Every leadership training I have been through, be it for the Indian Police Service or at McKinsey, was missing a critical element — training people how to dissent.
Without the ability to dissent, you only have yes-men (or yes-women), not leaders.
In the uniformed forces, all the marching and parade have only one objective — to train your brain to obey orders unconsciously.
And this does help when you want people to execute your instructions, no matter how unpleasant or dangerous. E.g., in the middle of a riot, you can’t have people flinching.
But the job of leaders is more complicated. They have to do the right thing, not the convenient thing. So when their boss gives an incorrect or illegal order, they should say ‘no.’ How many are doing that? Hardly any.
Just to illustrate — you see so many people arrested for criticizing some powerful politician. And what is the legal provision for that? None. Zilch. Yet, it is happening merrily because senior cops are unable to say no to their bosses.
When I quit the government to join the private sector, I imagined that dissent and debate would be the norm there. Sadly, I was wrong.
I have realized that when your fate rests in the hands of your boss, it is very hard to antagonize them. It will be a rare boss who accepts dissent graciously.
We all feel uncomfortable when challenged or when we have to challenge others — but if comfort is what you are seeking, don’t take leadership roles.
Living with discomfort is the essence of leadership.
– Rajan