Article 4: The Strength of Social Leadership: Growing as a Sapling

A sapling is fragile. One careless step can crush it. A harsh sun can dry it. A strong wind can bend it. Yet within that tender stem lies the power to grow into a mighty tree.

This is the stage of social leadership when your seed has sprouted and your roots are firming up. You are not just dreaming anymore, you are doing. People begin to notice your work. Your growth is visible, yet vulnerable. This stage is about resilience, patience, and the strength to keep growing even when doubts and difficulties surround you.

Leadership, like a sapling, grows in stages. John Maxwell's 5 Ps capture this journey:

• Position – People follow because they have to. Titles give you recognition, but they don't define you. It's like the stick tied to a sapling to hold it upright.
• Permission – People follow because they want to. Relationships and trust make them walk with you. The sapling begins to stand on its own.
• Production – People follow because of what you have achieved. Your work speaks. The sapling offers first shade and freshness.
• People Development (Reproduction) – People follow because of how you helped them grow. The sapling now gives seeds for other saplings.
• Pinnacle – People follow because of who you are. The sapling has become a tree of legacy.

Ask yourself: where are you on this ladder? And more importantly, what are you doing to climb to the next step?

A sapling cannot choose the weather, but it can keep growing towards the sun. Likewise, a leader cannot always control circumstances but can control consistent effort.

This is burning desire. Without it, effort fades away. With it, effort becomes unstoppable.

As Swami Vivekananda said:

Storms will come. A sapling that bends survives; a sapling that refuses to bend breaks.

Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the "Iron Man of India," showed resilience when he united 562 princely states. It wasn't brute force but resilience, patience, and trust-building that shaped India's unity.

Social leaders must learn this lesson: bend when needed, but never break your values.

Failure is not the opposite of success; it is the foundation of success.

Ratan Tata's Nano project did not succeed commercially. Yet, his humility, willingness to try, and dignity in facing failure made him even more respected.

Remember Abdul Kalam's words:

A sapling that dries can be replanted. Likewise, every failure is a chance to grow deeper and stronger.

A sapling survives better when shielded by a fence. Mentors are those fences in leadership. They protect you from early mistakes, encourage you, and guide you.

Mahatma Gandhi had Gopal Krishna Gokhale. Swami Vivekananda had Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. Kalam had Vikram Sarabhai.

Find your mentor. Follow their footsteps until you find your own path.

When we started VIROC, we were like a young sapling in rocky soil. We wanted to adopt high-end robotic technology, but questions loomed over us:

• How will a small hospital without external funding manage the finances?
• How will we make such costly technology affordable for people?
• Will patients trust us when we were still young and relatively unknown?

But instead of getting lost in doubts, we chose the path of action. We sharpened our skills. We stayed dedicated to every patient. We built trust through integrity.

Slowly, our sapling took root. Patients began to believe. Surgeries increased. What sustained us was not money but a concept of three aspects: Skills, Dedication, and Integrity.

VIROC today stands as proof that a sapling can grow into a strong tree if nurtured with honest effort and burning desire.

Credibility is like the bark of a tree. It grows thicker with time. It comes not from speeches but from showing up again and again, doing the right thing even when no one is watching.

In the early years, when I had to return charges to a patient because robotic surgery was not possible due to weak bones, no one would have known had I kept quiet. But integrity demanded I tell the truth and refund the fees. That persistence with honesty built credibility that money could never buy.

Knowledge is like water stored in a pot. Unless you drink it, it quenches no thirst.

The Bhagavad Gita reminds us that action is supreme. Merely knowing values, leadership theories, or spiritual shlokas means nothing if not practiced.

So don't just learn; apply. Don't just read; practice.

A sapling grows not only upwards but also strengthens its trunk and branches. Leaders too must keep sharpening themselves.

Stephen Covey's "Sharpen the Saw" reminds us that renewal of skills, body, mind, and soul is essential.

At the same time, match skills with passion. Skill gives you strength; passion gives you energy. When both overlap, you become unstoppable. Think of Sachin Tendulkar or Lata Mangeshkar. Their mastery came from this overlap.

If your passion and skill don't overlap fully, balance them. Let one feed your livelihood and the other feed your soul. Both are needed for growth.

Instead of repeating the laws earlier, let us draw fresh lessons:

• Burning Desire as Tapasya – In Indian tradition, tapasya is the inner fire of determination. Without that, even a great cause withers. With it, even mountains move.
• Karma Over Knowledge – Vedas remind us that mere knowledge is incomplete without karma. Leaders must move from words to deeds.

A sapling is proof of hope. It whispers: "I may look small today, but tomorrow I will give shade and fruit."

So, keep your burning desire alive, act with integrity, persist with effort, and sharpen your skills. One day, your sapling of social leadership will grow into a mighty tree that protects, nourishes, and inspires countless lives.

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