Defining moment
Defining moment is a moment of truth for any prospective leader. It leaves such an indelible impression that it thrusts the responsibility of a leader on the person. The person's decision to lead at the defining moment changes his complete perception AbOUT himself to draw out his hidden potential. it is an opportunity to draw out a person's strengths and overcome weaknesses.
Key Characteristics:
Defining moment need not necessarily be spectacular: In most cases, it is a very personal moment where a person comes to grip with the reality or weaves together several earlier instances in a way that makes real renewed sense. For the outside world it can appear to be a very normal event, with nothing spectacular or future defining about it.
Defining moment involves much personal stake: Defining moment, though nothing marvelous to the outside world, holds high stake for the person concerned. It could be an opportunity or a threat, which can change the complete world of not just of the person but also his close associates. More than anything else it is a definite calling for the person to take charge.
Defining moment is not an isolated decision: Defining moment is just the first among several other moments that a person FACES. It is typically a situation, which is the culmination of several past moments. Some times, it cannot be singled out, but when combined with the other moments it can mark out the leadership journey of a person.
Defining moment becomes null and void with out a decision: The crux of a defining moment is a decision to take charge of the situation and to lead. With out that decision, the moment passes away, just like any other occurrence, and nobody except the person would ever know that it was a calling for him to take control.
Defining Moments of Great Leaders:
Gandhi: On his own account, Gandhi categorized himself as a below average individual; as a student and as a professional. He was mild-mannered, diffident and politically indifferent. But one day in South Africa, as he read a collection of essays ‘Unto this last’ written by John Ruskin, Gandhiji met the defining moment. As he resonated on the ethical, social and economic values projected by Ruskin, Gandhiji suddenly realized the futility of life that he was leading till then. That created a spark of change in him and started his transofrmation as a leader.
Henry Ford: As a child, Ford was quiet and inward looking and spent much of his time hanging around his mother. He suffered a depression as he lost her at a very young age. His father despised him and literally wrote him off saying he might never amount to anything. One evening, as he stood watching the hirelings walking to their distant homes, he was told that they had to walk many miles in the morning and evening, since they could not afford horses or carriages. He met his defining moment and his fascination of democratizing automobiles, as he wondered whether he could ever build a mechanical carriage in which they could drive to work every day.
Gautama Buddha: Siddhartha Gautama was born in what is now Nepal near the border of India as a prince of a rich country. Siddharta was brought up in the lap of luxury, heavily guarded by his father from the outside world. But one day, when he was 29, as he went out for a drive in to the city, he was exposed to the sufferings of poor people, far removed from the pleasures of his palace. Siddhartha met his defining moment and started his pursuit to find an answer to all the suffering in life.
Defining Moment in the life of a prospective leader is similar to the 'Strategic Infelction Point', an organisational concept suggest by Andrew Grove in his book 'Only the Paranoid Survive'. It is defined as a changing of the rules of the game resulting in a massive shift in the way business is conducted.
The term Defining Moment was first used by the leadership thinker Sangeeth Varghese, in his book Decide to Lead, where he suggests that leadership could truly be democratized, if people are bold enough to embrace their defining moments.
Sources
References
- S.Varghese, "Decide to Lead:Eight Decisions that can Make You a Leader" (Businessworld, 2007)
- A. S. Grove, "Only the Paranoid Survive" (Doubleday, 1996)