Example 2 - Excerpts of Interviews with Professionals

2. An interview with Mr. Ajit Doval, National Security Advisor of India

Ajit Kumar Doval KC (born 20 January 1945) is a central civil servant of the IPS cadre and the fifth and current NSA National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister of India, with the precedence equivalent to Cabinet Minister.

MHRD Innovation Cell had broadcast an interview of the man who is highly successful in orchestrating many security or intelligence operations. What is his mode of operation? How he took decisions? What does a decision means? He has explained all those questions meticulously in this interview. He usually does not appear for public interviews or appearances. He does not have a mobile phone, any social media account, does not use internet in his computer for communication. But he is very fast in executing operation that he, almost in all the operations, startled his opponents with speed. So how he works. We shall get a glimpse of this great operational mind of our time.

Excerpts from the above interview that may be relevant to our students who want to be successful.

We take hundreds of decisions everyday, like what to eat, what to wear, where to go, etc. Some are small, insignificant decisions, few are tough decisions.

What is a tough decision?

A decision that will affect large number of people and for a long period of time - is a tough decision.

How to take a decision?

First we should have a clarity of the objective. To have a clear objective

✓ Remove all adjectives and adverbs - that is unnecessary thoughts or words.

✓ There will be only nouns and verbs - that is only names and what to do.

✓ Make it small and as objective as possible.

✓ Focus only on a clear objective. e.g. neutralize such and such on a specific date and specific time.

Analysis of the objective

Analyze the circumstances, limitations, resources available for the operation, possibilities those can happen, contingency plans available at disposal, etc. usbl

Some don'ts

✓ Do not take decisions when you are angry. It will lead you to wrong decision.

✓ Do not take decisions if you are afraid. If security of your life becomes more important then it will affect your decision making ability.

✓ Do not decisions if you are upset. If your personal matters are at stake, you may loose job, etc. then you will be in anxiety. It will affect your decision.

Procedure

✓ Search the options to achieve the objective. There are generally very few options while taking a tough decision.

✓ Work out the best option to reach the objective. Your database, information, experience, communication skill, etc. will help you in selecting the best option.

✓ After selecting the best option, prepare for it with full vigor. Give your best.

Some advices

✓ Taking the right decision is less important than making the decision right. no decision is right or wrong when it is taken. We shall know it only after the event is over. Therefore we should try to make the 'taken decision' right. e.g. we often select right partner during marriage but we should endeavor to make our marriage right.

✓ An example: A poisoned candy is offered to you. At that moment you took the right decision to lick the tasty candy. After taking the candy you are poisoned. So your decision was found to be wrong at the end. Therefore, there is no right decision as such.

✓ Concentrate more on action rather than changing the decision in the course of action.

Philosophical advices

✓ Every second of your life should be the first second of the rest of your life.

✓ Hold on all adversities. Do not quit. Prepare yourself for how will you respond to a circumstance.

✓ What you want to do is your passion. What you should do is your duty. Opt for the second.

✓ What you have to do is not your choice. It is other's choice. When there is option there you can take decision. If there is compulsion there is no question of decision.

The final advice to the future citizens

✓ Identify your self with a larger identity. Identify yourself with your family. Identify with your society. Identify with your nation. Identify with the mankind. Identify yourself with larger and larger identity.

✓ Do not shrink yourself to smaller and meaner identity like your own-self, your own family.

✓ Your identity should be "I am an Indian".