This is not a piece to find saints for placement in the world of politics or business. This is about various traits of leadership. There are several essential traits that a leader or manager must necessarily possess, and among these, what stands out as an anchor to all others is the characteristic of honesty, trustworthiness, and integrity.

If a leader or manager believes that an action not in conformity with the given framework of governance will go unnoticed or undiscovered, he lives in an ivory tower, surrounded by a fallacy of thought. Followers and teammates are always lurking in the shadows—firstly, to ensure that commands are justifiable within the ambit of laws, rules, and regulations, and secondly, to monitor and prevent any inconsistencies in their managers’ decision-making or even behaviour.

While oversight, both regulatory and non-regulatory, is important, ultimately it is the views, actions, and behaviour of a manager or leader that will determine the character of the organisation.

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A leader is expected to remain mindful that it is when no one is watching that one most needs to remain honest and upright. In London, at King’s Cross Road where I lived in my son’s apartment, from the window I would notice that even at 3 a.m., taxi drivers would stop at the traffic light, even though there was no other car on the street or police constable in hiding. The difference between what your rights allow you to do and what is right to do must remain supreme when undertaking decisions.

A leader’s habit must be to do right even when there is no oversight or........

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