2. Punctuality
(Circa 1962)
Shastriji was a punctual person and taught us also to be on
time too. Once he was going out of station on a special plane
and checked with me the previous evening if I would be
interested in coming along. I happily agreed since the
following day was a school holiday. He said he would leave the
house at 8 o'clock in the morning as the take-off was
scheduled at 8.30. Since I could not get ready on time, I tried
getting to the airport in another car. By the time I reached, it
was 8.35 am. The doors of the plane were closed and the
engines were running. Although I was just 5 minutes late,
Shastriji did not wait for me
and took off and I was left
behind. I felt very
embarrassed and
wept profusely at
theairportitself.
In the evening
when Shastriji
came back, my
mother

3. Lalita Shastri was annoyed with him and said that he could
have waited for just 5 minutes instead of leaving me behind.
All he said was, “If I didn't do that, how would Anil ever learn
to bepunctual.”
This was a big lesson for me and to date, I do my best to be
punctual at all times.
Wisdom Window
This anecdote is very vital for understanding the
importance of punctuality in management. Through one
master stroke, Lal Bahadur Shastri not only taught his
son the importance of punctuality but also demonstrated
to everybody around him – his colleagues, driver, airport
staff, etc and left them with a useful lesson to pass on to
their colleagues, friends and family.
33 Lal Bahadur Shastri - Lessons in Leadership