More than a decade after my coaching certification, certain ideas still return to me with surprising clarity. One of them is deceptively simple:
The difference between reacting and responding.
Most leaders intellectually understand this distinction. Few recognise how profoundly it shapes their daily impact.
I was reminded of this during a coaching conversation with a senior executive — let me call him Raghav. Raghav was known for his brilliance and intensity. Quick thinker. Decisive. Deeply committed. But his team described him using another word, offered cautiously and repeatedly: “Intimidating.”
When he came into coaching, his concern was framed differently. “My team has become strangely silent,” he told me. “Meetings lack energy. No one challenges anything. It’s frustrating.”
Frustration, I have learned, is often an interesting doorway.
“What usually happens when someone disagrees with you?” I asked. He looked puzzled. “Nothing unusual. We discuss.”
But leaders rarely observe their own behavioural patterns with accuracy. Our reactions are invisible to us precisely because they are so familiar. So, I asked him to walk me through a recent meeting.
He described a discussion where a junior manager questioned a proposal. As he narrated the incident, something subtle appeared — not in his words, but in his tone. “I explained why the idea wouldn’t work,” he said.
Then after a pause: “Perhaps a bit sharply.” “What do you think the manager experienced in that moment?” I asked. He shrugged. “Direct feedback.” “And if we asked them?” Silence.
The human mind is wonderfully efficient at justifying its own reactions.
**
In coaching, reactions are rarely the real story. Triggers are.
“What specifically triggered your response?” I asked. “The suggestion didn’t make sense.” “Was it the quality of the idea,” I continued, “or the fact that it challenged yours?”
That question lingered longer. Eventually he smiled — the kind that signals reluctant insight. “I don’t like being questioned in areas I know well.”
There it was. A deeply human pattern. Trigger → irritation → sharp dismissal.
Repeated often enough, reactions harden into leadership style. Unexamined long enough, they reshape culture.
We explored a small experiment. “Next time you feel that familiar irritation,” I said, “don’t change your opinion. Don’t soften your standards. Simply pause.”
“Pause?”
“Four seconds,” I suggested. “One breath. No words.” He laughed. “That sounds trivial.” “It is trivial,” I agreed. “And extremely difficult.”
Because reactions are automated. Responses are chosen.
**
Several weeks later, Raghav returned with an observation that genuinely surprised him. “The meetings feel different,” he said.
“What changed?”
“I haven’t changed my decisions,” he clarified. “But I’ve started noticing the moment before I speak.”
“And?”
“The irritation is still there,” he admitted. “But the pause stops me from firing.” That single gap — barely a few seconds — had altered the emotional climate of his interactions.
People spoke more. Defensiveness reduced. Energy returned. Nothing structural had changed. Only awareness.
**
Reacting is effortless because it is borrowed from the past — old patterns, old triggers, old conditioning.
A decade after my executive coaching certification, one idea continues to stay with me: Accountability is rarely about others. It is about the promises we make to ourselves.
Not the corporate version of deadlines, dashboards, and reviews. Something quieter. More personal.
A simple question: Who holds us accountable for the things that truly matter?
The uncomfortable answer: we do.
**
Some time ago, a senior leader — let’s call him Arvind — walked into my office. Highly capable. Well respected. Clearly exhausted.
“I’m working harder than ever,” he said, “but everything feels stuck.”
Experience has taught me that “everything” usually has a centre of gravity.
“What feels most stuck?” I asked.
“My restructuring initiative,” he replied. “Everyone agrees it’s necessary. But it’s just not happening.”
“What’s stopping it?”
“The usual,” he sighed. Quarterly pressures. Reviews. Endless fires. Bad timing.
Logical. Reasonable. Entirely human.
But then I asked him three questions:
“If the Chairman had mandated this with a deadline — would it still be pending?” “Of course not.”
“If your compensation depended on it?” “Would have been done already.”
“If your team’s survival required it?” “ Then, I would have done it yesterday.”
And there it was. The barrier wasn’t capability, clarity, or even time. It was consequence. Nothing happened if he delayed. No penalty. No discomfort. No urgency.
**
“Whose goal is this restructuring?” I asked.
“Mine.”
“Imposed?”
“No.”
“Do you believe in it?”
“Completely.”
“Then what agreement have you made with yourself about it?”
Silence. Then a smile of recognition. “None.”
**
Many of us confuse intention with commitment.
We say:
• I should do this • I need to get to that • I’ve been meaning to…
But progress rarely responds to “should.”
“What if,” I suggested, “you treated this not as a project — but as a promise?” Something you either honour or break. Not endlessly postpone.
**
“What’s the next visible action?” I asked.
“Announcing it to my leadership team.”
“When?”
“…Friday.”
“And how would you like me to support your accountability?” That question matters. Accountability imposed feels like control. Accountability invited becomes partnership.
“Ask me next week,” he said. “And challenge me if I haven’t done it.”
**
The following Tuesday he returned, noticeably lighter. “It’s done.”
“What changed?”
“I stopped treating it as something I should do,” he said, “and started treating it as something I had said I would do.”
A small shift. A profound one.
**
The most important commitments in our lives rarely come with external enforcement. No one penalises postponed courage. No dashboard tracks delayed growth. And yet, these commitments shape everything.
Accountability is not a management technique. It is a quiet act of integrity —an agreement between who we are today and who we intend to become.
**
Curious to hear your thoughts: 👉 Where have you seen self-accountability make the biggest difference in leadership or life?
“I don’t understand why I have to deal with him,” Arjun snapped, pacing the room. “He’s impossible. Defensive. Disrespectful. Always pushing back.”
Across the table, Kavya watched quietly. “You seem tired,” she said.
“Tired? I’m exhausted. I try to be fair. Professional. But with people like him, you have to be firm.”
“People like him?” she asked gently.
“You know exactly what I mean.”
“Maybe,” she said. “Or maybe you’re in the box.”
Arjun stopped pacing. “In the what?”
“The box,” she repeated. “It’s what happens when someone stops being a person and becomes a problem.”
He frowned. “He is a problem.”
Kavya didn’t argue. “Tell me about your last conversation with him.”
“I was clear. Direct. I told him his work wasn’t up to standard. He got defensive immediately.”
“How was your tone?”
“Professional.”
“How did you feel?”
Arjun hesitated. “…Annoyed. Honestly, I was already fed up before the meeting even began.”
Kavya nodded. “That’s the box.”
He looked at her, irritated now. “So this is my fault?”
“No,” she said softly. “That’s the tricky part. When we’re in the box, we’re not trying to be wrong. We feel justified. Righteous, even. But we stop seeing the other person’s humanity.”
“He still behaved badly.”
“Maybe. But inside the box, something subtle changes in us. Our voice hardens. Curiosity disappears. We listen to reply, not to understand. The other person feels it — even if we say all the ‘right’ words.”
Arjun looked away.
“And then,” she continued, “they react to our coldness. They defend. They resist. They shut down. And we walk away saying, See? I knew he was difficult.”
The room fell silent.
“So it’s a loop,” Arjun said quietly.
“Yes. A self-fulfilling one.”
He sank into a chair. “I didn’t even consider what he might be dealing with. I just saw poor performance.”
“That’s the box,” Kavya said again. “He became an obstacle to your goals. Not a person with pressures, fears, or a story you don’t know.”
Arjun’s voice was softer now. “So getting out means… what? Being nice?”
“No. It means seeing clearly. You can still disagree. Still hold standards. But you do it while remembering — this is a human being, not a hurdle in my way.”
He exhaled slowly. “And if he’s in the box about me too?”
She smiled faintly. “Then someone has to step out first.”
Arjun sat with that. The anger that had filled the room felt smaller now — replaced by something heavier, but cleaner.
“Maybe,” he said at last, “I’ve been fighting a problem… instead of talking to a person.”
Kavya nodded. “That realization is the door out.”
In musing……. Shakti Ghosal
**
Acknowledgement: ‘Leadership & Self Deception: Getting out of the box’ – The Arbinger Institute
It was midway through my elective course “Winning in a Disruptive World” at IIM Nagpur last month when a student raised a question that momentarily silenced the class.
“Professor,” he began, “Elon Musk and Tesla seem to have anticipated the future before anyone else — electric vehicles, reusable rockets, large-scale battery storage. How does someone think so far ahead and act with that kind of conviction when others are still debating the probability of success?”
It was an incisive question — and one that went to the heart of what our course was about: how to win, not just survive, in a world defined by disruption.
The Disruptive Context
Disruption today is not an occasional storm; it’s the climate we live in. The rules of business are rewritten faster than most organizations — or individuals — can adapt.
In the course, we explored how the world has shifted from the VUCA paradigm — Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, Ambiguous — to what futurist Jamais Cascio calls BANI — Brittle, Anxious, Non-linear, and Incomprehensible. In such a world, the question isn’t whether disruption will occur; it’s whether we are ready to anticipate and shape it.
That was precisely what Elon Musk and Tesla managed to do — not by reacting to disruption, but by engineering it.
Tesla and the Power of Future-Back Thinking
When traditional automakers analyzed the electric vehicle (EV) opportunity, they saw it through the lens of probability. Their forecasts said adoption would be slow. Battery costs were high. Charging networks were inadequate. The “safe” conclusion was that the world wasn’t ready.
Tesla took the opposite route. It didn’t ask, What’s probable today? It asked, What’s possible tomorrow?
That question unlocked an entirely different trajectory.
Musk’s strategy exemplifies what I call Anticipatory Future-Back Thinking — a concept we explored in the later sessions of the course. It involves imagining the desired future state first — in this case, a world where sustainable energy mobility is the norm — and then working backward to identify what must be true today to make that future real.
Rather than extrapolating from today’s constraints, Tesla worked backward from a bold vision of tomorrow. That shift — from present-forward to future-back — is what differentiates disruptors from the disrupted.
Exploring Anticipatory future back thinking
Possibility vs. Probability: The Mindset Divide
When I turned back to my student’s question, I began with a simple observation.
“Most organizations,” I said, “plan from the present forward. They look at past data, run probability models, and make incremental improvements. That’s the Kodak way of thinking — safe, predictable, and ultimately self-limiting.”
In contrast, possibility thinkers — like Tesla — start from a future that doesn’t yet exist. They ask, What could be true if we dared to imagine differently?
Daniel Burrus, the futurist who first articulated the concept of Hard Trends, reminds us that the future is not entirely uncertain. Some aspects — technological evolution, demographic shifts, regulatory movements — are future facts. These are the certainties around which possibility thinking can safely operate.
Tesla built its strategy precisely on such hard trends:
The inevitability of climate change driving clean energy adoption
The advancement of battery technology and digital control systems
The regulatory momentum toward lower emissions
These were not probabilities; they were certainties in motion. Musk simply connected them into a coherent future vision — and then acted as if that future were already here.
From Disruption to Design
This is the essence of anticipatory leadership — not reacting to disruption, but designing it.
In my sessions, we discussed how the future-back approach allows leaders to create clarity where uncertainty dominates. It flips the conventional question from “What will happen to us?” to “What must we make happen?”
The difference is profound.
Present-forward leaders forecast the future.
Future-back leaders architect it.
McKinsey’s research on future-back strategy underscores that such leaders don’t rely on forecasts alone. They use scenario design to imagine multiple plausible futures and then work backward to identify strategic moves that remain resilient across them.
That’s what Tesla did: invest early in charging infrastructure, build direct-to-consumer distribution, and create software-driven vehicles that improve over time. Each move was part of a deliberate future architecture.
The Classroom Reflection
I recall telling my students that day: “Elon Musk is not successful because he predicts the future; he’s successful because he constructs it backwards.*”
In the classroom, this insight tied together much of what we had explored:
Hard Trends (what is certain) form the foundation.
The Three Lists (what I’m certain of, what I know, what I can do) create clarity.
Resilience sustains momentum when the future resists you.
Each of these steps builds toward the mindset of a possibility architect — someone who doesn’t wait for disruption, but wields it as a tool.
As the discussion deepened, another student remarked, “So Tesla wasn’t just lucky — it was structurally anticipatory.”
Exactly.
The Classroom reflection
Why This Matters Beyond Tesla
Every industry today — from energy and aviation to education and healthcare — faces its own “Tesla moment.”
In the energy sector, companies that waited for the probability of renewables to rise are now scrambling to catch up with those who invested early in solar and storage. In education, universities that anticipated the AI wave and reimagined learning around it are moving ahead, while others debate policies. Even in government policy, we see anticipatory thinking at work in projects like UPI and ONDC, where India intentionally designed positive disruption instead of waiting to be disrupted.
The principle is the same: the future belongs to those who can see differently, envision differently, and execute differently.
A Call to Future Architects
At the end of that class, I offered the students a reflection that I’ll share here too.
Winning in a disruptive world doesn’t mean outpacing change — it means aligning yourself with the inevitabilities of tomorrow and daring to act before others see them as obvious.
Elon Musk’s brilliance lies not in foresight alone, but in the courage to build on the certainties he could already see — however faintly — and to commit resources to them before anyone else believed.
For leaders and managers today, the lesson is clear: Don’t ask, What’s probable? Ask, What’s possible — and what must I do today to make it inevitable?
Closing Reflection
As we wrapped up the session that day, I noticed a quiet shift in the room. The students weren’t merely intrigued by Tesla anymore — they were reflecting on their own “future-back” opportunities.
That, to me, was the real win.
Because when young leaders begin to think like architects of the future rather than survivors of disruption, they start embodying the very mindset our world now demands — one that balances imagination with foresight, vision with action, and optimism with resilience.
And perhaps, in some classroom somewhere, the next Tesla is already being imagined.
Empires are rarely undone by external invasion; they corrode from within. The American project, like Rome, Britain, and Persia before it, now faces the timeless paradox of imperial overreach: wealth without equity, dominance without renewal. This article situates America’s trajectory within the historical cycle of imperial rise and decline, drawing upon both philosophical reflection and historical precedent. The central question is whether the United States will recognize decline as an opportunity for renewal, or whether, blinded by illusions of permanence, it will follow the path of its predecessors into twilight.
**
Introduction: The Cycles of Empire
Over the last few months, especially as the American tariff challenge for the rest of the world heated up, two distinct narratives have emerged in the public space. The first dwells on the unfairness—indeed the shortsightedness—of U.S. tariff policy and how it is being differentially applied to target certain countries while sparing others. The second narrative takes a step back and enters the philosophical domain: What makes America act the way it does? The symptoms, they argue, are those of an empire in decline.
In this piece I attempt to make sense of the unfolding moment through a historical lens of past empires. From the Achaemenid Persians to the British Raj, empires rose not only on military might but on the promise of order and prosperity. Yet, as Gibbon observed in his monumental study of Rome, empires collapse when external expansion conceals internal fragility. ¹
Toynbee later refined this insight, suggesting that civilizations do not perish from conquest but from their failure to respond creatively to crises. ² America, with its wealth concentrated in elites and its politics increasingly polarized, today finds itself at a similar point of reckoning.
**
The Illusion of Permanence
Decline is often hastened by the presumption of permanence. The British Empire, enriched by its Indian possessions, clung to naval supremacy long after its economic foundations had weakened. The Qing dynasty, flush with silver inflows, remained blind to the destabilizing flood of opium that hollowed out its society. The Ottomans celebrated elaborate military ceremony even as their agrarian base stagnated. In each case, the empire was undone less by external enemies than by its inability to adapt.³
The United States mirrors these patterns. Its massive trade deficits, spiraling national debt, and persistent militarism signal not strength but imbalance. Each dollar allocated to foreign wars secures corporate gain more than civic renewal. Bridges crumble, schools falter, healthcare divides communities, and social trust erodes. Yet the spectacle of global dominance continues—an aircraft carrier here, a sanctions regime there—masking fragility at home. This, too, is the illusion of permanence.
Rome thought itself eternal, describing itself as the urbs aeterna, the eternal city. Britain assumed that the sun would never set on its empire. America today speaks of “exceptionalism” with the same conviction, believing its dominance to be destiny rather than circumstance. The danger lies in mistaking temporary advantage for permanent security.
**
The Anatomy of Overreach
The trajectory of great powers often follows a recognizable arc: expansion, consolidation, overreach, and decline. Paul Kennedy, in The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers, describes how military commitments abroad eventually outstrip economic capacity at home.³ For Rome, it was the expense of garrisoning distant frontiers. For Spain, the drain of endless wars in Europe. For Britain, the unsustainable costs of two world wars.
For the United States, overreach is visible in both economic and military forms. The U.S. spends more on defence than the next ten countries combined, maintaining hundreds of bases across the globe. Meanwhile, its domestic economy is marked by widening inequality, stagnant wages, and crumbling infrastructure. The paradox is stark: a nation capable of projecting power thousands of miles away struggles to repair its own highways or ensure equitable healthcare.
Tariff wars, trade imbalances, and fiscal deficits echo earlier imperial mistakes. Protectionist policies may secure short-term bargaining chips, but they also reveal a deeper anxiety: the fear that economic primacy is slipping away. History suggests that such reactive measures rarely restore strength; they merely postpone the reckoning.
**
Philosophy of Decline and Renewal
At its core, the phenomenon of empire offers a philosophical lesson in impermanence. Heraclitus, writing in the sixth century BCE, reminded us that “all things flow,” that permanence is an illusion.⁴ To mistake hegemony for destiny is to deny this truth.
Toynbee argued that the decisive moment for civilizations lies in their response to challenge: renewal through creativity or collapse through inertia.² Renewal requires humility, the willingness to recognize that decline is not failure but an opportunity for rebalance. For America, such renewal would mean abandoning the imperial reflex and returning to the foundations of civic life—justice, education, community, and sustainability.
True security lies not in endless war or technological spectacle but in balance: between wealth and justice, expansion and reflection, ambition and humility. Without such rebalancing, the American century risks being remembered as another brilliant but fleeting flame in history’s long night.
**
Lessons from History
The cycles of history caution against complacency. Rome endured for centuries, but its collapse was sudden when it came. The Qing dynasty appeared invulnerable until it unravelled within a few decades. The Soviet Union, projecting strength one year, disintegrated the next. Empires rarely decline in a linear, predictable fashion; instead, they erode silently until an external shock exposes their fragility.
For the United States, that shock could come from multiple directions: financial crisis, climate catastrophe, technological disruption, or internal political fracture. Already, polarization corrodes trust in institutions, while economic inequality breeds resentment. These fissures, if unaddressed, could accelerate decline.
Yet history also shows that renewal is possible. Japan, devastated by war, reinvented itself as an economic powerhouse. Post-imperial Britain, though diminished, adapted into a service economy and retained cultural influence. Even Rome, in its Byzantine continuation, transformed decline into resilience. America, too, could reimagine itself—not as empire, but as a republic recommitted to equity and balance.
**
Conclusion
The setting sun is not fate; it is metaphor. Empires end not because history commands it but because they fail to heed its rhythms. Whether America confronts its inner distortions or clings to the illusion of permanence will decide whether twilight yields dawn—or darkness.
The challenge, then, is not to deny decline but to interpret it rightly. If decline is seen as failure, America will cling to militarism, exceptionalism, and spectacle until resources are exhausted. But if decline is embraced as a chance for renewal, the American project may yet rediscover vitality—proving that twilight need not always lead to night. Sometimes, it can be the hour before a new dawn.
**
Notes
Gibbon, Edward. The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (1776–1789).
Toynbee, Arnold. A Study of History. Oxford University Press, 1934–1961.
Kennedy, Paul. The Rise and Fall of the Great Powers. Random House, 1987.
“The railway industry, one of the oldest enablers of industrial transformation, now stands on the cusp of another revolution—this time powered by Artificial Intelligence.”
From the steam engines of the 19th century to today’s high-speed trains, railways have been symbols of innovation. Now, as we move deeper into the 21st century, Artificial Intelligence (AI) promises to redefine how rail networks are managed, how trains are operated, and how passengers experience travel.
But like every major transformation, the rise of AI in railway transportation is not without its challenges. The genesis of this article stems from the fact that I started my work life in the Indian Railways Service of Mechanical Engineers nearly half a century back. More recently when I was doing a Wharton Business School program on AI applications, the idea of this piece came to me.
In this article, I have tried to explore the promise, perils, and pathways of integrating AI into one of the most vital sectors of modern infrastructure, particularly for a dense population country like India.
***
🚄The Promise: Efficiency, Safety, and Customer Experience
AI does hold considerable potential to make a high-density transportation mode like the Railways smarter, safer, and more responsive. Here are just a few areas where the promise can be seen:
Predictive Maintenance: Machine learning models can analyze vibration, temperature, and operational data to detect potential failures before they occur—reducing costly downtime and enhancing safety.
Predictive maintenance, powered by sensor analytics and machine learning, are reducing unplanned downtime by up to 30% in Germany (Deutsche Bahn). In India, AI-equipped SMART coaches can now monitor vibrations, structural wear, and staff behavior, leading to substantial maintenance savings and enhanced safety.
Optimized Scheduling and Routing: AI can dynamically adjust train schedules based on real-time data—weather, demand, or disruptions—minimizing delays and maximizing throughput.
In dense rail networks like India’s or Japan’s, such precision translates into better asset utilization, optimized route rationalization, and more efficient capacity deployment.
Safety and Reliability: AI enhances safety through real-time monitoring and automated diagnostics. Computer vision systems are today identifying track defects, unauthorized access, and obstacles with over 90% accuracy. AI-powered drones can now inspect tracks and overhead equipment faster than traditional crews, improving both safety and inspection efficiency.
Train operations benefit from AI-assisted driver alertness monitoring and automatic braking recommendations based on track conditions. These advancements reduce human error—still a leading cause of railway incidents.
Passenger Experience and Multimodal Connectivity: In many places, AI-driven chatbots and journey planners have started offering personalized updates, route alternatives, and digital ticketing, improving passenger convenience. Integrating railways with buses, metros, and even micro-mobility options via AI platforms is enabling seamless urban mobility. In megacities, this creates rail-centric multimodal ecosystems where trains form the backbone of transportation.
Smart Ticketing and Crowd Management: With the use of computer vision and behavioural analytics, Railways can monitor crowd flows in stations and adjust boarding strategies in real time, improving passenger experience and safety.
Energy Efficiency: AI-powered driving systems can optimize acceleration and braking, saving energy and reducing emissions—a critical benefit as Railways strive to meet sustainability goals.
Environmental Sustainability: AI can help Railways fine-tune energy use by adjusting acceleration, coasting, and braking in real time, reducing fuel and electricity consumption.
When paired with green innovations like hydrogen-powered trains—such as Germany’s Coradia iLint and the US’s ZEMU—railways can become even more climate-friendly, especially in non-electrified regions
In short, AI can turn data into decisions—at scale and in real time.
***
⚠️The Perils: Bias, Job Displacement, and System Vulnerabilities
Yet, for all its promise, AI also brings forth complex challenges that Railway systems must navigate with care. Let us try and understand what these are.
Algorithmic Bias: AI systems are only as unbiased as the data they’re trained on. In Railways, there is a high chance this could lead to unfair prioritization of certain routes or populations. This is because of historical inequities that are embedded in the stored data.
Job Displacement: As AI would continue to automate driving, monitoring, scheduling, maintenance and customer service, several roles would become redundant. While this may lead to job displacement in the short term, it will also create new roles in data science, system integration, and AI governance.
This is where visionary leadership would come in to shift focus and resources relating to reskilling, transitioning and to answer the more fundamental question about the human cost of automation.
High Implementation Costs: AI deployment demands hefty upfront investment in digital infrastructure—sensors, data platforms, training, and cybersecurity. For developing economies like India, justifying these expenses against long-term gains poses a financial and strategic challenge. This is also where a visionary leadership needs to come in.
Cybersecurity Risks and systemic reliability: Risks would surely go up as a more digitized and AI-integrated Railways system would become an attractive target for cyberattacks. A breach in an AI-driven control system could have dangerous and far-reaching consequences.
Reliance on AI systems thus must be balanced with robust fail-safes by strong governance and redundancy protocols.
Public Trust and Ethics: AI in public infrastructure must be transparent and accountable. Otherwise, trust erodes—especially if systems malfunction or make controversial decisions without human oversight.
The above risks underscore the need for careful design, regulation, and human-in-the-loop systems.
***
Railways vs Other Transport Modes: A Comparative Snapshot
Factor
Railways (AI-enhanced)
Road Transport
Air Transport
Cost
Low per ton/km for freight
High due to fuel and labor
Highest operational cost
Environmental Impact
Low (electrified or hydrogen)
High (diesel trucks)
Very high (jet fuel)
Convenience
Ideal for dense corridors
Flexible last-mile service
Speed for long distances
Railways, strengthened by AI, would thus remain the most cost-effective and sustainable mode for high-density freight and passenger volumes. Hydrogen trains further extend these advantages to non-electrified routes.
***
🧭The Pathways: Navigating the AI Railway Future
So, how can the Railways harness AI’s promise while avoiding its perils? The following thoughts come to mind.
1. Adopt a Human-Centric Approach: AI should always be viewed as an Enabler, not a Replacer of human expertise. Railways systems should ensure the centrality of human judgment, ethics, and oversight; this becomes particularly important in safety-critical functions.
2. Invest in Digital Infrastructure: To unlock AI’s power, the Railway systems would need high-quality data, real-time connectivity, and interoperable platforms. One can well envisage that Digital twins, Edge computing, and IoT-enabled trains would form the backbone of AI-enabled rail networks in the future.
3. Prioritize Ethics and Explainability: AI based decisions need to necessarily be transparent and explainable. Regulators and the Railways need to work together to ensure AI systems meet public standards of fairness, accountability, and non-discrimination.
4. Reskill and Redesign Work: The rise of AI urgently calls for a parallel investment in people—training them to work with AI tools, interpreting machine insights, and contributing to higher-value tasks. Railway jobs and functions need to evolve, not disappear.
5. Collaborate Across Sectors: The Railways need tocollaboratewith the private sector vendors and suppliers, technology companies, and researchers to create standards, protocols, and governance models that ensure responsible innovation.
***
🚉Need for a New Era of Railways Leadership
Integrating AI into Railway transportation is not merely a technological shift—it’s a leadership challenge. It requires vision, ethics, inclusiveness, and a commitment to long-term impact.
As Railway systems worldwide experiment with smart stations, autonomous maintenance, and AI-based scheduling, one thing is clear: those who navigate this transformation thoughtfully will shape the future of mobility.
***
Future Outlook: Smarter, Cleaner Railways
Over the next 3 to 5 years, we’ll surely witness:
Autonomous train operations with AI-powered dispatch and navigation.
Real-time dynamic pricing to optimize demand and revenue.
Prototypes of hydrogen-electric hybrid locomotives becoming mainstream in Europe, North America, and parts of Asia.
AI-enhanced simulation systems to train staff and emergency responders.
Railways stand at a unique inflection point. From my own early days in the Indian Railway Service of Mechanical Engineers, I’ve seen the disruption from steam to diesel-electric and now to AI and hydrogen. With the right investments, policy frameworks, and workforce strategies, the railways of tomorrow will be not just faster or cleaner—but smarter
Final Thoughts
The train to the future has already left the station. The question is:Are we building the right tracks for it?
If you’re working in transportation, AI, or infrastructure, or remain interested and curious about these domains, I would love to hear your thoughts. How is AI showing up in your work? What opportunities—or concerns—are you seeing? Let’s build the conversation together.
In today’s dynamic and disruptive world, where change is the only constant, the ability to listen deeply and effectively—what we call ‘Power Listening’—has become an essential leadership and personal development skill. To many of us, Listening occurs as a passive process. No one notices when we tune off, we also retain the luxury of judging what we are hearing. This is also why Listening is a complex and demanding skill that needs conscious effort and self-awareness. I have always found it difficult to listen to what is being said with no intention, no judgment, no right or wrong.
In a landscape characterized by rapid technological advancements, shifting economic paradigms, and evolving workplace dynamics, power listening enables leaders, professionals, and individuals to navigate complexities with greater clarity, empathy, and strategic foresight.
According to Zenger and Folkman (2016) in their Harvard Business Review article What Great Listeners Actually Do, great listening goes beyond simply being silent while others speak. It involves active engagement, thoughtful questioning, and creating a safe space for open dialogue. Similarly, in The Power of Listening in Leadership (Forbes, 2021), Kevin Kruse emphasizes that effective listening strengthens leadership presence and fosters trust in professional relationships.
Understanding the Challenges of Listening
Despite its fundamental role in communication, listening is often overshadowed by speaking. Many assume they are good listeners, yet, as I have realized through personal introspection, listening is fraught with unconscious biases, preconceptions, and cognitive distractions. Each individual listens for different reasons and in unique ways, influenced by past experiences, emotions, and personal filters.
Reflecting on my own listening tendencies, I recognize that my ability to listen deeply is not always consistent. My engagement in a conversation depends largely on three factors: (1) my genuine interest and curiosity in the subject matter, (2) the perceived relevance and importance of the topic to me, and (3) the significance of the speaker in my personal and professional life. In the absence of these factors, I have observed a decline in my listening quality, often succumbing to perceptual blocks such as impatience, judgment, and the urge to prepare my response rather than truly absorbing the speaker’s message.
The Value of Power Listening
Power listening goes beyond hearing words—it involves deep engagement, empathy, and a conscious effort to understand the speaker’s perspective. I have personally found that when practiced effectively, power listening yields several benefits:
Building Trust and Confidence: A powerful listener enhances the self-worth of others, creating an environment of psychological safety where individuals feel valued and heard.
Enhancing Leadership Effectiveness: Leaders who listen powerfully cultivate stronger relationships, inspire loyalty, and encourage collaboration. Employees and stakeholders gravitate towards those who make them feel understood.
Facilitating Problem-Solving and Innovation: Power listening fosters a collaborative and open atmosphere, enabling teams to engage in meaningful dialogue and address complex challenges effectively.
Encouraging a Growth Mindset: When leaders listen without judgment, they instill confidence in others, encouraging a culture of learning, experimentation, and continuous improvement.
A Plan to Enhance Power Listening Skills
One might ask the question, ‘So what kind of a plan one needs to become a power listener?’ My plan included the following steps:
Develop Self-Awareness: I continuously assessed my natural listening tendencies, acknowledged biases, and consciously worked to overcome them.
Identify Communication Gaps: By reflecting on daily interactions, I could recognize patterns where my listening faltered and I needed to refocus back.
Practice Active Listening: I needed to implement the following techniques in my conversations:
Attentiveness: Focus on the speaker’s words, emotions, and underlying intent.
Empathy: Place myself in the speaker’s position, avoiding premature judgment.
Validation: Reflect back to the speaker meaningful insights to acknowledge and appreciate the speaker’s perspective.
Mental Clarity: Train myself to resist formulating responses while listening.
Patience: Allow space for the speaker to elaborate without interruption.
Encouragement: Reinforce the speaker’s strengths and motivate action.
The Emotional Impact of Being Heard
Listening is not just a transactional activity—it is deeply emotional and relational. When I am truly listened to, I experience a profound sense of connection, self-worth, and trust. The act of being heard or having ‘being gotten’ fulfills an intrinsic human need, fostering intimacy and mutual respect. Philosophers have long argued that being listened to is one of the most powerful affirmations of one’s existence. It provides the confidence to articulate thoughts, process challenges, and move forward with clarity and purpose.
Conclusion
In an era where distractions are rampant and attention spans are shrinking, power listening stands as a critical skill that differentiates effective leaders and impactful professionals. It is a skill that must be cultivated with intentionality, self-reflection, and consistent practice. By refining our listening abilities, we could aspire to become a more empathetic, perceptive, and influential leader—one who not only hears but truly understands and empowers others. In doing so, one would contribute to a more engaged, collaborative, and resilient world.
In Learning…… Shakti Ghosal
References
Zenger, J., & Folkman, J. (2016). What Great Listeners Actually Do. Harvard Business Review. Retrieved from https://hbr.org
Kruse, K. (2021). The Power of Listening in Leadership. Forbes. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com
“In life, we meet two kinds of people—those who shine like the sun, radiating wisdom and energy, often challenging yet deeply inspiring; and those who, like planets, reflect borrowed light, offering comfort but little growth. Choice remains ours- whether we choose to orbit the suns, or chase reflections.”
Life is a cosmic dance, a vast expanse where we cross paths with many kinds of people. Some shine with their own light—bright, intense, and sometimes difficult to stand too close to. They challenge us, push us beyond our comfort zones, which might make us feel humiliated or insecure. However they do ignite sparks of transformation within us. These are the suns—radiant sources of wisdom, energy, and inspiration.
Then there are those who do not generate their own light but instead reflect the glow of others. Like planets orbiting a star, they offer comfort, familiarity, and predictability. Their borrowed light may bring temporary warmth, but it does not fuel real growth. They move in predefined paths, circling endlessly, never venturing beyond what is known.
The question before us is simple yet profound: whom do we choose to orbit? Do we dare to brave the brilliance of the suns, knowing that their intensity might burn, but also illuminate new possibilities? Or do we settle for the steady, reflected glow of planets, avoiding discomfort but also forsaking true transformation?
The Challenge of the Suns
Suns in our lives come in many forms—mentors who push us to excel, leaders who challenge conventional thinking, friends who demand authenticity, or experiences that shatter complacency. These forces can be unsettling, their intensity requiring us to adapt, to evolve, and sometimes to withstand discomfort.
Yet, it is from these sources that we learn the most. They force us to question our assumptions, face our fears, and tap into strengths we never knew we possessed. They inspire us to expand our horizons, to break free from the gravitational pull of mediocrity, and to blaze our own trails. As Kouzes and Posner (2017) suggest in The Leadership Challenge, transformative leaders create environments where individuals are encouraged to experiment, innovate, and grow beyond their limitations.
The Sun: Steve Jobs and the Apple Revolution
Steve Jobs was a quintessential “sun”—intense, visionary, and sometimes difficult to work with. He challenged the status quo, demanding excellence from those around him. Many who worked closely with Jobs describe the experience as transformative, albeit tough. His relentless pursuit of innovation forced others to think differently, step beyond their comfort zones, and achieve greatness. Those who chose to stay in his orbit were often pushed to their limits but emerged stronger, more creative, and capable of making an impact.
Lesson: Following the light of a “sun” can be difficult, but it leads to extraordinary growth.
The Comfort of the Planets
Planets, on the other hand, offer familiarity. They provide steady companionship, reassuring words, and a sense of belonging. Their presence is not without valuable— at times we do need the comfort of the known, the stability of routine, the ease of like-minded company. However, if we linger too long in their orbit, we stagnate. The pursuit of borrowed light may seem safe, but it rarely leads to personal evolution.
Consider the case of corporate career paths. Many professionals spend decades in the same organization, never venturing beyond predefined career trajectories. They are competent and reliable but do not challenge existing structures. Meanwhile, those who step outside their comfort zones—whether by switching industries, seeking disruptive mentors, or engaging in lifelong learning—often experience exponential growth. Carol Dweck (2006), in her seminal work Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, emphasizes the importance of a growth mindset—embracing challenges, learning from criticism, and persisting in the face of setbacks.
The Planet: The Comfort of Routine in Corporate Careers
Consider an employee who has spent two decades in the same corporate job, doing well but never pushing beyond the familiar. He is competent, reliable, and comfortable in his position. However, his growth is limited—he reflects the expectations of his environment rather than shaping it. While his job provides security, he misses out on opportunities to innovate, learn new skills, or challenge himself.
Lesson: Comfort is not always conducive to progress. Staying in the orbit of planets can lead to stagnation.
Making the Choice
There is no right or wrong answer—only awareness. There are times in life when we need the warmth of planets, moments of rest and reassurance. But growth happens when we dare to reach for the suns. It is in their radiance that we find our own light, forging our path not as mere reflections but as luminous beings in our own right.
The choice is ours. Do we settle for the comfortable glow of borrowed light, or do we embrace the challenge of the suns, knowing that their brilliance will shape us into something greater?
In the grand design of the universe, we are not bound to any orbit. We are free to choose our celestial path. The only question that remains is—where will we set our course?
The Choice: Malala Yousafzai’s Defiance of the Status Quo
Malala Yousafzai, a young Pakistani girl, had a choice—to accept the constraints imposed by her environment (where education for girls was restricted) or to challenge the norms. She chose to orbit the “sun” of enlightenment, education, and progress, even at great personal risk. Today, she is a global advocate for education, inspiring millions.
Lesson: Choosing to orbit the “suns” of wisdom and progress, even in the face of adversity, can lead to transformational impact.
Conclusion
The world is full of both suns and planets, but ultimately, we decide which forces shape our journey. The challenge is to recognize when we are merely reflecting light and when we are generating our own. Growth, transformation, and true impact come from stepping into the orbit of those who challenge us, inspire us, and push us beyond our perceived limits.
So, ask yourself—are you ready to seek the suns, even if their brilliance demands more of you? The answer will determine the trajectory of your life.
In Learning……. Shakti Ghosal
References
Dweck, C. S. (2006). Mindset: The New Psychology of Success. Random House.
Kouzes, J. M., & Posner, B. Z. (2017). The Leadership Challenge: How to Make Extraordinary Things Happen in Organizations. Wiley.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer a futuristic concept—it is here, and disrupting all that we are familiar with in terms of the way we work, make decisions, and interact. As Leaders and Managers, while we might agree with this, we might not have given much thought about how we ourselves might need to change, rethink our own roles and priorities. How we as leaders need to adapt to make the most of the shift at the workplace and business perspectives taking place?
So how do we go about Shifting the Leadership Mindset?
In 2018, Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft, shared an interesting insight: “The role of a leader is not to be the know-it-all, but to be the learn-it-all.” This could not be truer in an AI-driven world. Leaders who cling to old ways of working—making decisions based on experience alone or holding tightly to hierarchical structures—will struggle. Instead, they need to embrace a few key shifts in thinking. I am enumerating these here.
From Authority to Empowerment: Picture yourself, a seasoned marketing manager who has always relied on gut instinct to craft campaigns. Now, AI-driven analytics suggest alternative strategies. Instead of resisting, you encourage your team to experiment with AI insights, leading to a campaign that doubles engagement. According to MIT Sloan Management Review (2022), businesses that integrate AI into decision-making while maintaining human oversight see greater innovation and efficiency [1]. To be an effective leader today, you need to empower your teams to harness AI rather than dictating decisions.
From Gut Feeling to Data-Driven Decisions: Years ago, a retail CEO might have made inventory decisions based on past sales and intuition. But today, AI predicts customer demand with astonishing accuracy. McKinsey Global Institute (2023) highlights that companies leveraging AI for predictive decision-making can outperform competitors by up to 20% in operational efficiency [2]. Take Zara, for instance, which uses AI to analyze shopping trends and adjust production in real time. As a leader, you must learn to trust AI insights while still applying human judgment where it matters most.
( c ) From Stability to Agility: When the pandemic hit, Airbnb faced a crisis. Travel halted; bookings plummeted. Instead of panicking, leadership used AI-driven insights to pivot towards long-term rentals, adapting to new customer needs. The shift kept the company afloat. Deloitte Insights (2023) emphasizes that adaptability is a critical survival skill in AI-driven businesses [3]. In an AI world, you as a leader needs to develop adaptability as a survival skill.
The Changing Leadership Context
The rise of AI is reshaping not just how businesses operate, but also how leaders interact with teams and technology.
Human-AI Collaboration: Imagine an investment firm where AI scans market trends and suggests portfolio adjustments. It does not replace human analysts—it enhances their work. According to Harvard Business Review (2021), companies that use AI for augmentation rather than automation see higher employee engagement and better decision outcomes [4] You as a leader need to foster a culture where AI is seen as a tool for augmentation, not as a threat.
A Workforce with Different Expectations: I know of a tech startup which has hired a mix of Gen Z employees who are eager to automate repetitive tasks and seasoned professionals who fear AI might make their skills obsolete.Gartner (2022) stresses the importance of AI literacy, stating that leaders must bridge this gap to create a future-ready workforce [5]. You as a leader need to bridge this gap by promoting AI literacy and ensuring every team member understands how AI enhances, rather than replaces, his / her role.
Ethical Leadership in AI Use: Amazon once developed an AI-driven recruitment tool that unknowingly favoured male candidates. When this bias was exposed, leadership had to step in and scrap the project. This highlights the importance of ethical oversight.World Economic Forum (2023) notes that responsible AI governance is one of the most pressing leadership challenges today, requiring fairness, transparency, and accountability [6]. In an AI world, you as a leader must ensure fairness, transparency, and accountability in AI applications.
So, what might be the key leadership qualities needed for an AI-Driven World?
Digital Fluency: Take Elon Musk—while not an AI engineer, he understands AI’s potential enough to integrate it into Tesla’s self-driving technology.Stanford AI Index (2024) reports that organizations with AI-savvy leadership are more likely to succeed in AI implementation [7]. You as a leaderdo not need to code AI algorithms, you should be able grasp how AI works.
Emotional Intelligence: Consider Jacinda Ardern, whose empathetic leadership style resonates deeply in an increasingly digital world. AI can provide data, but only humans can provide understanding and connection.World Economic Forum (2020) highlights that empathy and communication will remain irreplaceable leadership traits in an AI-driven world [8]. As a leader, you need to always hold the perspective that, with AI handling repetitive tasks, the human touch becomes even more critical.
Adaptability and Curiosity: In the 1990s, Jeff Bezos saw the internet’s potential and launched Amazon. Decades later, he embraced AI to power recommendation engines and logistics. As a leader, if you stay curious and embrace continuous learning, you will thrive in an AI-powered future.
Vision and Strategic Thinking: Netflix uses AI to recommend content, but it’s the leadership that chooses to invest in original programming. As a leader, know that while AI offers insights, it is human vision that drives bold, strategic decisions.
Inclusive Leadership: AI is only as good as the data it learns from. As a leader, you must ensure that diverse teams contribute to AI-driven decisions to prevent biases and improve outcomes.
Conclusion: Leadership in an AI-powered world is not about controlling technology—it’s about guiding people to make the best use of it. The leaders who will thrive are those who embrace AI, empower their teams, and balance technological advances with human insight. Just like any major transformation in history, success will not come from resisting change but from learning how to harness it.McKinsey (2023) suggests that successful AI-driven companies are those that invest not just in technology but in leadership transformation [9]. The future belongs to leaders who can blend AI-driven intelligence with human wisdom and vision.
Trust is a foundational element of relationships and interactions. My decades of working in organisations and relating to people have made me realise that Trust flows out from three aspects of how we relate to people and how we interact with team members and others.
First and foremost is the Integrity of our word. We need to be clear to our own selves that the way others see us is how we ‘honour our word.’ Do we keep it and if we cannot, do we inform about that at the earliest opportunity and be willing to clear up any mess caused?
Second is the aspect of accountability. When we can own up to our own errors of judgement and take responsibility, we start creating an environment where others ‘feel safe’ to do the same.
And finally, is the aspect of transparency which builds credibility and shows others that we are willing to share information honestly, even when it is difficult.
What trust leads to is open communication and ‘risk taking’ initiatives with the potential to transform workplaces to becoming more supportive and innovative.
To showcase, how Trust works, I wish to relate the case of Johnson & Johnson and its Tylenol product crisis of 1982. The company faced a severe crisis when people in Chicago died after taking cyanide-laced capsules of Extra-Strength Tylenol, a top-selling, trusted pain reliever.
While Johnson & Johnson was not responsible for the tampering, it faced intense scrutiny and an immediate threat to the overall J & J brand.
The company made a series of bold decisions, guided by its corporate philosophy, which prioritized customers over all else. It immediately recalled over thirty million bottles of the product costing the company over $100 million. The company maintained open and honest communication with the public, issuing warnings and engaging with the media. This transparency helped rebuild public trust and showed they were prioritizing customer well-being.
By placing consumer trust above profit and acting with integrity, Johnson & Johnson was able to rebuild and even strengthen their brand. In a matter of months, Tylenol regained a significant share of the pain-reliever market, and Johnson & Johnson became known as a company that values trust and ethics.
In a recent ‘Mindset Matters’ podcast, Executive Coach Frank Marinko and I deep dived into the fundamentals of what constitutes Trust and how what constitutes our word becomes so crucial in the matter.
A New Beginning 