Narrow Results

The debate between Gandhi and Tagore aptly represents mutual respect for varying perspectives that unfolded in the crucible of Indian freedom struggle guiding the destiny of democracy in India. Though Gandhi– Tagore debate has often been studied by scholars for highlighting the agreement or divergence in their views, this chapter examines this debate as an entry point into an understanding of Gandhi’s ideas on democracy. First, a study of the relationship between Tagore and Gandhi is expected to shed light on the reflection of democratic ideals in Gandhi’s very personality. Second, several themes — like the importance of the dignity of labour, the idea of village republics as the building block of democracy, the participation of masses in the creation of their destiny, the path to the achievement of not only political freedom but real swaraj, and the importance of education for swaraj — emerge from the debate and provide an indispensable framework for understanding Gandhi’s ideas on democracy. This chapter undertakes an analysis of various letters, essays and exchanges between Tagore and Gandhi, and also supplements them with various key texts by Gandhi which throw light on his ideas on democracy. These especially shed light on India’s dialogical traditions, which were to lay a strong foundation for Indian democracy — the tolerance of dissent and respect for diversity being prominent among them. The issues arising from the Gandhi–Tagore debate, therefore, continue to be relevant today.

Storytelling in leadership research is usually approached positively and seen as a non-problematic resource or even a “tool” for leadership purposes. However, using stories and narratives involves challenges for leaders. Storytelling may result in intended outcomes, but it also carries a risk for undesirable leadership consequences. In the storytelling approach, there is a hidden assumption that listeners are homogeneous and that they are not critical or active. Empirical studies rarely approach failed storytelling experienced by leaders: the feelings of failure, reasons, and consequences. In this chapter, we focus on the risky nature of leadership storytelling as well as the element of learning to be a better leader inherent in it. Based on empirical qualitative data, we apply thematic and content analysis on interviews from 13 leaders. Based on the findings, we present the following five special dimensions/themes of failure, illustrating the risks involved in leadership storytelling: (a) diversity of the audience, (b) situation/context, (c) loss of authority, (d) storytelling skills, and (e) audience misinterpretation. We interpret the findings in the context of the leaders’ personal experiences, their meaning for the leaders’ self-reflection, and the leaders’ leadership learning for the future. Moreover, we discuss these dimensions from the perspective of diversity and the hidden assumption in the storytelling approach that the listeners are a homogeneous group.