Ajay: Hey! Sorry that Im late.
Ajit: No problem. I got your text. All okay at the office?
Ajay: One of my colleagues has been going through some issues in personal life and had a meltdown today at the office. So some of us stayed back to help him through it.
Ajit: Oh what a weakling! Just ask him to pull it together and power through.
Ajay: I dont think its that easy. When you fall ill, do you seek help or ask yourself to power through it?
Ajit: But this is different.
Ajay: What makes you think mental health is less important than physical health?
Ajit: Its important. But as a leader dont you think you need to portray yourself as tough and strong?
Ajay: Well, I would like to think of myself as more of a sensitive and compassionate leader. Strength is not about turning your back to others problems, which is actually quite easy to do. What takes guts is to be compassionate, to show your vulnerable side.
Ajit: How can a leader be seen as vulnerable? If the commandant is seen as vulnerable, it demotivates the spirit of the soldiers.
Ajay: The world is changing and we need to stop equating this to some kind of war. Dukkha or suffering is one of three markers of human life according to Buddhism. Then why should we ignore it and harp on toxic positivity? It rains and shines in all of our lives. So, it’s unrealistic to expect someone to always be motivated and stay energised.
Ajit: Hmm.. I think that makes sense.
Ajay: Society puts so much pressure on us to always appear positive and I think it’s doing more damage than good leading to emotional repression. Unfortunately it has been the work culture at several companies. But we are living in a world which is growing more sensitive day by day.
Ajit: So you are saying your sensitive approach has been working?
Ajay: Definitely! It has helped build loyalty and boosted productivity among our employees. It brings out the human in us, makes our bonds stronger and helps us move together towards our common goal.