iCARE: Leadership

i CARE LEADERSHIP

Copyright 2021 Chandrakanth Are, M.D. All rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior consent of the publisher, Chandrakanth Are, M.D.

Produced by the Omaha World-Herald. 1314 Douglas St., Suite 600, Omaha NE 68102-1811

First Edition ISBN 978-1-7345923-4-4

Edited by Chris Christen

Designed & illustrated by Christine Zueck-Watkins

Photography by Kent Sievers

Printed by Automatic Printing Co.

For additional copies go to icarebookshop.com

For having won the genetic lottery, this book is dedicated to:

My long-departed father, Dr. Dasaratha Naidu Are, who continues to inspire me from the netherworld

My mother, Mrs. Mahalakshmi Are, whose grace and grit inspire me in this world

Mr. Anjaneya Shastry Sir, for the warm and unyielding faith in me when it mattered the most

Mr. C. Mathan Sir, for being the benevolently firm disciplinarian

Sister Ann, for imparting values and virtues without imposing any religion

AS A CANCER SURGEON, EDUCATOR AND RESEARCHER with a philanthropic bent and wanderlust spirit, I have been blessed with the ticket to travel to every continent except Antarctica. Exposure to various cultures and religions has shown me that people everywhere are the same, regardless of race, gender, religion or social status.

This book is a collection of truths, pearls of wisdom and personal observations relative to our collective hopes, dreams, ideals of humanity and equality of spirit — iCARE principles that I believe can make the world a better place.

Chandrakanth Are, MD, MBA, FSSO, FRCS, FACS

SERVING & LEADING

A true leader is akin to a large banyan tree:

It does not know or care about how many benefit from its shade.

True leaders care more about results than recognition.

That fine line between confidence and arrogance is humility.

Be humble or be humbled.

Humility is difficult — if not impossible — to teach.

RECRUITING

When you recruit candidates that you do not need now, you will end up letting go of candidates that you need later.

A candidate who wants to meet all the metrics is good; the one who wants to go beyond without asking is excellent.

A good interview does not guarantee a good recruit. Likewise, a bad interview does not signal a bad recruit. Let the mettle or character of the person influence your decision.

MANAGING CHANGE

Change for the sake of change should be avoided; it can waste time and may not equate to success.

Opportunities for success do not always come in neat packages. A wise person seeking change will seize the opportunity.

Change to prove that you are a change agent will not result in the desired change.

Not everything needs to be changed. Some things are good just the way they are even when leadership changes.

HANDLING DIFFICULT SITUATIONS

You can’t please people who can’t be pleased.

It is hard to reason with the unreasonable.

An inflated ego rarely has a remedy.

For some, even everything may not be enough.

A person’s rise and fall depends less on intelligence and talent and more on common sense.

MODELING POSITIVITY

Be penurious in criticism and generous in praise.

Know the difference between success and happiness.

Intelligence may offer rewards but integrity fosters happiness.

A firm hand always needs a soft glove.

Colleagues advise you about work; friends advise you about life. Find friends at work.

About Chandrakanth Are

As a cancer surgeon and philanthropist, Chandra Are lived through a kaleidoscopic past that influences his thinking and shapes his perspectives.

He was born in a scarred and young independent India that barely emerged from the unimaginable horrors of the Partition and the clutches of a millennium of conquests and colonialism. Centuries of colonialism etched many foreign socio-cultural norms into the vibrant Indian society and these permeated into the psyche of children from his generation.

Born to a small-town rural general surgeon, he witnessed the pain and poverty of many patients from all religious backgrounds seeking care from his father, but also vividly remembers the grace and dignity of those eking out a living through that suffering.

After completing his medical school in India, Chandra Are was fortunate to live, train and work in multiple countries and continents across the world.

Along the way, his wanderlust allowed him to smell the soil of almost 35 diverse countries.

He also bested Jules Verne by traveling around the world, not once but twice, in about 60 and 6 days. These travels made him realize that despite the many differences, all humans are the same and nearly everyone possesses an innate amount of goodness regardless of their colour, creed, religion or past.

As a cancer surgeon, Chandra Are has walked with many of his patients into the deepest alleys of human pain and also scaled many peaks of hope and joy. Losing a loving role model and healthy parent at an early age suddenly yanked his life out of the orbit of blissful abandon and reimagined it forever. As an immigrant in a land far away from home, the inability to spend the last awake moments with his father left an indelible mark on his life. These collective events and memories from his past continue to shape his thinking and perspectives.

Born in the largest democracy of the world, Chandra Are now resides in the oldest democracy of the world, America. He is immensely grateful for the privilege of living in the two greatest democracies of the world. With his global footprint and philanthropic zeal, he works toward improving health care and education for everyone regardless of their location, colour or religion.

Author Chandrakanth Are, M.D., shares inspiring truths, pearls of wisdom and personal observations collected as a cancer surgeon, educator and researcher with a wanderlust spirit and a philanthropic bent.

In his debut series, he focuses on leadership as an introduction to the iCARE principles that he believes can make the world a better place.