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Inculcating leadership skills is what b-schools do best. Can <strong>the</strong>y do <strong>the</strong> same for building strength of character? J Philip, Xavier Institute of Management and Entrepreneurship Leadership Building tomorrow’s leaders “A fields, where <strong>the</strong> leader’s task is to provide a <strong>new</strong> leader is a dealer in hope”, said Napoleon Bonaparte. It is a terse but apt description of <strong>the</strong> rationale and legitimacy for leadership in many vision and make followers aspire and work for it. This is especially true of fields like trade unionism, politics, and religion. Trade union leaders keep <strong>the</strong>ir members motivated by instilling in <strong>the</strong>m a hope for a better work-life. Politicians do <strong>the</strong> same for <strong>the</strong> country, promising better lives for all. It is, perhaps, religious leaders who make maximum use of hope, as <strong>the</strong>y deal with <strong>the</strong> o<strong>the</strong>r world about which nobody knows anything for certain. In essence, <strong>the</strong>refore, a leader’s real job is to create that hope for something better, convert it into a vision for tomorrow, share it with followers, and make <strong>the</strong>m transcend <strong>the</strong>ir individual desires and work to <strong>the</strong> fullest of <strong>the</strong>ir capabilities to accomplish that superordinate goal for <strong>the</strong> common good. In a resurgent India—a competitive, confident, and young India, driven by dynamic leaders in every sector—we need to create effective leadership at every level, in every institution, and in every sector. We need a wide range of leaders—from <strong>the</strong> panchayat to <strong>the</strong> national level; <strong>the</strong> shop floor to <strong>the</strong> CEO; <strong>the</strong> school headmaster to <strong>the</strong> Vice–Chancellor; <strong>the</strong> primary level social worker to <strong>the</strong> head of an NGO, and so on. India is estimated to occupy third position among nations in terms of <strong>the</strong>ir GDP by 2030. To make this projection a reality and for continued and accelerated growth, <strong>the</strong> country needs leadership at every level, just as we need <strong>the</strong> latest technology. The primary responsibility of developing leaders lies with our education system, which is not well-equipped in this regard. ‘Leadership development’ needs to be included as a critical component of b-school curriculum since <strong>the</strong>se institutions shape <strong>the</strong> leaders of <strong>the</strong> country. Definitional diversity While <strong>the</strong> word ‘leadership’ is part of everyone’s conversation, it is understood differently by different segments of people. Also, <strong>the</strong>re is no complete agreement on its definition, even among scholars. John Kotter, <strong>the</strong> Konosuke Matsushita Professor of Leadership, Emeritus at <strong>the</strong> Harvard Business School says, “Leadership is about coping with change”, and adds that <strong>the</strong> leader develops a vision and <strong>the</strong>n aligns <strong>the</strong> followers to it. According to Robert House, former professor emeritus of management at <strong>the</strong> University of Pennsylvania, leaders are builders of strategies and vision. Stephen Robbins, professor emeritus of management at San Diego State University, uses a simple definition— “leadership is <strong>the</strong> ability to influence a group towards <strong>the</strong> achievement of I NDIAN MANAGEMENT NOVEMBER 2015 85