There are two leadership qualities that no school will teach you. The origin of these qualities lies in the core tenets of Buddhism and mindful practice.

Non-abandonment (see this post for more details) is the first of these qualities. In fact, non-abandonment is so powerful that one does not need anything else if one can practice non-abandonment to its fullest. Non abandonment arises out of compassion, which places it in the realm of most major religions (Christianity notably, which emphasizes compassion above all else).

While compassion is the driving force that leads to the development of ‘non abandoning’ qualities, it is possible to practice non-abandonment by itself (i.e. even without compassion). Daily practice of non-abandonment includes both ‘passive sitting meditation’ as well as ‘active engaging work’.

The second of these leadership qualities can be summarized as ‘building on strengths’.

Amateur leaders focus on eliminating weaknesses. A seasoned leader knows that far richer gains can be expected out of an employee who is made to focus on his/her strengths, than on correcting their weaknesses. If you focus on the strengths of your employees, you will create more leaders. I once read a quote that said ‘True leaders do not create followers, they create more leaders.’

Non Abandonment and Entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurs come in all shapes and sizes. The class mate at school you thought ‘least likely to succeed’ is the founder of the next successful startup.  The reason is simple. These entrepreneurs share one trait in common. ‘Perseverance’ is the industry term for this treat – but I prefer ‘Non Abandonment’ (applied to ideas instead of people).  These leaders never abandon their idea (their dream), no matter what the obstacle is. The interpersonal skills required to make this happen are the same as the skills described above – staying committed  – never abandoning a conversation or a person or any interaction with a person.

Summary

There are two ‘people skills’ which cannot be taught in any school. These skills are essential to any leadership role – and effectively, are a form of practicing ‘detachment’ from leadership (non attachment to wanting leadership roles). Non abandonment is a key force. What exactly IS non-abandonment ? Quite simply – You do not abandon people – no matter what. Not only is this trait valuable in day to day work interactions, it is essential to entrepreneurial success.

Thoughts? Comments ?

Anuj holds professional certifications in Google Cloud, AWS as well as certifications in Docker and App Performance Tools such as New Relic. He specializes in Cloud Security, Data Encryption and Container Technologies.

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Anuj Varma – who has written posts on Anuj Varma, Hands-On Technology Architect, Clean Air Activist.

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