One Global Shaper, many ideas

By Govind GM*

Source World Economic Forum-Forum Blog http://www.forumblog.org/

Great minds drive powerful ideas. For a simple idea to be converted to a great idea, it has to be refined, polished and mixed with varied perspectives. The Global Shapers Community is a platform where simple ideas can be churned to orbit shifting ideas. A platform where ideas meet smart and sharp minds. More importantly, it is an incubator where these ideas can be actionized by individuals who are one step ahead in society transformation and future leadership potential. A crude idea taken from the Global Shapers Hub will be dissected, discussed and debated, and the end product would be a polished idea.

Every day, I start by reading news about the Indian economy booming and shining, be it in terms of GDP or its extra ordinary growth rates. India is projected to be in the league of world's top economies very soon. Unfortunately, statistics shows me a very different picture - A picture where 41.6% of the total population falls below the international poverty line of US$ 1.25 a day, 47% of  children below the age of three are malnourished, and what not. I have met people who have no option but to walk almost 10-12 kilometers to buy basic medicines. There is a mismatch somewhere.

During my professional stint the Middle East, I came across a lot of Indians working and living in tough conditions. Manual labour is no joke when the sun is burning the sand at 50 deg c. Yet each and every person's story had the sweetness of success and hard work. They left their nearest and dearest ones back in the country that they would visit once in 5 years, or probably even 10 years. Their kid's smiling face photographs, kept hidden in their wallet, would keep them go on and on.

Be it a great leader or a small migrant worker, people are driven by dreams.  

I have first hand experience in dealing with people who have taken up leadership roles and self-support actions at the community level, voluntarily or involuntarily, even though living in difficult circumstances. We have heard and read stories about great successful leaders over and over. But it’s time we appreciate and foster leadership activities at the grass roots level, even if small. For a country like India which is developing at a very rapid pace, it is very crucial that each and every citizen take up the leadership roles in whatever way they can and try to bring in the change rather than waiting for someone else to. This is where the importance of passing the leadership message comes to picture.

I believe in teaching a man to fish rather than feeding him for a day. There is a strong need of orbit shifting ideas for sustainable or continuous growth in Urban and Rural India. I personally believe India is not about the metropolitan and the cosmopolitan cities. It is more about the rural villages and small towns. These small towns and villages will drive the growth of India in the coming decades. The India Economic Summit is the opportunity to explore these opportunities and more.

 * Govind GM is a Global Shaper, Bangalore Hub, Editor in Charge MSN Leadership Channel, India