ICC Conference: Leadership Requires Constant Practice

By Jawahar Malhotra
HOUSTON: As each panelist spoke their piece, it stirred emotions in the minds of the people in the audience that surely, some of these qualities existed inside them, that somehow they just failed to see themselves use these each day in their designated positions at work and especially as they strived in the alter egos as volunteers in the service of the community.

This is the ninth year that the India Culture Center has held its annual Leadership Conference to help community activists to be more effective in their non-profit organizations, many of which – of the 67 listed in the program handout – were represented in a portion of the main hall at India House this past Saturday morning, June 7. About 100 people attended the four hour program which ended with lunch catered by Vaishala restaurant. As the chief guest, Indian Consul General Parthvatheneni Harish could not attend; each of the organization leaders stood up and spoke briefly about their group’s work.
It made the audience, all of whom have engendered themselves in some way as purveyors of the public good for the welfare of the community they inhabit, ponder whether they could take back some ideas and instill them in their daily lives to be better leaders and trim some of their shortcomings. They all belonged to one non-profit organization or the other and had exhibited their zeal over the past few years in bringing together people for a cause. Manisha Gandhi, an ICC Board member opened the conference as the event Chair and introduced the speakers. Gandhi is also a reporter for TV South Asia and is seen around town with her videographer, Gautam Jani recording many events.
“Where do you find your inspiration when you start your day when dealing with a tough situation?” asked the keynote speaker Dr. Reagan Flowers, the founder of the C-STEM Teacher and Student Support Services, which provides an integrated Science Technology Engineering and Math enrichment program for Pre-K through 12th grade. She started the program in 2002 and has steered it to $3 million in revenue and impact over 100,000 students.
Flowers motivated the audience with examples from her own endeavors and listed the qualities that others expected from the people who led, peppering her speech with many motivational quotes and phrases. “Success comes to those who try one more time when others give up. Leaders create opportunities – quitting is not an answer,” she said, adding that she was a pioneer and a social entrepreneur.
She summed up her thoughts on leaders as being passionate about their work, with a thirst for knowledge, of strong character, believing in sustainability and mentorship, having a sense of purpose and vision, good self-presence, being charismatic, action oriented and being all things to all people. “Their key strategy is to remain engaged in the game of Life, staying the journey, responsible as architects of other’s destiny and maintain a pragmatic positive thinking,” Flowers concluded, adding that leaders should be willing to be misunderstood for a long time but build coalitions through effective communications.
The other three panelists came from the Indo American community itself and required no introduction as they are well known for their community-mindedness and activism.
Bobby Singh, the former president of the Indo American Charity Foundation, spoke about the making of an authentic leader, saying that the ability to lead meant there were followers. He is the founder and President of Project Assurance Consultants, an engineering firm that specializes in project, turnaround and contract management for the petrochemical industry. He is a widely acclaimed turnaround management specialist and has written a book on the subject.
Singh spoke from the vantage point of a corporate executive and gave examples of the contradictions between the free enterprise systems of the US and India as well as the need to temper rampant growth with empathy and respect of others. “You should have mindfulness and not rush to be judgmental,” he concluded, adding “We have to challenge ourselves as to what kind of leader I am.”
The next speaker was Rathna Kumar, a world-acclaimed dancer of the Bharat Natyam and Kuchipudi styles who has won accolades and honors in India, the US and Europe. Kumar has called Houston her home since 1975 when she came with her husband Anil. She spoke about her personal experience that led her to give up the pursuit of a PhD in English at Rice University and instead turn to teaching young kids Indian classical dance and in the process imparting the knowledge of Indian history, language and culture. “I brought from India my whole baggage of mythology, history and culture and realized that if I didn’t teach my charges the meanings of the songs,” she said with a smile, “then they would not be able to capture the right gestures.” She added that she “was a teacher but an accidental leader … and had to show that I could be trusted by the parents.”
The final speaker was Leela Krishnamurthy, a beloved figure among many charitable circles in Houston whose interests lie in uplifting the children, the needy, and families in distress. She is on the boards on four non-profits while her husband Nat is on boards of several others and the two do everything together. “I didn’t know whether I fit the bill as a leader,” she said, “but when I realized it also involved the humanities, I thought ‘I’m in’!” Krishnamurthy said her mother was her inspiration and recalled how she would feed the hungry all day long on her daughter Leela’s birthdays. She has worked on building a house for Habitat for Humanity and recalled how, a few months ago, a shoeshine woman at Bush Intercontinental Airport called out to her and clasped her hands, thanking her for the house she built for her family!
Parul Fernandes moderated the handful of questions that were submitted on cards for the panelists and Swapan Dhairyawan, a past ICC President, current Chief Trustee and tireless activist who attends most community functions, concluded with thanks to the speakers and awards for them. He lauded the 41 years that the ICC has served the community said that the conference was an inspiration to everyone to be servers, not to quit and be communicative.