Political Consultancy, Samagra | Gaurav Goel | TEDxIITRoorkee

Summary

The speaker discusses the traditional assembly line process for products and humorously compares it to the educational and professional trajectory of an individual in India. They then share their personal journey of breaking away from this 'semi-line' to start a social enterprise, Stomach Development, which partners with politicians to enhance constituency development. The talk explores the importance of political consulting, drawing parallels between business and political leadership, and introduces the concept of a 'development entrepreneur' in politics. The speaker concludes with predictions for the growth of political consulting and the potential for political leaders to leverage professional teams for effective governance.

Takeaways

• 🏭 The speaker discusses the traditional assembly line production process, comparing it to the educational and career trajectory often followed in India, which includes DPS, IIT, IIM, and McKinsey.
• 🚀 The speaker chose to deviate from this 'semi-line production process' to start 'Stomach Development', a social enterprise at the intersection of politics and development.
• 🤝 'Stomach Development' partners with elected representatives to support them in various aspects of constituency development.
• 🏫 The speaker believes that their education and professional experiences at DPS, IIT, and McKinsey were preparatory steps for their current role in development entrepreneurship.
• 🔍 The speaker redefines political consulting, aligning it with business consulting, emphasizing diagnosing issues and leveraging expertise to address them.
• 🌟 Political consulting, as described, includes campaign management, on-ground development, policy support, and formulation.
• 🔑 The speaker highlights the stark contrast between the resources and support available to business leaders versus political leaders, emphasizing the need for political consulting.
• 🌱 The importance of political consulting is rooted in the belief that politics is the most potent instrument for sustainable, large-scale change.
• 🛠️ 'Stomach Development' operates as a development entrepreneur within the political system, connecting factors of development to create impact.
• 🔮 The speaker predicts an expansion in the political consulting landscape, increased collaboration, and a future where political leaders have access to professional teams for support.

Q & A

What is the main difference between assembly line production and the semi-line production process for individuals as described in the script?

The main difference is that assembly line production is a manufacturing process where a product moves through various stations to be completed, while the semi-line production process for individuals refers to a metaphorical path that people follow through educational and professional institutions like DPS, IIT, IIM, and McKinsey to become a 'product' of that system.

Why did the speaker decide to leave the semi-line production process?

The speaker decided to leave the semi-line production process to avoid being just another 'product' like a bottle of coke or a Tata Nano and to take a risk by starting Stomach Development, a social enterprise at the intersection of politics and development.

What does Stomach Development do, as described in the script?

Stomach Development is a social enterprise that partners with elected representatives (MPs and MLAs) across six states, supporting them with various aspects of constituency development.

How does the speaker justify their transition from their past education and work experience to their current role in Stomach Development?

The speaker believes that everything they've done in their life, including their education and work experience, was in some sense of preparation for their current role. They argue that the skills and experiences gained from DPS, IIT, IIM, and McKinsey have collectively contributed to their ability to work hard, be competitive, learn quickly, lead, build teams, and apply transferable skills in their current work in development entrepreneurship.

What does the speaker think about the current definition of political consulting found on Wikipedia?

The speaker finds the current definition of political consulting on Wikipedia outdated and archaic, as it only refers to supporting political candidates with election management and does not capture the essence of the broader role of political consulting.

How does the speaker define political consulting in comparison to business consulting?

The speaker defines political consulting similarly to business consulting as a process of diagnosing problems and issues with a political entity or individual politician and leveraging external expertise to address them, which can include campaign management, on-ground development, policy research, and formulation.

What is the primary belief of Samar, the organization the speaker is associated with?

The primary belief of Samar is that politics is the biggest instrument of change for bringing about sustainable and impactful change at scale.

Why is political consulting important according to the speaker?

Political consulting is important because it helps to empower well-meaning politicians to deliver on their mandates and effectively bring about change at a large scale, which is essential for sustainable development.

What does the speaker predict about the political consulting landscape in the coming years?

The speaker predicts that the political consulting landscape will see an increase in the number of entities operating in each cell of the landscape, more collaboration and consolidation among entities, and established players moving to serve clients from the business consulting domain.

What changes does the speaker anticipate for political leaders in terms of professional support?

The speaker anticipates that at some point, the government will make provisions for legislators to hire or leverage the services of high-quality professional teams to help them deliver on their mandates.

What is the speaker's final prediction related to the 'semi-line production process' for individuals?

The speaker predicts that more individuals will have the courage to step off the traditional path of the 'semi-line production process' and take risks to pursue their own unique paths, similar to how the speaker did with Stomach Development.