My father’s early death was a defining moment in my life and for my family. My mother sat us down and laid out the challenges ahead and the exciting opportunities that await us. When she was done explaining, she asked, “So, what do you intend to do now?”. While all the three of us children were still in school, that question turned out to be one of my life’s biggest lessons.

By 1995, my first startup Comnet was ready to take off. That is when I made four big mistakes.

It was 1993 when I did my first startup, Comnet. One question was important for me to answer before we started. What kind of leader do I wish to be and what kind of collaborators would make Comnet different to organisations around us.

I answered it with the help of the grid you see below. I believed managers are four kinds:

I have always wondered if we all are in a maze.

First few years I was running in this maze behind leaders with the assumption that they knew where they were going, only to be disappointed.

I next believed in the wisdom of the crowd and ran with the crowd because that made me feel safe and secure. Once again I felt I was going nowhere in that rat race.

Our family’s six-seater dining table, with its sun-mica top glinting in the light, was the cornerstone of my childhood home. While our everyday meals were shared on the kitchen floor, the table stood reserved for grander occasions. It came alive with guests, groaning under the weight of dishes so delicious I swear the flavours linger on my tongue to this day.