This book is a collection of actual stories of change and transformation that give the reader an insider's view of the incredible world of the Indian Railways. Driving successful change in government organisations is a Herculean task; many efforts fail, in any case. Grit, resilience and hardiness, along with a humane approach and the benign influence of critical stakeholders can often move mountains. The failures along the way are just the lead indicators of success.
The story author Sudheer Kumar read in his childhood, 'Haar ki Jeet' by Sudarshan, and the prayer, 'Woh shakti hamein do dayanidhe kartavya marg par dat jaayen' by Murarilal Sh arma left a deep impression on his mind..
The biggest-ever Make-in-India PPP project, an initiative of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi led government, to set up a locomotive factory at Madhepura, Bihar, forms a part of the book. ISB Hyderabad has written a case study on this project, and Harvard Business Publishing has published it in June 2020.
The book has lessons in leadership which go beyond the rulebook to create a guiding coalition and collaborate actively; embrace empathy, and always put people first; challenge the status-quo and dysfunctional legacy systems but in an inclusive, humane way; cultivate inner emotional stability and focus; operate always from a tranquil mind for the greater good; optimism and idealism with superior people-skills achieve miracles; cultivate an environment of empowered and empowering leadership, and finally; bring differentiated technical and functional mastery to everything you do.
About the author
(Sudheer Kumar is a graduate in Electrical Engineering with a gold medal in 1981 from GB Pant University, Pantnagar. He studied at IIT Delhi; Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago; Tepper School of Business, Pittsburgh; and HEC Business School, Paris). He joined Indian Railway Service of Electrical Engineers in 1983. He superannuated in 2020 as Additional Member Transformation, Planning and Railway Electrification after a career spanning 37 years.
