Human resource, human capital, intellectual asset - these are the ways the corporate and business organizations define the human potentiality to-day. In reality human potential is neither a resource nor a capital. To define it that way is to undermine the potential of its true value.

It is said that there are 3 things in general whose potential is unfathomable - a high mountain, a deep sea and a honest man at work. One single person's effort could touch hundred or thousands or even millions of lives and history is replete with people with such awesome power of human endeavour be it physical, mental, spiritual or material plane.

When we treat the human potential as a resource or an asset, we tend to 'manage' them. However, a talented or an intelligent person resists to be managed and prefers to be lead by some one they admire or respect. We need to lead rather than manage.

To-day successful organizations are either well managed or well lead. There is a qualitative difference. While well managed company focus is on maximizing the material outcome, well-led companies emphasize on optimizing the positive human emotion, experiences & growth as an important prerequisite to achieve the tangible results.

Management is a science. Good management concerns itself with getting maximum possible from the managed Leadership is an art. Good Leadership concerns itself with getting the maximum from the people but in harmony, understanding and more importantly with a sense of fulfillment experienced by the managed. An "Enlightened Management" occurs when Leadership and Management are fused together. This "Enlightened Management" perception of people factor is very different from the traditional practice. They prefer people productivity to investment turnover, people superiority to superior technology, process innovation to process control, developing people to leveraging people, people as a critical resource to people as exploitable resource.

Leaders understand the inherent human qualities and build activities around them and they are immensly successful in achievement of goals.

1. People have a quest for competence and achievement
2. People want respect and recognition
3. People want to be surrounded by hearty relationship
4. People like to be challenged or stretched
5. People want to learn new things
6. People want to contribute
7. People want to lbe trusted
8. People want fair and just compensation

To-day business leaders' role is changing, unlike the traditional view of leadership, which tend to concentrate on vision and charisma. To-day leaders realize that charisma alone is no longer enough to carry them through complex situations of business. It is collective wisdom, insight and skills that succeed. A philosophy one for all and all for one seem to be the right attitude in dealing with people.

Leadership is not a question of one man at the top with a lot of followers. In fact, good leaders are 'behind' their people & excellent leaders are invisible.

"Leaders create tomorrow's leaders" - Ralph Nader said, "I start with the premise that function of a leadership is to produce more leaders not more followers."

A wise man said. "If you want to plan for a year, plant corn.
If you want to plan for 3 years, plant a tree.
But if you want to plan for 10 years, plant men.
If you want to plant man, grow man, become a gardener.

To-day leaders must be "gardeners" - provide a good environment for the seed to grow its full potential and derive satisfaction by just stepping back and enjoying the beauty of the bloom.