‘It is very important for a leader to connect with their team’

Tamil edition of Kiran Bedi’s book Fearless Governance launched

Former Lt. Governor of Puducherry and former IPS officer Kiran Bedi on Monday said it was very important for a leader to connect with his/her team, listen to them and ensure all of them were on the same wavelength.

Addressing a gathering of women leaders of the FICCI FLO here at the launch of the Tamil edition of her book Fearless Governance, she said it was also necessary for a leader to declare his/her intention to their team members when embarking upon a new project. She said this in the context of her giving a speech during her swearing-in ceremony when she took over as Lt. Governor of Puducherry, something that is not usually done anywhere in the country. She also spoke about her regular open houses, one-on-one meetings with officials, field visits by bicycle and town hall meetings.

Ms. Bedi applauded the contribution of Mariazeena Johnson, Chancellor, Sathyabama Institute of Science and Technology, who donated generously to clean up a canal in Puducherry and was also supporting the education of several underprivileged students.

In his address, former IAS official G. Theva Neethi Dhas said when he was transferred to Puducherry from The Andamans as Secretary to the Lt. Governor, he did not expect governance to completely change. “Ms. Bedi chose to take over as Lt. Governor on a Sunday and wanted to meet the officials that morning. Puducherry and its Raj Bhavan are usually quiet places but all that changed,” he recalled.

When she took over, people were looking for a change and their expectations were not belied. She set an example of a good model that can be followed. “But she will not go beyond the rules, especially on financial matters. You can write volumes about her work. She documented every event very well,” he added.

Prasanna Vasanadu, chairperson, FICCI FLO, moderated the Q&A session.