International Leadership Summit 2009

-A Knowledge Sharing Event by Dr. Stephen R. Covey-

There was a nip in the air as I hurriedly drove into Leela Palace hoping to make it on time for the International Leadership Summit – A Knowledge Sharing Event by Dr. Stephen R. Covey. Having cleared the numerous, pains taking rounds of security, I made it to the event hall which was overly crowded with books from across the globe & people of all shapes, sizes & nationalities.

An easy 350 people had made their way to attend the event & to hear the ‘Grand Master Speak’. I was no exception. Being a die hard Stephen Covey fan, having grown up on his principles and paying heavily through my nose to attend this event; I found a perfect seat in the 4th row, ideal for me to shoot pictures at will with my double SLR Cannon; intending to capture every movement of the 78 year old Management Guru.



The event kick started with Dr. Covey showcasing his pleasant disposition and expressing his love for the city. The event proceeded seamlessly with Dr. Covey talking about the principles of leadership, running through slide after slide. What I particularly enjoyed were the home production videos, which were drawn from reality, bitter-sweet everyday scenarios, feats of exceptional commitment and focus. The videos were short, conceptually very sound and reiterating every single leadership principle that Dr. Covey was talking about.

Being completely objective I must confess that there were moments when the event fringed on monotony; with people grabbing a bottle of water to keep themselves from dozing. Having said that I must quickly add that, engaging 350 odd people for an entire day is a daunting task. Dr. Covey spoke of how life has been a constant teacher to him & how he has practiced the principles that he propagates through his books while bringing up his 9 children & hopefully his 50 grand children.



The arrangement at Leela was as expected, top notch; but it fell short during lunch; with food rapidly being gorged by a section of hungry professionals, who seemed to have come to the event only to enjoy the exotic spread of foods & of course to get the ‘Certificate of Participation’. What was most disappointing was, that the entire programme was truncated and ended by 3.30 pm as Dr. Covey had to be hurried away to the airport to make it in time for his flight.

At a personal level for me it was an interesting experience, for I was one of the few people who got to meet the Legend backstage. A personalized autograph, candid moments captured on camera with Dr. Covey; what more can a die-hard fan ask for. It was worth the price; I rationalized, as I sat comfortably at home in my rocking chair, looking back at the day gone by.

Cheers

Wiseldress
(CEO, KA-CARE)
30th January 2009