SECTION A
Essay
125 marks
Character of an institution is reflected in its leader.
WRITE IN
90 min
1,000–1,200 words
Reading the topic
The topic suggests a leader embodies an institution's culture. The deeper reading asks whether leaders shape institutions or institutions shape leaders, and expects the essay to show leaders setting tone and values, while strong institutions outlast weak leaders.
ThesisLeaders reveal and shape an institution's character, but strong institutions are those whose values survive changes of leadership.
Dimensions to cover
- 1Public institutions: a determined head can transform a body's credibility, as election management shows
- 2Corporate: scandals often trace back to a leader's ethics, shaping the firm's culture
- 3Cooperatives and social enterprises: visionary leadership can build institutions serving millions
- 4Science: founding leaders of research institutions set long-lasting cultures of excellence
- 5Limits: over-dependence on one leader makes institutions fragile
- 6Accountability: transparent selection processes ensure leaders reflect institutional values
Counter-view
- Some argue institutions shape leaders through rules and culture. The essay should agree in mature institutions but show leaders matter most in founding and crisis moments
Open and close
- Open: Open with the same Election Commission office before and after 1990, when one man's insistence on rules made politicians fear a body they had ignored
- Close: End by arguing that leaders show an institution's character, but the best leaders build character that outlives them
Where marks usually go
- Writing only about political leaders, ignoring institutions
- Agreeing fully without considering how institutions shape leaders
- Listing great leaders without linking them to institutions
Examples that fit
- CaseT.N. Seshan, as Chief Election Commissioner from 1990 to 1996, enforced the Model Code of Conduct strictly and transformed the Election Commission's credibility.Election Commission of India history
- CaseVerghese Kurien built Amul and Operation Flood, making India the world's largest milk producer and showing a leader shaping a cooperative's character.National Dairy Development Board; Verghese Kurien, I Too Had a Dream (2005)
- CaseSatyam's founder confessed to accounting fraud in 2009, showing how a leader's ethics can undermine an institution.SEBI orders on Satyam Computer Services
- CaseIn Anoop Baranwal v Union of India (2023) the Supreme Court addressed appointment of Election Commissioners, showing concern over how leaders are chosen.Supreme Court of India, Anoop Baranwal v Union of India, 2023
- ThinkerJim Collins found that great companies were led by humble, determined 'Level 5' leaders who built institutions to outlast them.Jim Collins, Good to Great (2001)