In 2009, I got shut out of a talk at Columbia University because the event was sold out. So I waited till the doors opened at the end of the session, then walked in to have a word with the speaker. There was a long line of people wanting to get a one-on-one moment with him, so I waited until all others had had their opportunity, and then approached him.

He met me with such a sense of peace and warmth. I marveled at his ability to stay so focused with me after what must have been a long evening for him.

At some point, a member of his team gently knocked on his shoulder saying, “Sir, you have a talk to give at New York University, so we should go now.”

He nodded, and continued to interact with me in a thoughtful, unhurried manner, bringing the conversation to a graceful closure. He took my hand in his and patted it, looked lovingly and said, “Hitendra, it has been a real joy to meet you and to learn about the wonderful work you are doing.”

I had gone to him for an exchange of ideas; what I experienced instead was an exchange of spirits. It was his life and work I had wished to honor; instead it was me that he was honoring. I will never forget that moment.

Very recently, after a public uprising in his nation, this beautiful man was sworn in as the head of the interim government of Bangladesh. I am speaking of Dr. Muhammad Yunus.

When I met him, he had already won the Nobel Peace Prize. In the villages of his country, poor people struggled to acquire $2 dollars to buy the raw materials they needed to weave baskets to sell in the market. Local moneylenders would charge them usurious rates — 10% interest a week! — on loans. No wonder, he thought, they were caught in the trap of poverty.

He found the banks were unwilling to give poor people loans because they did not have any credit history, or collateral. So he started a lending institution, Grameen Bank, to arrange microloans for these individuals. His venture was an act of faith — faith in the honesty, enterprise, and commitment of the poor people of his country, particularly women, that a profitable, viable business could be built by lending small amounts of money to them even without the usual financial due diligence or cover. He succeeded magnificently, pioneering the microfinance revolution that won him the Nobel.

On that day in 2009, as I walked away from my brief time with him, I realized that what I had experienced from him was in fact the secret to his success. He had taken the same keen interest in me as he must have with the people of his country, and he had silently affirmed my inherent goodness as he had affirmed theirs. He had acted no different with me that day at Columbia than he had for decades in advancing his movement in Bangladesh.

This is what inspiring leaders do. They believe in people’s goodness, and engage lovingly with one and all, in their public and private moments. They flow with love because they are in love — in love with the divine spark in all.

Warmly,
Hitendra

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