Leadership

I was in Bengaluru for a day and had reached the office much earlier than usual. The floor was almost empty. Unoccupied cubicles stretched across the room, and an unusual silence filled the space. I settled at a desk and began my work. After a while, I glanced at my watch. By then, she should have arrived. There was still very little movement around, so I assumed she might be running late. Then I thought, why not go and see if she was already in? I didn’t know where her cabin was, so I simply walked around, looking. I found her deeply engrossed in work. I knocked gently and asked if I could come in. What followed was a warm conversation filled with catching up and easy laughter. Before I left for my desk, we agreed to have lunch together. She was my manager, someone in a senior position, while I was only beginning my professional journey. Yet, she never carried the weight of hierarchy. She was approachable, warm, and genuinely interested in people. At lunchtime, we headed to the office...