hidden image

Bob’s Banter by Robert Clements To Lead, Accede and Succeed..!

Robert Clements Robert Clements
22 May 2023
The Chair looks at both and says sadly, “I wish I could decide that! Maybe, just as you people are giving more and more rights to womenfolk and even mixed genders

The chief minister for Karnataka has finally been chosen, but for a few crucial days after the elections, a tale of two ambitious men holding tightly to the chief minister’s Chair, unfolded!

In my wild imagination while their fight was going one, I see these two glaring at each other as they stand next to the Chair, and then are startled to hear the Chair crying out, “So you two want to sit on me?”

“Yes,” says Sidda, “I have been standing for the last five years and I need to sit!”

“And I have worked hard just to sit on you!” shouts Shiv, “It is my right!”

The Chair looks at both and says sadly, “I wish I could decide that! Maybe, just as you people are giving more and more rights to womenfolk and even mixed genders, it’s time you allowed us chairs to decide, whose heavy bottom we want to be placed on us, and that to, for five full years!”

“Okay,” says Sidda, “Let’s say hypothetically you were given a chance to decide, who would you choose between the both of us?”
“That’s a question you both will have to answer, once I tell you the type of person I want on me!” replies the Chair.

“And what kind of person would you want, a small bottomed leader, so you wouldn’t be fully smothered? A less heavy leader, who wouldn’t weaken your springs? Or maybe a lady would be your preference, huh?” asks one of the chief ministerial aspirants.

“Yeah, who would you have?” asks the other, “Shall we turn around, so you can see us better and decide who will fit right?”

Both the aspirants laugh together albeit bitterly even as they hear the Chair say, “What I want to see are not your backsides, but who between you has the qualities of a servant-leader!”

“What leader!” shouts Shiv.

“What’s that?” asks Sidda

“That,” says the Chair, “Is someone who will allow his people to sit on the chair, while he kneels and serves them!”

‘That’s me!” shout both Sidda and Shiv together.

“If that was the case,” whispers the Chair sadly, “You both wouldn’t having been fighting as to who wanted to occupy me, but would have been offering the chair to each other!”

The two rivals, put their heads down as the Chair continues, “The servant-leader shares power, puts the needs of others first, and helps people develop and perform as highly as possible”

“I don’t think that’s possible,” shouts one aspirant, looking defiantly at the Chair.

“Oh yes, it is, only if you want to be like Mahatma Gandhi, Abraham Lincoln, Nelson Mandela, Mother Teresa, and Martin Luther King Jr!”

As Sidda and Shiv put their heads down, the Chair continues, “To lead, you need to accede, then you will succeed..!”

bobsbanter@gmail.com

Recent Posts

Pope Francis is bowing out in this special jubilee year of hope, which he has been leading from the front even as he has braved prolonged health concerns. As he passes on and the world bids goodbye to
apicture George Plathottam
28 Apr 2025
Francis' legacy can be summarised in four keywords that reflect powerfully and prominently in his writings, discourses, actions, and life: joy, hope, mercy, and peace.
apicture Bp Gerald John Mathias
28 Apr 2025
Pope Francis redefined leadership through humility, inclusion, and service. He stood with the marginalised, prioritised mercy over judgment, championed ecological justice, and called for reform rooted
apicture Jacob Peenikaparambil
28 Apr 2025
By mocking Muslims as 'puncture repairers', the Prime Minister reduces a vibrant community to a stereotype. This isn't rhetoric—it's a calculated attempt to stigmatise identity, distract from real iss
apicture A. J. Philip
28 Apr 2025
We hear people saying that the President of India is there to sign on the dotted line prepared by the ruling party. We refuse to believe it because the President is the Constitutional head of the nati
apicture P. A. Chacko
28 Apr 2025
Tamil Nadu's autonomy resolution is yet another spark in the recent federalism debates, challenging central authority over education, finance, and representation. As BJP seeks to tighten its claws, th
apicture Dr John Singarayar
28 Apr 2025
In Manipur, once-united communities now bleed at each other's hands, their bonds severed by narratives crafted far away. As homes burn and futures vanish, the real victors are those who profit from di
apicture Estelle Kipgen & Leishilembi Terem
28 Apr 2025
At a time when India seeks to attract global investment and project itself as a transparent business destination, such incidents chip away at investor confidence. International investors are already w
apicture Jaswant Kaur
28 Apr 2025
Many big children who accompany their parents to their workplaces also join the labour. But until they migrate, they roam around in the village or go to plantations. They become child labourers.
apicture F. M. Britto
28 Apr 2025
Police assaulted children and priests with lathis and beat and molested women belonging to the tribal community as they barged into Juba Catholic Church in the Gajapati district, Odisha, on March 22,
apicture Sujata Jena
28 Apr 2025