“We think that ethics and values is something that should be left up to parents or religious systems. So nobody is taking responsibility to set up a training platform for ethics,” he expressed. “We want to train people to be managers, administrators, bureaucrats and we think that somehow, automatically, they would become ethical individuals.”

 

Just as MBA students receive training in other aspects of management and leadership, ethics is also an area that requires sufficient training and commitment. However, adequate attention is not paid to this aspect of leadership training.

 

One of the other critical aspects of leadership that he touched upon was managing emotions. “We seem to live very compartmentalized lives. We think that we can be a good worker, manager or CEO and make all the difficult decisions, perhaps even unethical decisions. From 9am to 5pm, I can just be that person – then after 5pm, I can go home and be an ethical father, son, mother, etc. That’s how we compartmentalize things in our lives….But the human brain does not function that way,” he explained.

 

Managers must receive adequate training in emotion management so that they do not bring conflicting emotions such as anger, jealousy, etc, home and infuse it into their family lives. According to him, this is very important in emerging India as more spouses join the workforce, especially considering the demanding work hours that are required in this environment. Likewise, a problem on the personal front should not be brought to the professional sphere. “This is something that requires training – how to live a life of balance and vigilance,” he added.