New Delhi, May 18 -- In India, we treat leadership the way we treat wedding guests: the more people hanging around to feed your ego, the more important you must be.

The Ego Equation is simple: Power + Applause - Answerability = Inflated Human Balloon.

In theory, leadership is about service. In practice, it often resembles a group project where one person signs the report and everyone else does the work. The moment someone acquires a title, their WhatsApp typing speed slows by 40%. They will scribble something in shorthand like 'Seen' or 'Do the needful'. This is known as "executive latency," a side effect of believing your thoughts must mature like exotic mango pickle before being shared.

Indian offices have perfected vertical yoga: ev...