The Call to Leadership: Unlocking the leader within in times of crisis

Anita Mendiratta is an executive advisor, author, diplomat, and on-air personality. With over two decades of extensive global expertise in the realms of travel, tourism, aviation, and development, she spearheads the operations of the London-based international consulting firm, Anita Mendiratta & Associates.

This book unveils the authentic core of leadership during periods of profound adversity. Going beyond the mere technical facets of leadership, this book delves into the innermost thoughts and emotions of the world’s top decision-makers.

Here is an excerpt from The Call to Leadership: Unlocking the leader within in times of crisis by Anita Mendiratta.

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Whichever way we look at it, however, we reflect upon the pandemic, whatever good or bad we are able to make of it and take from it, echoing what was said right at the beginning of this book, the fact is this: it was hard. And for millions upon millions, it still is. The crisis hit all of us. Differently, yes, but it hit all of us, all at once. For a period of time, for the first time in our lives, everyone, everywhere was forced to live alone, work alone, learn alone, laugh alone, cry alone and especially grieve alone.

And for many, it forced them to die alone. Such is the case with any crisis that stops, rocks and reshapes our lives, whether personal or professional, local or global, recent past or after a significant passage of time. It can be incredibly hard to find a beam of sunlight through the darkness. And so sometimes you just need to reach for a flashlight, some source of brightness, no matter how small, to help us make sense of it all and take something good from it.

The Call to Leadership has given leaders a platform to share their personal stories and insights, giving us a unique understanding of how they approach challenges and crises. They have revealed how they are wired, how they found the strength to endure and inspire others during challenging times, how they understand their own ability to respond to crises, and how they were able to maintain faith in the future.

Through their experiences and our own, we have seen and felt the deeply personal changes that have occurred in a multitude of aspects of our daily lives. Most notably, we have seen changes in the many values of health, nutrition, space, movement, communication, technology, travel, nature, community, small businesses, essential workers and our connection to ourselves.

And yet now, as you are reading this, that time can feel like a lifetime ago. Masks are off, mobility restrictions are removed. The world is back to business, shaking hands, taking a seat at the boardroom table, gathering in conference halls, on the aircraft, wherever people are being asked to ‘show up’. Forgetting is all too easy and few signs of those challenging times remain. We see no milestone markers, masks or memories people choose to hold onto.

Why remember? Why hold on to those times, looking back when we need to move forward, rapidly, with no regrets? Fast-forwarding without an understanding of, and respect for, the past would waste, even insult, the call to action we all heard, and felt, to different degrees. The understanding we take away from the pandemic goes beyond what businesses, governments, academics and others are reported to have experienced and analysed. It goes beyond the well-packaged, widely profiled and promoted analyses that are often used to predict the future by those in high positions of power, such as the C-suites and state authorities. It goes farther, and it goes deeper.

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