Supreme leaders - are by design destined to fail and self destruct !!!
Supreme leaders by definition concentrate their powers and hence the decision making is with a close group of senior members aka coterie !!
1. In any complex organisation, a close coterie cannot deliver as they don't have the breadth nor the depth of knowledge and expertise that they need across the spectrum.
2. Coterie by definition create huge political chasm due to high concentration of power and centralised decision making. This leads to sidelining of top talent, favouritism, highly political environment, inordinate delays, deep resentment as others opinions are deliberately trashed in open. Decisions are thrust top down against all opposition leading to pitched battles and open rebellion,
3. Supreme leaders get completely isolated and live in ivory towers totally detached from the realities as all information is fed by the coterie. Coterie will normally cut off all other information sources directly to the leader as that will undermine their powers.
4. Coterie starts hiding issues and problems and only present favourable reports and they start demonising the opposition if they are questioned.
5. Coterie becomes more powerful than the leader as he has no direct connection to the ground reality and is totally dependant on them. Since there are no multiple power centres, the leader has no contrarian views. Only one view fed by the coterie day in and day out.
6. Due to high level of politics by the coterie, they create powerful enemies who are absolutely determined to bring them down.
7. Finally the supreme leader despite realising that he has been boxed in by the coterie cannot take action as they have become too powerful and will invite severe backlash.
This is why a Manmohan was more successful despite multiple power centres at war. Multiple power centres keep each other in check and leader has the final say, though this happened accidentally due to coalition politics. In this govt, there is one power centre and that is the coterie and it has no check and balance, and most of them are not elected, so they have become the super bureaucrats !!!
Same thing happened to Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi where they were overshadowed by the coterie on all decisions, leading to their downfall.
Narasimha Rao was undoubted the most brillaint statesman, he not only created multiple power centres to keep each other in check, he also had numerous sources of information that ensured he had a excellent view on the ground realities of contradictory opinions and views.
In management, one of they key lesson is to have multiple power centres that keep each other in check. If not, then the organisation is bound to be doomed. And in this case, unfortunately the country.
Also the reason you have many independent institutions that can keep each other in check, and you can see in the USA, this works via the house and senate keeping a check on all executive powers and actions.
Supreme leaders by definition concentrate their powers and hence the decision making is with a close group of senior members aka coterie !!
1. In any complex organisation, a close coterie cannot deliver as they don't have the breadth nor the depth of knowledge and expertise that they need across the spectrum.
2. Coterie by definition create huge political chasm due to high concentration of power and centralised decision making. This leads to sidelining of top talent, favouritism, highly political environment, inordinate delays, deep resentment as others opinions are deliberately trashed in open. Decisions are thrust top down against all opposition leading to pitched battles and open rebellion,
3. Supreme leaders get completely isolated and live in ivory towers totally detached from the realities as all information is fed by the coterie. Coterie will normally cut off all other information sources directly to the leader as that will undermine their powers.
4. Coterie starts hiding issues and problems and only present favourable reports and they start demonising the opposition if they are questioned.
5. Coterie becomes more powerful than the leader as he has no direct connection to the ground reality and is totally dependant on them. Since there are no multiple power centres, the leader has no contrarian views. Only one view fed by the coterie day in and day out.
6. Due to high level of politics by the coterie, they create powerful enemies who are absolutely determined to bring them down.
7. Finally the supreme leader despite realising that he has been boxed in by the coterie cannot take action as they have become too powerful and will invite severe backlash.
This is why a Manmohan was more successful despite multiple power centres at war. Multiple power centres keep each other in check and leader has the final say, though this happened accidentally due to coalition politics. In this govt, there is one power centre and that is the coterie and it has no check and balance, and most of them are not elected, so they have become the super bureaucrats !!!
Same thing happened to Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi where they were overshadowed by the coterie on all decisions, leading to their downfall.
Narasimha Rao was undoubted the most brillaint statesman, he not only created multiple power centres to keep each other in check, he also had numerous sources of information that ensured he had a excellent view on the ground realities of contradictory opinions and views.
In management, one of they key lesson is to have multiple power centres that keep each other in check. If not, then the organisation is bound to be doomed. And in this case, unfortunately the country.
Also the reason you have many independent institutions that can keep each other in check, and you can see in the USA, this works via the house and senate keeping a check on all executive powers and actions.
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