the US, Dinesh considers hi7nseiIf a citizen of the world, accustomed as he is to waking up in one country and sleeping in another. Here he talks about his experience of transformational leadership workshops. How effective is a 4-day workshop in transforming a person's life-long and deep-rooted beliefs? It opens people up to the possibility of change and shakes their beliefs with powerful examples. For instance, there is a simple exercise where people shake hands with their eyes closed. Yet, men realize that though they may have known each other for ten years or more, they are unable to recognize the hand they are shaking. They are so possessed by the brain they do no 't make full use of their other senses. They are unable to perceive reality. And the workshop mates them realize that there is more to reality than they have believed. When does such a workshop work most effectively for an individual? When he comes of his own volition, has some desire for self-improvement and believes that change is possible. Although sometimes it has also worked for people who have been sent by their organizations. They came resentfully, but nevertheless experienced a personal transformation. How does a personal transformation lead the individual to become a better leader? A transformational leader is one who lives in the moment, in the flow - as some experience it. He does not live in the past, feeling guilty, or in the future, worrying, most of the time. What he thinks, says and does are all aligned - what we call manas, vachan, karam - and therefore others trust him. He brings out the best in himself and helps others to attain their maximum potential. Great leaders have always had a clear mission, which has inspired others. In these workshops we all help each other to discover our true mission. What is the link between change in attitude and change in behavior? I believe everything we do is determined by our attitude. If a man is angry inside he will not be able to smile at the customer authentically and will just act mechanically. But the hardest thing is to go on pretending. When the man assumes responsibility for himself, when he realizes he is the cause of his own reality - a shift occurs in his attitude. Instead of being angry inside, he will start to smile inside and this will show in his behavior. A participant will ultimately return to his old environment. How does the workshop help him to persevere with his "new' behavior? I've learnt that it is important to continue partnerships with participants even after the workshop. We have not always been doing that. That is why 1'rn hoping the workshop (in August) with spouses and business partners will help because we have modified our program to provide transformational (T) coaching skills to participants. This will help to create partnerships that will help the person continue the process back home or at work. T coaching skills enable one partner to help the other discover his or her own truths, dark areas and blind spots. There is no fixing. And there is no nagging. How do the workshops help in building communities? Communities are where people express care for each other, where they are non judgmental. The workshop brings out the essential human core in all of us, so that at the end people are hugging each other in a very natural manner. I've realized that when we go deep within, human beings are so similar. The realization has transformed me as a person. When we recognize that the core is the same, it's hard not to like everyone. In a community you don't have to put on a facade. This is what happens at the workshop; after four days people are able to express their real selves. Can you recall a success story that impressed you because of the individual's total transformation? Not total, that is strong. But yes, there are several instances. There was this very strong, authoritative individual at one workshop. On the fourth day, he received several phone calls from his wife, kids, colleagues. They all told him his tone had changed. And he realized how much he had changed. Recently another participant told me: 'it took me a year to realize that 1'rn responsible for what I have and don't have in life.