Lead kindly

This last week The McKinsey Quarterly brought into focus factors for succeeding at open- source innovation, in the light of the whopping number of downloads of Mozilla's latest Firefox web-browser version. In an organization where much of the software coding, product development, distribution and what not depend on volunteers, it was interesting to read what these factors might be. In her interview with TMQ, Mozilla Corporation's Chairperson, Mitchell Baker commented on the management styles adopted early on at Mozilla, that were very unlike traditional practices, but key to open-source innovation. And the secret? 'A balance between maintaining control and letting motivated people run with their passions…’

This sounds like the most intuitive thing, almost common sense, doesn't it? After all, every senior manager, of even the most traditional industry and thesis advisor, must surely be expected to live that very balance in some form or fashion. But like most fundamental principles of sound management and effective leadership, they only sound simple. To practise them is certainly much, much harder to do and truly inspiring when done. The heroes and towering personalities of our times, however, do not instill a sense of urgency to imbibe those values. No, by their very stature they become far-removed from our immediate reality (mine at least); an idol on a high pedestal, an excuse to not aspire to that ideal. But the people in our lives- the people we can meet with, laugh and cry with, touch and hold, whose struggles and triumphs we have watched first-hand; people who seem like any one of us in their demeanor, in their station in life, in their hopes and fears; the same people whose qualities and actions set them apart from every one of us, truly inspire.

One such friend stopped by a few days ago.

In the course of our conversation, we touched upon her work and how rapidly it had expanded from a prototype for an online tutorial to a product now deployed by governments across the seas, inspiring social workers in several developing countries. ‘Her’ project had now become the foundation for multiple sub-projects, spawning undergraduate summer research material, master’s thesis components, a non-profit organization and that’s only part of it!

And as we marveled over this incredible growth, she remarked ever so casually that while she had had some experience with professional project management, her current work called for a very different approach to management. A student-led not-for-profit initiative, run entirely by volunteers and funded by angels (in the truest sense of the word) and supported by only the most sincere, giving and passionate people driven by nothing other than the promise of a better informed and hence, safer world. It called for her to at once be able to provide the guidance, knowledge, acquired painstakingly over the last three odd years, and vision to each new aspirant to this mission; and yet let go of execution, and completely relinquish ownership of the new direction each mini-project will inevitably take. And when she spoke of it, she did so with a smile of assurance and faith in her team, total acceptance of the individuality they are bound to mark their work with and an earnest desire to see the very best be done in every aspect, even if that means having to step back and let someone else take the reins.

A fresh realization of what detachment means emerged for me; a most gentle and generous form of leadership revealed.

Ps: Having nothing to do with the web-browser itself, the article and the recollection of a greater leadership made me, finally, switch from IE to Firefox over the weekend! Hurrah!