IN THE din of disapprobation about the ‘words of wisdom’ spoken by former Indian President APJ Abdul Kalam, on unshackling of the country’s nuclear sector and India-United States (US) nuclear deal, have been drowned more valuable words of wisdom he delivered in March while in the US recently. Kalam may be celebrated as a brilliant ‘nuclear scientist’ and ‘missile man’ by laypersons as well as educated ones in India. But, being known among scholars more as a successful leader and manager of science-administration. He was invited to deliver the keynote address at the 12th Annual Wharton India Economic Forum (wife) in end-March.

WIEF was launched in 1996 at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Wharton is the world’s first collegiate business school, established in 1881, and boasts of 82,000-plus alumni from 140 countries. Among noted alumni of the school from India are Keshub Mahindra, Anil Ambani, Dr C Rangarajan and Lord Meghnad Desai of the United Kingdom (UK). Its mission is to engage the world’s attention on the enormous potential of India and the possibilities the country offers to world business community. On the sidelines of the meet, Kalam spoke with its mouthpiece India-Knowledge@Wharton about his career and what he considers as the most important traits for leadership.

It was in answer to a question, "Could you give an example, from your own experience, of how leaders should manage failure?" that he narrated a story, that deserves to be imbibed by every management student.

Okay. Let me tell you about my experience. In 1973, I became the project director of India’s satellite launch vehicle program, commonly called the SLV-3. Our goal was to put India’s ’Rohini’ satellite into orbit by 1980. I was given funds and human resources – but was told clearly that by 1980 we had to launch the satellite into space. Thousands of people worked together in scientific and technical teams towards that goal.

By 1979 – I think the month was August – we thought we were ready. As the project director, I went to the control centre for the launch. At four minutes before the satellite launch, the computer began to go through the checklist of items that needed to be checked. One minute later, the computer program put the launch on hold. The display showed that some control components were not in order. My experts – I had four or five of them with me – told me not to worry; they had done their calculations and there was enough reserve fuel. So, I bypassed the computer, switched to manual mode, and launched the rocket. In the first stage, everything worked fine. In the second stage, a problem developed. Instead of the satellite going into orbit, the whole rocket system plunged into the Bay of Bengal. It was a big failure.

That day, the chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Prof Satish Dhawan, had called a press conference. The launch was at 7:00 am and the press conference was at 7:45 am at ISRO’s satellite launch range in Sriharikota. Journalists from around the world were present. Prof Dhawan, the leader of the organisation, conducted the press conference himself. He took responsibility for the failure. He said that the team had worked very hard, but that it needed more technological support. He assured the media that in another year, the team would definitely succeed.

Now, I was the project director, and it was my failure. But instead, he took responsibility for the failure as the chairman of the organisation. The next year, in July 1980, we tried again to launch the satellite. This time we succeeded. The whole nation was jubilant. Again, there was a press conference. Prof Dhawan called me aside and told me, "You’ll conduct the press conference today."

I learned a very important lesson that day. When failure occurred, the leader of the organisation owned that failure. When success came, he gave it to his team. The best management lesson I have learned did not come to me from reading a book; it came from that experience.

Abdul Kalam’s anecdote reveals what a fine manager and excellent science administrator he had become – by courtesy of his association with great scientists – a quarter century ago, before stooping abysmally low. A study of his four-phase career reveals how the gifted professional manager chose to become a typical Indian sycophant.

After all, only creeping crawlies of the types of Giani (title meaning ‘the enlightened’!) Zail Singh – he had no shame to admit his preference to be sweeping the floors Nehru dynasty’s abode rather than becoming President, five of the six ‘honourable’ supreme court judges (excepting HR Khanna, who got the sack!) – they bowed to tyrant Indira Gandhi and barred any person from moving any writ in any court against detention orders issued even by her son! – Dr Raja Ramanna – The chief of Nuclearprogram was content to get the dubious title of ‘Father of India’s N-Bomb’ and a junior minister later, for irreparably ruining India’s potential to produce inexpensive N-energy in abundance – and bureaucrats, journalists and ministers who were ’ready to crawl when asked to kneel’ have the record of flourishing in this country!

Incidentally, the invitation by WIEF, most of whose members had the wisdom to depart for greener pastures, should not be confused with an academic recognition from Wharton itself.