Professor M.S. Rao, PhD, International Leadership Guru
Professor M.S. Rao, PhD is the Father "Soft Leadership" and the Founder of MSR Leadership Consultants, India. He is an International Leadership Guru with forty years of experience and the author of over fifty books including the award-winning "See the Light in You".
He is a C-Suite advisor and global keynote speaker. He brings a strategic eye and long-range vision given his multifaceted professional experience, including military, teaching, training, research, consultancy, and philosophy.
Professor M.S. Rao is passionate about serving and making a difference in the lives of others. He trains a new generation of leaders through leadership education and publications. His vision is to build one million students as global leaders by 2030.
He has the vision to share knowledge freely with one billion people globally. He advocates gender equality globally (#HeForShe). He was ranked #1 Thought Leader and Influencer in HR globally by Thinkers360.
“Be passionate, persistent, and patient. There is nothing like an overnight success. You must work hard, wise, and smart to stand out from others. I failed many times in my life. I fail every day. But I don't have any regrets because I learn lessons and move on with valuable takeaways.”
Professor M.S. Rao
Professor M.S. Rao, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube & Amazon books
Professor M.S. Rao invests his time in authoring books and blogging on executive education, learning, and leadership. Most of his work is available free of charge on his four blogs, including www.professormsraovision2030.blogspot.com. He is a prolific author and a dynamic, energetic, and inspirational leadership speaker.
His specialities and focus areas are Executive Education, Soft Leadership, Executive Coaching, Gender and Diversity and Teaching and Training. And his most notable recognitions include:
Thinkers 360 Ranked #1 Top 50 Thought Leader and Influencer in HR globally.
Vision 2030: One Million Global Leaders has been ranked as one of the Top 10 Finalists in the 'Not For Profit' category of Leadership 500 Excellence Awards, LEAD 2015 event in Dallas, USA.
Received International Award - 'International Coach of the Year 2013' from prestigious "Comprehensive Coaching U, Inc" and International Award- 'Heart-repreneur® of the Year in 2019'.
Tell us about your current role and what you like about your career/role or areas of focus.
I am the Founder of MSR Leadership Consultants, India. I am known as the Father of Soft Leadership. I have forty years of experience and authored over fifty books, including the award-winning 'See the Light in You'.
What inspires you, motivates you, helps you to make each day count?
Teaching, training, writing, and sharing knowledge freely with the world inspires me. Serving others and adding value to global society motivates me.
Outside of your professional work area, what hobbies or interests do you have, or what other areas of your life are of real importance to you?
I go to the gym every day by walk and do a workout for an hour and return home by walk.
Overall, I walk for an hour and do a workout for an hour. I am basically a fitness freak. My hobbies are blogging, swimming, and gifting to others.
When it comes to your life chosen career, is there a phrase, quote, or saying that you really like?
"As long as you love and learn, you are young. The day you stop loving and learning, you become old. So, stay young forever by learning and loving others."
What are you most proud of in your life?
Serving in the Indian Air Force.
What do you wish you had known when you started out?
When I started my career in the Indian Air Force, I wanted to become the Air Chief Marshal (the highest rank in the Indian Air Force). Now I want to become the President of India (the supreme commander of the Indian Armed Forces).
Who do you most admire in business, academic or creative circles?
Abraham Lincoln has been my inspiration since my childhood. I am a follower of Mahatma Gandhi and I admire his principles of truth and non-violence.
What companies, brands, or institutions do you like or do you think are getting it right?
It is difficult to respond because things are changing so rapidly due to disruption and innovation, especially in the post-coronavirus world. It appears that some of the companies may vanish from the market ten years from now.
What is the best advice you have ever received?
None. On the other hand, I mentored, coached, and guided more than 40,000 people freely.
What drives or motivates you each day in a work environment?
Passion to share my knowledge freely with the world. My vision to build one million students as global leaders by 2030 drives me.
What are your thoughts on the future of social media?
Social media plays a crucial role to play in the future. Social media is a double-edged sword. The users must learn to leverage it judiciously and effectively to add value to the global communities and societies.
What is your favorite social media platform, and why?
I like LinkedIn because it is a professional network.
Do you have a mentor, or have you ever been a mentor to anyone?
I have not been blessed with any mentor since my childhood. So, I decided to become a mentor and coach for others.
That's why I started a non-profit initiative Vision 2030: One Million Global Leaders.
How do you network? What is your preferred way to network?
When you have strong content, people will come to you to network. The network is a two-way street. You cannot clap with one hand. You need to have two hands to clap. So, to build a network, it is essential to identify like-minded people to build connections.
My preferred way of the network is social media. I prefer LinkedIn to other social media platforms to network and share my knowledge.
What advice would you have for someone looking to get into the same area of work?
Be passionate, persistent, and patient. There is nothing like an overnight success.
You must work hard, wise, and smart to stand out from others.
What do you feel is the most common reason for people failing or giving up?
They don't believe in their dreams. They don't work hard. They are not persistent.
How do you define success, and what lessons have you learned so far that you could share with our audience?
Success is the ability to accomplish your goals and objectives, despite odds being stacked against you. Success is a relative term and differs from person to person.
I failed many times in my life. I fail every day. But I don't have any regrets because I learn lessons and move on with valuable takeaways. Here are some lessons learned. Don't be overconfident. Enter into the areas in which you are passionate and confident. Don't follow the crowd. Follow the road less travelled. Work for a cause, not applause.
What skills do you feel have helped you to become successful?
I have earned my PhD in Soft Skills in the year 2011. I believed in two things―continuous learning and constant feedback. I rose from humble origins. I was born into a toxic family and grew up in a toxic environment. I was not blessed with regular education.
I joined the Indian Air Force when I was 18 years old. I was not even a graduate. I continued my education through self-study by visiting libraries in far distant places and acquired several qualifications, including DME, BSc, MA. PGDCLL, PGDBM, and MBA.
It is obvious that I was not blessed with regular education, and I was not blessed with an education from eminent educational institutions. The second is taking feedback regularly. I always take feedback positively.
After completion of each teaching and training session, I take feedback to improve my teaching and training. I also get feedback about my books from readers globally. I take their feedback positively and improve my style of writing my books.
Can you explain your Vision 2030: One Million Global Leaders?
I started a non-profit initiative: Vision 2030: One Million Global Leaders. Here is the story about it. I served in the Indian Air Force due to my love for my nation and passion for the uniform.
I served more than a decade and acquired several qualifications, including DME, BSc, MA, PGDCLL, PGDBM, and MBA. After I left the Indian Air Force, I pursued research and earned a PhD in Soft Skills in 2011.
I led a painful life both in military and civil as I was born into a poor family and encountered innumerable challenges in my personal, professional, and social life. I was born into a toxic family and grew up in a toxic environment. I encountered some rogue relatives and siblings who were responsible for financial challenges to me, my wife, and two sons.
While serving in the Indian Air Force, I acquired knowledge on leadership as the military makes the best leaders due to the kind of tough training soldiers receive and the kind of unique challenges they encounter during the war and peace.
Hence, I developed a passion for leadership and service. While serving in the Indian Air Force, I did not appreciate the way things were happening in India due to the unscrupulous politicians dividing society in the name of region, religion, caste, and communities.
Additionally, lots of money went into the private coffers of politicians rather than reaching the poor people in India. I was disturbed by the conditions in Indian society. Corruption has become cancer in Indian society. Therefore, I decided to train leaders with a global mindset to enable them to develop the nation, promote fraternity, and work for global peace and prosperity.
I entered the teaching profession as educational institutions are the ideal places to shape students and equip them with leadership skills and abilities. Second, I focused on students as they are in teenage, and they can be molded easily as leaders the way the military recruits the young cadets and grooms them as soldiers and leaders. I started getting overwhelming support from students as they were inspired during my teaching and training programs in educational institutions.
As a leadership researcher, I do a lot of research on various leadership styles and how leadership can be used for the benefit of a global society. During my research, I came to know that there is a looming leadership challenge globally due to the retirement of baby boomers and the Gen Y who are also known with different names, including millennials are not geared up with global leadership challenges due to lack of effective leadership development training programs.
That means when the experienced leaders exit from service, there is an alarming leadership vacuum globally as the young inexperienced people are not ready in the leadership pipeline to take up the leadership roles and responsibilities.
Although it is a threat globally, I viewed it as an opportunity to contribute my best. I trained students as global leaders to enable them to grow with leadership skills and abilities. I have taught and trained more than 40,000 students so far. I have taken the support of social media to articulate my vision and share my articles and videos regularly on my social media platforms.
Since I belong to Gen X, I can serve as a link between the baby boomers and Gen Y to bridge this global leadership deficit. I considered my age and experience in the military and academia, and above all, my interest in leadership and passion for students an opportunity to serve students to groom them as global leaders. Hence, I pray to God to give me health, knowledge, wisdom, strength, and lifespan to build one million students as global leaders by 2030.