Trumpcard for a trustee

The race for the hot seat, not the Kaun Banega Crorepati 2 variety but, the one at 209, Dr D. N. Road has begun in earnest. Some of the candidates for the Bombay Parsi Punchayet (BPP) trusteeship elections appear to be quite serious while a few others seem to be red herrings or just running for fun or perhaps some cheap publicity.

Technically, this race is for leadership in the community. Politically of course there are several permutations and combinations involved. As a voter what would I be looking out for in a potential candidate? Here is my checklist: Readers and other voters should feel free to add their own expectations.

Integrity and fairness naturally stand high up on my checklist. I would also put having a clear sense of vision and mission high on my list which can then form the basis of this more than 350-year-old institution’s parameters. The potential candidate should be one who would strive for excellence — going beyond the call of duty, doing more than others expect, looking after the smallest detail and going the extra mile.

He/she should have the ability to work together towards a common vision and through teamwork. It should be less ‘me’ and more ‘we.’ The potential leader should be gifted enough to unleash the dynamic process of making people (particularly staff and volunteers) more effective, increasing their competence and through them, achieving goals. Very recently my son had applied to the BPP for a loan scholarship. I was pleasantly surprised receiving a response within 24 hours from the executive in charge of that department. I think this efficiency is a result of the effective piloting of the education and youth affairs department (earlier under Dr Mehroo Bengalee and presently under Dinshaw K. Tamboly). Clearly, the effectiveness of a good leader lies in his ability to share and develop leadership in others through empowerment.

There is no doubt in my mind that this race is a struggle for power. Power is a natural phenomenon in human beings. Any system devoid of power is a dead system. However, in any organizational system, the power should be balanced and its concentration, either at one source or at few places, could create serious problems. The potential candidate should have the ability to help diverse personalities (particularly on the board) to merge into an effective social whole. He/she should stimulate them, rather than browbeat them, and help the team use all their abilities and experience at optimum level.

Flexibility is also a virtue I would look out for. By flexibility I do not mean compromise on matters of principle. The person who knows what is right, is tough, efficient and ambitious, and has had success and recognition, tends to become awfully impressed with himself or herself, and begins not to look at each new situation in its own right. Adding flexibility to the blend of integrity, fairness, sensitivity and imagination helps the individual and organization to rise.

The potential candidate should also have the capacity to manage differences of opinion which has always been the bane of the BPP board. The trick is in keeping disagreements impersonal and agreeing to disagree in an agreeable manner. A good leader encourages constructive criticism, usually pushing the critic to suggest an alternative course, if there is one. In every organization and particularly in the BPP, it would be in everyone’s interest that the board’s energy should be harnessed in fighting for the cause and not against one another.

The potential candidate should also be enthusiastic and committed. A committed individual shows service/duty before self, the daily triumph of integrity over skepticism, and the determination to make a difference in the community despite odds.

Does such an individual exist in the real world? Well, one can always aspire!

NOSHIR H. DADRAWALA