ABSTRACT
The author asks how a leadership of integrity which builds trust can be encouraged at the personal and organizational levels, to bring positive change. What is the methodology? The need to do so, in an age of great disruptions, has never been more pressing. He looks at this at the workplace level, the state and public sector levels, and at the personal level. He quotes Steve Jobs, addressing Stanford University, as saying: “Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice.” The author encourages individuals to find the space to hear that “inner voice”, to listen to one’s “heart and intuition”. Meditation exercises help, he says. Yet he believes there is a qualitative difference between meditation techniques and “quiet time” which can be regarded as active listening, leading to ideas for action. The author suggests methods for practising this at the workplace, encouraging productivity, and at the personal level. The author revisits several stories of people who have applied this methodology in practice. He tells how a state government in India has introduced the notion of silent reflection across all government departments. He concludes that such practices globalize integrity and change the world for the better.
