Anupam Mittal's Learning From This Year's Elections

In the tumultuous landscape of Indian politics, the 2024 elections have highlighted the risks associated with excessive bravado and bluster. While confidence and assertiveness are often seen as essential traits for political leadership, the events of this election cycle demonstrate that overreliance on these qualities can backfire spectacularly.
India's 2024 elections have been a battleground of ideologies, personalities, and promises. As political parties and their leaders vie for the nation's favor, some have chosen to adopt a posture of extreme confidence, making bold claims and issuing aggressive statements. This approach, while intended to project strength and decisiveness, has at times alienated voters and exposed vulnerabilities.

Anupam Mittal, Founder and Director/CEO, Shaadi.co and People Group took to LnkedIn to state his lessons learnt from this year's unpredictable Election result game.

According to Mittal, “The recent elections have painted a vivid picture of how unnecessary bravado and bluster can backfire spectacularly. While the BJP's achievement of securing power for a third consecutive term is no small feat, the leadership's promise that the NDA would surpass 400 seats turned a historic win into what feels like a loss.”

Further, he also learnt that, “Misaligned expectations can erode trust, dampen morale, and ultimately lead to failure, even in the face of significant achievements.”

His Post read:

"This phenomenon isn't limited to politics—it's a critical lesson for professionals in any organizational setting. In companies, I generally see 2 types of extremes –

1. The Predictable Achiever:

Leaders who set overly conservative targets to ensure their success chances are close to 100%. While they check-off the ‘target-met’ box, their managers see through the low-hanging fruit approach. So, these leaders end up in roles that are either non-critical OR ones that simply maintain the status quo.
2. The Unrealistic Pleaser:

Leaders who accept ambitious, top-down targets without realistic assessments. They ‘like to please’ and want to be seen as alphas who can achieve anything. While their heart’s in the right place, they create a cycle of overpromising and under delivering.

In my experience, the key to effective goal-setting lies in balancing ambition with realism.

Rigorous bottom-up planning, aligned with top-down targets, creates a framework where goals are challenging yet achievable.

Stretch goals are essential, but they must be grounded in reality. Aiming for a 70-80% success probability ensures that targets are ambitious but not completely unreachable. You could also outline them as 2 goals - a base level goal and a stretch goal.

This also aligns the orgs expectations clearly and even if you don’t get there all the way, you will still be seen as a ‘performer’. CEOs love leaders who swing for the fences.

In essence, success isn't just about hitting numbers; it's about managing perceptions.

Remember, the principle of "say what you're going to do, and then do what you said" is a cornerstone for being a star player.

The 2024 elections serve as a cautionary tale for politicians who prioritize bravado over substance. Authenticity, empathy, and practical solutions resonate more with voters than empty rhetoric. As India continues to evolve politically, leaders who understand and address the nuanced realities of their electorate are likely to find more success than those who rely on sheer force of personality.

While confidence is a valuable trait in political leadership, it must be balanced with humility, honesty, and a genuine connection to the people's needs. The 2024 elections have shown that when bravado and bluster overshadow these qualities, the consequences can be dire.