BENGALURU: The founder director of Institute for Generative Leadership Sameer Dua launched his first book Declaring Breakdowns in the city recently. He talks about the power of conversations and how one can change a default future, as he calls, to the future that one desires.
Excerpts from the interview with the author:
Your book has gone into a second print. Did you expect that?
Absolutely not. It was a huge surprise. Then the publishers told me a second print was unusual, that was a second surprise... It was extraordinary. I am grateful that people are taking this up and reading it.
What was your first breakdown?
I had many. I declared a breakdown when my London company went bust. I wanted to ensure that my Indian company survives and the students here are not disadvantaged. I worked towards that over and over again. My breakdown with Gift Your Organ Foundation was perhaps the biggest and was the most impactful.
So, a breakdown can be at different levels?
When you read this book, you will see that I was in a relationship that did not work for my partner and she walked out. I said I am not okay with the future where she’s not in my life anymore. I wanted her and my daughter back. I said I will create a future where they will be back. It took me 20 months, but I got them back in my life.
I felt that old school of thought does not work. Declaring a breakdown is not a concept, it is a practice. If things are not working for you, you say it is not and that you want to create a new future.
What are the six steps you talk about?
The first step is to declare a breakdown and taking responsibility... taking ownership. The second is to identify why the situation is the way it is. Third is to see the default future, fourth is to imagine the future you want, fifth is to identify the actions you are not taking and sixth is to zero in on the actions you must take.
Why did you decide to write a book? Was that also declaring a breakdown?
Yes. I am concerned that people are not aware that they have a generative power. They have a power to declare a breakdown. They have a power to design a future, who they and others are... so I am declaring a breakdown.
How long did you take to write the book?
It took me two years to complete the book. The biggest challenge was writing it. I am not a writer but during the process, I discovered that ideas just start to flow when you sit to write.
You need not have an idea before you start writing. That was the biggest learning for me.