Page 48 - How We Lead Matters

Power of One

My last visit to India reminded me of my first, 16 years earlier. I again was
struck instantly by its vibrancy, its color, the warmth of its people—but at the
same time overcome with a feeling of profound helplessness in the face of so
much poverty, so many challenges. What difference could one person make?
Like many business leaders who visit India, I saw highly sophisticated
call centers and technology companies where thousands of young people
were building careers in industries that hadn’t existed there a decade earlier.
One by one, they were making a difference for themselves and their families
in their new careers. I felt hopeful until I stepped back out into the street and
again was confronted with so much need. What could one person do?
I would receive the answer to my question during my last night in New
Delhi, at dinner with a woman who owned her own architectural firm. She
was very engaged in taking on social issues in a country where the problems
are so immense; many understandably would throw up their hands and say,
“I just don’t have enough resources to make a difference. Why bother?”
When I asked her how she carried on in the face of such abject need,
she reminded me of the story of Gandhi. He had only five possessions: a cloth
garment, a walking staff, a broken pair of eyeglasses, a pair of wooden sandals,
and a pocket watch. Yet he transformed the world with his commitment and
compassion.

Marilyn Carlson Nelson 31