Striving towards Excellence

-Karthik Gurumurthy

I  remember sitting in my office late one evening, surrounded by a stack of leadership books and professional development courses I had signed up for. Each one promised to teach me a new skill - public speaking, strategic planning, financial analysis, team building - you name it. I was trying to become this "perfect" leader who could do it all.

Like many of us, I had fallen into the trap of thinking I needed to master everything. If there was a training session on negotiation, I was there. A workshop on data analytics? Sign me up. I was spreading myself thin, like trying to be both an orchestra conductor and every instrument player at once.

Then came a pivotal moment during a presentation I was giving. I had studied all the "right" ways to present - trying to be bold and commanding like the charismatic leaders I admired. But something felt off. The words weren't flowing naturally, and I could sense the disconnect with my audience. Later that week, I led a small team discussion in my usual collaborative, quiet style, and the engagement was completely different - ideas flowed, people opened up, and we made real progress.

It reminded me of studying Churchill and Gandhi in history. Here were two incredibly effective leaders with completely opposite styles. Churchill didn't try to be gentle and philosophical like Gandhi, and Gandhi never attempted to be forceful and dramatic like Churchill. Yet both changed the course of history by being authentically themselves.

The turning point came when I started thinking about my student Rob's father. He is a carpenter, and I used to watch him select exactly the right tool for each job. He never tried to use a saw when he needed a hammer, or force a screwdriver to do a chisel's work. Each tool had its purpose, and his expertise lay in knowing exactly when and how to use each one.

That's when it clicked - my leadership style was like my toolbox of natural strengths. Instead of trying to fill it with every tool ever made, I needed to sharpen and master the ones that already felt right in my hands. When I focused on developing my natural abilities in fostering collaboration, building relationships, and finding creative solutions, my effectiveness as a leader grew naturally.

Now, when I mentor others, I share this story and encourage them to discover their own unique strengths rather than trying to become a carbon copy of someone else. After all, the world doesn't need another Churchill or Gandhi - it needs authentic leaders who understand and leverage their own natural gifts.