The Periodic Table of Leadership: Observations from the Laboratory of Indian Cricket
As you go from left to right on the periodic table, the acid-base character of elements goes from basic to acidic. Can leadership be defined in the context of the chemistry laboratory setting? Is there a litmus test for leadership in an organization?
What lies beneath this base to acid transformation is a display of multiple elements in leadership among individuals with diverse natures: acidic, basic, and inert. It is also a catalysis of controlled experiments to trigger responses and movements to achieve targeted outcomes.
Three Key Leaders of Team India and the Chemistry They Brought to the Dressing Room
Through the early and mid-nineties, Indian cricket fans remained glued to their television sets to watch one cricketer deliver their hopes and dreams: Sachin Tendulkar. Giving the master blaster good company was his perfect foil and the wall of Indian cricket.
Rahul Dravid, a lone warrior for the Indian cricket team, watching him bat was no less than a pure transcendental meditation.
The third leader in the Indian cricket team is “Lord Snooty.” When Sourav Ganguly captained the Indian side on the field, he had a message for his opponents: “Either you respect Team India out of your volition, or we will make you respect us.”
Testing the Elements of Human Behavior in the Laboratory of Organizational Development
Is it possible to apply the template of the periodic table of human elements of behavior to a real-world laboratory setting of organizational leadership development in the same way as the Indian cricket team discovered its next big leader, Mahendra Singh Dhoni? The answer is hidden in the elements of the periodic table and the behavioral patterns they form.