By Nand Kishore Chaudhary

In the world of business and social entrepreneurship, the power of innocence is often undervalued. Many often fail to understand the idea of innocence and how it eventually paves the way for growth, development, and rich experience to effectively deal with future problems. One of the striking features of innocence in leadership is that in our quest for perfection, profit, and possession, it discourages self-pity and enables us to be soft on ourselves for imperfections and odd setbacks.

In the framework of social entrepreneurship, the power of innocence carries a lot of weight. Moreover, innocence creates its own authority in an endearing manner. I will expand on this while sharing my personal and professional experiences.

On the professional front, my experiments with the power of innocence have been incredible in distinct ways. To my mind, one of the fundamental lessons to draw from leadership is that making mistakes in life, in general, and in business, in particular, is inevitable. Regardless of how powerful you are and what resources are at your disposal, committing mistakes is inescapable. What is important is to understand that being vulnerable is not a sign of weakness. In the absence of vulnerability, real growth is unattainable.

Let me make a confession here: I too have made mistakes during my professional career spanning over 40 years. What my mistakes or occasional failures have taught me is that it is absolutely fine to make errors or falter in life. We are neither robots nor AI-generated instant solutions. We are all humans. Humans are preordained to make mistakes. 

As a leader, you have to wear a thinking cap on your head, learn quickly, and become skilled at not repeating the same mistakes. As a social entrepreneur, I have always endeavoured to learn from each mistake to evolve. I have found this process of learning amazing.

Remember your roots

I believe one derives immense strength from the power of innocence. At the outset, it does not allow you to forget your roots. Just like love, innocence lies in the details. 

Never forget the foundation of your entrepreneurship. Always remember the purpose why you started your business in the first place. In this battle between memory and forgetfulness, memory should always win. After scaling new heights of success or achieving fame in a quick time, complacency or maybe ‘arrogance’ can creep in. It is quite possible to fall victim to a mindset that could make you wrongly assume that as long as the company continues to generate revenue and earn profits, it will survive no matter what.

Nothing can be further from the truth. Complacency is dangerous and can be your Achilles heel. You become complacent once you forget your roots. So, the key lies in not disregarding your origin.

Obviously, the next question is “What are my roots?” Well, my roots lie in love and innocence. From the very beginning, my goal has been to deliver kindness and ensure dignity to every single individual associated with my business. Love is one of the most powerful emotions. It lies at the heart of the human experience. Therefore, it is vital to give respect and be aware of everyone’s self-esteem and dignity, especially those coming from socially marginalized or underprivileged backgrounds. Keeping the company intact is akin to nurturing your garden center. You should never feel fatigued while watering the seedlings. It is a cathartic exercise. This is what the power of innocence does to you.

Innocence is a strength

Since childhood, I have been very innocent. I was forthright and candid from the word go. I failed to make sense of the hypocrisy around me at the societal level. My life’s journey has taught me that innocence is central to accomplishment. This childlike innocence has actually been one of my greatest strengths. There is great strength in innocence. This power makes you responsible for others and grants you the power to change lives, for good. Leadership through childlike innocence is possible.

I faced rejection from my family and society due to my thoughts, ideas, and philosophy. Similarly, the disempowered, disadvantaged, and dispossessed artisans were also neglected and rejected by society. They were searching for connection and acceptance, just like me. Perhaps, we found solace in each other’s presence. They needed my support, and I craved theirs. Our bond was forged through innocence. The collaboration between marginalised artists and a rejected individual is a tale of equality, where mutual respect and fairness were practiced sincerely.

Embracing the power of innocence

Let me ask a question: Have you ever looked closely at a child? A trait that sets children apart from adults is their unadulterated innocence. Like fragrance, a child spreads positive energy all around. A child beams with freedom and liberty without worrying too much about falling down, shame or regret. Each time a baby falls, she gets up with a smile and the same innocence to walk again. A child is open to new ideas, and always curious.

A childlike innocence injects strength in you to talk less and listen more. This practice allows you to keep communications lines open and contribute to a toxicity-free environment in which everyone feels equal in the real sense of the word. Unfortunately, in day-to-day corporate idiom, we do not encourage ideas and talks centered on self-compassion and the power of innocence. That is perhaps why many employees feel terrified at the idea of approaching people at the leadership level. Free-flowing communication helps resolve conflicts. Innocence removes barriers to communication.

I have drawn inspiration from children, people, leaders, and engaging conversations. Jesus once told the “wise and serious” adults that, it’s not children who have no place in the Kingdom, it is the wise and serious adults who won’t humble themselves to return to the innocence of childhood. Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi or Bapu also stated “The greatest lessons in life, if we would but stoop and humble ourselves, we would learn not from the grown-up learned men, but from the so-called ignorant children.”

Do not let the child inside you die. Do not give up on love and appreciate the power of innocence. Innocence enables a child to keep doors open for learning and unlearning. I learn from a child’s innocence. This is my story of success and innocence.

(The author is the founder of Jaipur Rugs. Views expressed are personal.)