Leadership Begins at Home: Story of Nitin Welde
Hailing from Pune, born and brought up in a middle-class family, not only boosted my confidence in various ways, but also helped me inculcate a lot of crucial learnings in me. My father worked in a pharma organization and mother worked in accounts department in a small enterprise.
They always urged me to take initiative from a young age. Getting encouraged by the older members of the family to take initiative in every activity had been an elemental part of installing leadership skills in me. I was chosen to be the school captain because of the ownership I would take in events and activities. I started volunteering for good causes at a very tender age. Opting for Road Safety Patrol in high school where I accompanied the traffic police and controlled the traffic, gave me my first exposure to the uniform. Understanding and undertaking the drills and commands fascinated me. Getting exposed to the uniform and serving people, influenced me. After my 10th board exams, I was determined to become a pilot in Indian air force and serve my nation.
Working Towards My Dream
In my pre-adolescence days, “working hard is better than working smart” was inculcated in me, the credit goes to my family. I realized my potential and knew which path to walk in future. Joining NCC was the first step towards fulfilling my dream and I was very active in all the events. I participated in the Republic Day Camp and that was one of the turning points for my career. I was part of the Air Wing and was chosen for Radio Controlled Aeromodelling. My excitement knew no bounds because I was representing my state, i.e. Maharashtra and won a gold and a silver medal. I also passed the interview process for “Youth Exchange Program” and this gave me an opportunity to travel to United Kingdom for 3 weeks. I was only 19 years old when I proudly wore the India blazer and interacted on an international forum. The world that I saw there, the culture that I was exposed to, upheld my confidence. We discussed on various topics during the exchange program and that gave me amazing insights into diverse ways of thinking and leading lives. The junior ambassador tag made a huge difference to my outlook and personality. I served as a cadet for 5 years and passed the ‘C’ certificate exam with flying colors. Whatever I did, I gave my mind and heart to it.
Never Wait For Opportunities, Create Them
Being taught to be self-sufficient and not dependent on others to win in life, urged me to take up my first job as an intern. Times of India had launched an initiative called “Newspapers in Education”. As their resource personnel I was to introduce aviation to school going kids. As I was an experienced aeromodeller and knew the basics of flying I excitedly took up this assignment. I was paid Rs 75 /- per session and each week I would visit different schools and take sessions on flying and aeromodelling. My mentor in the aero-modelling field was Mr. Ashok Bhole and under his guidance and mentorship, I learned a lot of life lessons. I learned about effective communication, ownership and most importantly people skills. The greatest learning imparted to me was that if I take up a job or any work, I must toil day and night to finish it.
Life in Indian Air Force
I appeared for the All India exam in 1992 and even though I was confident, I was not ready to be empty handed. I prepared for MBA exam and got selected for Symbiosis also. I always made sure my rescue plan or Plan B was ready. Unexpectedly, I stood all over India first in the Combined Defence Services exam of 1992 and was super proud to join the Air Force Academy in Jun 1993.After 18 months of grueling and intensive training I was awarded the President’s commission in December 1994.
My first posting was in Tezpur, Assam. Our unit had the entire NE as our area of operation and the operations were challenging due to flying close to border as well as fast changing weather. The grooming sessions and friendly colleagues made my stay memorable and full of learning. In my career , the second destination was Leh. I served in Siachen for 2 years. The glacier operations gave me an entirely different exposure to perform under adverse conditions. Flying in glacier needed highest of skills and operating with troops stationed in sub zero temperatures gave some wonderful insights into different people’s behaviour. During this period, I experienced:
-Leadership
-Team bonding
-Exposure to young leaders
-Hardship
Taking one step at a time, I wanted to grow in my career. I realised early that there were certain exams that were of utmost significance. The performance in these exams was very important to be regarded as good professional. The Aircrew Examination board was a central body which tested every pilot in technical as well as well as flying skills. My hard work never betrayed me, and I passed and progressed in every category. This led to my selection for Flying Instructors Course and that ended up as a stepping stone in my exposure to wonderful field of Learning and Development.
I went on to train 10 cadets during my assignment in Air Force Academy, Hyderabad. I was elated to impart knowledge to the younger generation and feel specially privileged that my first lady pupil is now the first Women Instructor of Indian Air Force. Wing Commander Shaliza Dhami is also the first Women officer to be assigned role as Flight Commander of an operational unit.
I never wanted to stay or stop in one place. All I know is to grow higher and be better. Also, infiltrating my mind with knowledge, helped me become stronger. I stayed in Bangalore for 2 years and upgraded my qualifications as category ‘A’ instructor. I was selected by Government of India to lead an Indian training team to Namibia. My knowledge, confidence and worship towards work helped me lead the team effectively and create a favourable impression of India.
Soon after coming back from Namibia, I got assignment as “Train the Trainers” in Flying Instructors’ School. Interacting with experienced pilots meant I had to study harder to prove my worth. I had an extremely satisfying tenure there and as a natural progression was keen on attending the leadership course at Defence Services Staff College, Ooty. Out of all aspirants (approx. 500) only first 5–7 are shortlisted to attend this course in a foreign country. I have always believed “ If you try you might succeed, If you don’t try , you will never succeed “ With this philosophy I studied really hard for the entrance exam and was overjoyed when I got selected for the course in Indonesia. The exciting part was that I was to study Bahasa Indonesia for 11 months and thereafter do the course in that medium of instruction for another 11 months. There were officers from around the world attending the course and I was proud to hold the Tricolour on every occasion. Yet, again surprising myself, I stood first among all foreign officers.
On my return, I was appointed as Flight Commander of unit in Udhampur in Jammu & Kashmir.Being the Flight Commander is a tough and challenging job and specially so as my unit was operating close to Line of Control. During my tenure as Flight Commander, I showcased my best of leadership and people skills. I still remember the rescue mission we undertook in Feb 2011. We saved life of stranded labourer who was stuck on a bridge pier due to flash floods. For professional courage under trying circumstances I was awarded Gallantry award by President of India.
My career high point arrived soon as I was handed over Command of an operational unit in Delhi area. Being a Commanding Officer is most coveted appointment for any military officer. This is not only true in Indian context but also for all militaries for the world. Our unit performed exceptionally well during the floods at Kedarnath and in Srinagar. I was then offered the role of directing staff at a training institute in my hometown, Pune.
Life After Retirement
As of today, in addition to my primary job as a BELL 407 pilot, I closely work on my passion — Behaviour Science. I enjoy giving motivational talks and help corporate understand the dynamics of Leadership and Team Bonding. A proud member of International Association of Facilitators, I am passionate about facilitation and have seen the favourable results of a more inclusive way of behaviour intervention.
I am grateful for the unstinted support of my family and friends and, all I want to leave as legacy are lessons like:
-Take initiative, First say “Yes and then figure out how to do it “
- Urge to excel in any profession you choose, “Nothing is as important as your will to achieve”
-Competencies can be built easily, attributes take time to build.” Your attitude decides the altitude you reach”
Build good Attributes , build a great Nation
I want the younger generation to know and understand:
- How does the nation work? “Akhir Desh chalta kaise hain ?
- The thin line of difference between activism and administration.
No academic curriculum teaches us How the country is managed. Since there is very little exposure about this aspect, there seems to be growing cynicism on many aspects. It is important to understand that finally there is someone somewhere who is doing his/ her job and that is what is keeping the nation alive. It is very good to be active and have a questioning mind, however, one must know there is a thin line between activism and administration. That’s Leadership.
A follower and a leader are two different sides of a coin. There is no fixed role that one will always enjoy. The ability to have a quick and seamless transition between both the roles is an important attribute anyone can develop. A fixed mindset follower will always complain and respond to what others do. The leader will have the confidence to do bring about change and not just sit on a fence.
My advice for the next generations is to build experiences and get involved in a lot of assignments. Everyone should try to be part of the group activities such as NCC etc. This kind of exposure make you confident to express yourself and be a doer. Exposure also sharpens your people skills which will continue to be most important factor for any successful career.
CORE
My own formula for CORE of effective leadership is:
-Conviction
-Ownership
-Role Model
-Empathy
However, you need to wrap up this CORE with a bigger C — Communication. The importance of being able to express yourself effectively is the bedrock of good leadership.
As a leader you must trust your abilities and your own judgement. On many occasions a leader is one who follows a philosophy of Karke Dekhte Hain, Dekh ke karte hain.
Happy Leading
(As narrated to Shreya Chatterjee, Bloggers Alliance Team)
