OPINION | Sans meaningful purpose, there’s no leadership

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Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, the revered Hindu monk and spiritual teacher, would often narrate a parable to convey how intensely one must yearn for the divine. The story recounts a disciple’s persistent question to his guru, "Sir, please tell me how I can see God".

After being repeatedly pestered, the guru took him to a lake, got into the water with him, and suddenly pressed the young man’s head underwater. The disciple struggled, his lungs burning for air, until the guru finally released him. Gasping for breath, the young man confessed, "I thought I would die... All I could think of was breathing". The guru’s response was a simple, yet deep, lesson, "When you long for God with that same urgency, you will know Him".

Leadership resides in choices people make

Beyond its spiritual meaning, the parable offers a lesson in leadership. When the hunger to achieve something meaningful is as fierce as the will to live, the journey of leadership truly begins.

Purpose, in this sense, is not about personal ambition. It is about transcending the narrow boundaries of the self to serve a larger good. It is living for others, and in doing so, giving meaning to our own lives. Leadership does not only reside in grand gestures or high office. It reveals itself in the small but deliberate choices we make each day—choices that require sensitivity to recognize the moment and courage to act on it.

The pure joy of giving without expectation

I once met Keshav (name changed), a young man from a lower-middle-class family in Delhi, whose life embodies this idea. Financial pressures meant that even as a college student, he had to contribute to his family’s income. After attending classes, he would tutor high school students for a modest fee—money that helped keep the household budget balanced and allowed him to cover small personal needs.

That winter was particularly harsh in Delhi. Keshav had been saving for months, and with a little help from his father, finally bought himself a warm jacket. It was a purchase of both necessity and pride, the reward for his patience and effort. With the jacket tucked under his arm, he boarded an auto-rickshaw to return home. As the auto made its way through the cold evening air, Keshav noticed the driver shivering. The image stayed with him for only a moment before he acted. Without hesitation, he handed the man his new jacket.

Years later, when he recounted the story to me, he said there was no calculation, no inner debate. The only thought in his mind was that the driver needed the jacket more than he did. He did not worry about explaining the missing jacket to his parents, nor about enduring the rest of the winter without it. What stayed with him was the joy—the pure, unfiltered joy—of having given. That one moment altered the course of his life. It awakened in him the satisfaction of living for others.

Today, Keshav works in a local company, but every weekend he spends his time mentoring and supporting children from disadvantaged backgrounds. A substantial part of his income goes towards ensuring they receive the education they deserve. His family, once puzzled by his choices, now respects the path he has chosen. In finding his purpose, Keshav has found his life’s direction.

A meaningful purpose is the foundation of leadership

This is what sustains true leadership. It is demanding, often inconvenient, and at times deeply challenging. Without an inspiring reason to act, obstacles can erode one’s resolve.

Purpose not only orients us but also fuels our persistence when the journey is long and uncertain. It lends meaning to risk-taking, and energy to keep moving forward when the rewards are neither immediate nor guaranteed. We often imagine purpose as something monumental—an all-consuming mission to change the world. But more often, it begins quietly; with noticing a need, feeling its weight, and responding to it. Over time, these small acts accumulate, shaping us as much as they shape the world around us.

In my own work with tribal and rural communities over the past four decades, I have seen time and again that the most enduring leaders are not those chasing titles or acclaim, but those anchored in causes greater than themselves. Many of them would never call themselves leaders. Yet, by aligning their daily actions with their deepest values, they transform the spaces they inhabit and the people they touch.

Keshav’s story is a reminder that purpose is not discovered in abstraction—it is revealed in action. It is in the moment when we decide to give, when we put the needs of another before our own, that we begin to live it. Once we experience that fulfilment, we find ourselves searching for more of it.

As Sri Ramakrishna’s parable teaches, the yearning must be as urgent as the need for air to the drowning. Whether your purpose lies in social change, innovation, or simply nurturing the people around you, let it be the force that drives you—unyielding, clear, and alive. For when you find that purpose, leadership ceases to be a role you perform. It becomes the very life you live.

(Dr R Balasubramaniam is a leadership expert and is the author of the bestselling book, “Power Within: The Leadership Legacy of Narendra Modi”. More info about him is at drrbalu.com.)

Views are personal, and do not represent the stance of this publication.