Urban Flooding Example through a real-life situation
Mein aapko ek realtime situation me lekar chalta hun, which I think most of us can relate to very easily,
Garmi ke baad jab baarish shuru hoti hai, toh sabko accha lagta hai. Weather change ho jaata hai, thandi hawa chalti hai, aur lagta hai relief mil gaya. Lekin kabhi kabhi yehi baarish apne saath ek problem bhi le aati hai: Waterlogging,Floods.
Jaise pichle saal Gurgaon mein hua tha. Aur kuch saal pehle NCR ke kai areas mein, aur yahi situation lagbhag har chote bade sheher ki hoti hai. Roads par paani bhar gaya tha. Traffic ruk gaya tha. Log gharon tak pahunchne ke liye struggle kar rahe the.
Aur tab ek simple sa sawaal saamne aata hai: Yeh problem har saal kyun repeat hoti hai?
Main aapse bhi ek sawaal poochna chahta hoon. Agar koi problem baar-baar repeat ho rahi ho…toh kya iska matlab hai ki woh unsolvable hai? Ya phir iska matlab hai… humein apna plan change karna hoga?
Problem Framing
Pichle kuch saalon se hum municipalities ke saath urban flooding ke issues par kaam kar rahe hain. Har monsoon mein situation almost same hoti hai. Jab hum ground par gaye aur problem ko dhyaan se dekha, toh ek interesting cheez samajh aayi. Goal sabko pata tha: Urban flooding ko mitigate karna hai.
Goal clear tha. Lekin problem goal mein nahi thi. Problem plan mein thi. Hum is problem ko ek simple approach se solve karne ki koshish kar rahe the:
Pumps lagao, Paani nikaalo
Situation control karo, Lekin reality yeh thi ki agle saal phir wahi problem wapas aa jaati thi.
Leadership Insight from Example
Aur wahi moment hota hai jab leadership ka real test aata hai. Jab aapko decide karna hota hai:
Kya hum wahi purana approach repeat karte rahenge?
Ya problem ko ek naye perspective se dekhenge?
Tab ek thought aaya: Agar har industry technology driven ho rahi hai…toh flood mitigation kyun nahi? Tab humne apna approach and Plan change kiya.
Product-driven approach se technology-driven approach ki taraf shift kiya. Goal same tha: Urban flooding ko mitigate karna. Lekin us goal tak pahunchne ka plan change ho gaya.
Aur wahi leadership ka real moment hota hai. Jab aap realise karte ho… Goal fix hota hai. Plan flexible hona chahiye.
Leadership Mindset Shift
Iss experience se mujhe leadership ke baare mein ek simple baat samajh aayi. Bahut log sochte hain leadership ka matlab hai har situation ka perfect answer hona. Perfect plan hona. Lekin reality mein aisa nahi hota. Leadership ka matlab yeh nahi hai ki aap kabhi galti nahi karte.
Leadership ka matlab hai ki jab cheezein plan ke according na chalein, tab aap situation ko samjho… aur adapt karo.
Plan A Reality (Stability & Agility)
Aur ek aur important cheez maine time ke saath seekhi. Life aur leadership mein aksar hum Plan A ke saath start karte hain. Hum sochte hain Plan A kaam karega. Kabhi kabhi karta hai. Kabhi nahi karta. Jab Plan A kaam nahi karta, toh leadership ka real test start hota hai.
Kya aap ussi plan ko push karte rahoge… Ya ruk kar situation ko dobara samjhoge?
A.C.T. Framework
Iss framework ko samajhne ke liye teen steps hain:
A – Accept Reality
Sabse pehla step hai reality ko accept karna. Kabhi kabhi plan kaam nahi karta. Aur yeh accept karna easy nahi hota. Kyuki humne us plan mein time invest kiya hota hai. Effort invest kiya hota hai. Lekin jab tak aap yeh nahi maanoge ki Plan A kaam nahi kar raha… tab tak aap aage badh hi nahi sakte.
C – Change the Plan
Jab reality clear ho jaati hai, toh next step hai – plan change karna. Yahin par Plan B, Plan C aate hain. Leaders react nahi karte. Woh re-think karte hain. Situation ko dobara dekhte hain, gaps identify karte hain, aur phir ek better plan banate hain.
Example:
Har saal hum apni organisation mein ek Annual Operating Plan – AOP banate hain. Ek saal humne Plan A banaya… vision clear tha…Lekin saal ke end tak humein realise hua ki cheezein exactly waise nahi hui jaisa plan tha.
Ab do options the:
“Shayad goal hi galat hai.”
“Plan mein gap kaha tha?”
Humne doosra option choose kiya. Humne dekha kya kaam nahi kiya. Kahan assumptions galat the. Kahan execution weak tha. Aur phir agle saal humne Plan B banaya. Is baar zyada realistic. Zyada achievable. Goal wahi tha. Sirf plan better ho gaya.
T – Thrust Again
Teesra step sabse important hai. Naya plan banana kaafi nahi hota. Us par poori energy ke saath kaam karna padta hai. Kyuki agar commitment weak ho, toh Plan B bhi fail ho jayega. Leadership ka matlab hai har naye plan par utni hi intensity se kaam karna jitni pehle kiya tha. Goal ko chhodna nahi. Bas naye raaste par poora thrust lagana hai.
Audience Activity + Insight
Raise your hand agar aapki life mein aapne koi goal set kiya ho, aur us goal ko achieve karne ke liye aapke pass do options mile ho:
Safe option with less probability to reach to goal Risky option, with high probability to reach. Ab honestly sochiye… kitne logon ne safe option choose kiya tha? Aur kitne logon ne risky option choose kiya tha?
Interesting baat yeh hai… aaj jo bhi decisions yaad kar rahe ho jo thode risky the… wahi decisions aapki life ko shape dete hain.
Safe decisions aapko stable rakhte hain. Uncomfortable decisions aapko transform karte hain.
Personal Story – Failure & Comfort Zone
Apna current venture shuru karne se pehle maine teen startups start kiye the. Aur teenon fail ho gaye.
Har failure ke baad ek moment aata tha: Sabse easy option: comfort zone mein wapas jao Stable job le lo, safe path choose kar lo
Aur honestly, main bhi yeh soch sakta tha: “Shayad entrepreneurship mere liye nahi hai.”
Lekin maine ek doosra sawaal poocha: “Goal galat hai… ya sirf mera plan galat tha?”
Tab mujhe ek important cheez samajh aayi. Goal galat nahi tha. Plan galat tha.
Aur agar plan galat tha… toh usse change kiya ja sakta tha. Toh maine comfort zone mein wapas jaane ke bajaye ek aur baar try karne ka decision liya. Plan change kiya. Approach change ki. Lekin goal wahi rakha.
Leadership ka real test bhi wahi hota hai: Jab situation tough ho jaaye, toh aap safe option choose karte ho ya comfort zone se bahar nikal kar ek aur attempt karte ho.
Comfort zone aapko secure rakhta hai… Growth uske bahar milti hai.
Core Leadership Principle (Analogy)
Agar aap kisi destination par jaana chahte ho aur ek road band mil jaaye… Kya aap destination change karte ho? Nahi. Aap route change karte ho. Leadership bhi exactly aisi hi hoti hai:
Goal = destination
Plan = route
Routes change hote rehte hain, goal stable rehta hai.
Closing – Key Lessons & Final Message
Aur isi journey ne mujhe do important lessons sikhaye: Growth comfort zone ke bahar hoti hai. Leaders perfect conditions ka wait nahi karte.
Woh wahi se start karte hain jo resources unke paas available hote hain. Leadership mein agility Situation badalti rehti hai Information change hoti rehti hai. Plans evolve hote rehte hain Goal stable rehna chahiye
Agar aaj aap kisi challenge ke saamne khade ho aur lag raha hai ki cheezein plan ke according nahi ja rahi… Shayad problem goal mein nahi hai. Plan ko change karne ki zarurat hai. Comfort zone se bahar nikliye. Agility ke saath adapt kijiye.
Leaders goal nahi badalte. Woh sirf us tak pahunchne ka plan badalte hain.
Final line: Change the plan. Never the goal.
Thank you.
I am Ankit Jain.
