Lesson: Involve the team in any major decision-making process.

When one has the

buy-in, it yields far better results.
Lesson: Team formation is fundamental to success, and senior management
involvement helps. They can apply their rich eperience in choosing right people
for the right job. This also helps team members to have an access !ith senior
management if they have any suggestions and recommendations. It also makes
information flo! smoother and decision-making faster.
Lesson: " leader should anticipate the opponent#s move and strategise
accordingly. This takes the surprise factor out of the e$uation and helps in
keeping the morale of the team high.
Lesson: "lthough $uantity might provide an edge, $uality can add to the edge. %r
blunt it, at times. Informed and intelligent decision-making overcomes many
apparent disadvantages. It is very easy for an organisation to relin$uish market
dominance due to a bad decision. &ome of these decisions have $uick impact,
!hile others might become evident after some time. If time permits, one should
revisit the decisions or else learn from it to avoid future mistakes.
Lesson: %pportunity comes !ithout any announcement. It should be sensed, grabbed
and eploited.
Lesson: 'iving and receiving feedback is an art and should be eecuted
carefully. Leaders should be careful in providing feedback. If feedback is not
good, the leadership must provide an opportunity for another round of
discussions !here misgivings could be set right. (raise openly, criticise
confidentially -- that should be the policy !ith those in strategic positions.

Lesson: "ny case of ethics or serious offence should be handled immediately,
irrespective of employee#s past performance and high rating.
Lesson: )isk and re!ard go hand in hand. It is human to epect appropriate
re!ard for taking risks.
Lesson: (repare a backup plan to face any contingency. This plan should be
eecuted at an appropriate time !hen the current plan fails to deliver the
desired result. This is !hat *aharaja +dai &ingh II had done by building a ne!
to!n and seamlessly shifting the capital !hen ,hittor fell.
Lesson: &uccession planning should be revie!ed periodically, and modified based
on the ground realities. It should be done on merit, not on favouritism.
Lesson: %ne could set an aggressive goal even if it is against popular belief or
practice, provided one is determined and !eighs the decision !ell by considering
the full perspective
Lesson: -on#t be rigid. %ne should be fleible in entertaining ne! ideas and
suggestions from the team members, and take corrective actions if convinced.
Lesson: Leadership does not come by position, but by the $ualities one
demonstrates. This can turn the person into a role model, someone people !ould
like to emulate. .ere, (ratap#s leadership $ualities impressed &hakhti &ingh,
!ho, in turn, sho!ed a higher sense of maturity. /ravery and leadership of
(ratap appealed to his higher senses. Leadership guided by higher senses and
great value systems are sustainable. It makes others follo! the path.
Lesson: Willing to change the strategy by learning from the failed ones. The
goal is to find a !inning strategy. It#s a case of using one#s strength against
the enemy#s !eakness. Lack of kno!ledge of the local terrain made *ughals
vulnerable to guerrilla attacks that *aharana (ratap together !ith /hils
utilised to their advantage.
Lesson: -uring eecution, it is sometimes common to lose sight of the goal and
move a!ay from the path and take one that is not aligned !ith the end goal.
-uring this time, one needs mentors, friends and allies to provide the right
guidance.
Lesson: %ne should not be !orried about setting aggressive goals for the fear of
failure. 0ven if one cannot achieve the entire goal, partial achievement in the
right direction is far more commendable than taking an easy !ay out.