"Don't skate to where the puck is; skate to where it's going to be." This is sound advice from a hockey player, quoted by Steve Jobs.

Looking back to March 2020, I can confidently say that I've seen this work out perfectly only ONCE in my life.

On the evening of 18th March 2020, my boss (Principal of the school where I work part-time) called me to say that we will train our staff for half-a-day the next day, and then move to online learning. I asked her what online learning will look like, and she said, "We'll decide tomorrow with our 'think tank' first, and then take it to all staff."

Look at her in full form in these photos, the next day, convincing nearly 100 staff that we need to teach-from-home since there's a pandemic afoot, and we need to be safe:

Our Digital learning experience launched on 23rd March, 2020. Prime Minister Modi announced a full lockdown across the country the next day - 24th March, 2020. But we were ready for it in ways we couldn't have imagined. We had been prepared, we had been given the right tools, and we were assembled - by the captain of our ship. Everything else that came after, flowed from the vision of this single lady.

There are no history books written about her (yet). There are no management books written about her either.

Still, she marshalled our entire workforce into producing something marvellous.

If at all there is a wonderful Digital learning experience in Anita Methodist School today, it is because we have a leader who leaned heavily on heaven's timing and was sensitive to God's guidance, who knew exactly when to push the button for 'Code Red', who was sensitive to how much 'new' work could be extracted from the workforce, who knew to appoint the right marshals and generals to help in launching this stage of our journey, and who kept constantly observing and evolving what we launched. She is a tour de force, and she stands very, very tall in my book.

On the occasion of her birthday, I thought it befitting to jot down just a few of the hundreds of things I've picked up from her.

1. Commit. Fully.
Even if it is something she doesn't like to do, if the need arises, she will commit wholeheartedly. There are no half-measures in her book; there are no jobs medium-rare. Every job she picks up, is a job well done. This kind of work ethic is insanely inspirational.

Here she is, fully committed to a Dumb Charades performance: it felt like we were watching a Natyam performance!

2. Love. Unconditionally.
Being the Principal of a school is not easy. You end up being the head that wears a thousand crowns, and takes all the insults. Yet, through all the pressures of the job and life itself, I've seen her just scoop out love by the dozen, and keep handing it out - even when we don't deserve it; even when we don't reciprocate it. In a world where people generally slander you, gossip about you, and generally are negative and critical about you, this one lady consistently exudes love, from every pore. To know her, is a great blessing and joy. To work with her, is an absolute once-in-a-millenium opportunity.

Just look at the fullness of joy and love on her face, as she holds out a shell given to her by a young child; this was after several hours of (literally!) back-breaking labour to clear out our ground floor and make all preparations for the possibility of flooding.

3. Take time and effort. To beautify.
Whether it is a spreadsheet we're working on, or a presentation she's delivering - one thing she doesn't fail to do, is to take time and effort to make everything prettier.

Personally speaking, as someone who used to instruct barbers to "Cut my hair short enough so I don't have to comb it before work in the mornings", this is an alien concept.

It might be that she never steps out of the house without kajal. It might be a simple rose adorning her hair. It might be the few minutes needed to stop the car and buy jaadhi malli from a roadside vendor. It might be the colour-coded columns and rows in a spreadsheet. It might be the tablecloth covering the ageing table we're using. It might be the prim and proper arrangement of her desk. Whatever it is, the mantra is the same: take that little bit of extra time and effort to make everything beautiful. A small effort here, makes a generous difference in the output.

During a busy workday in December, she took time and effort to get out of her office and take this photo as her Secret Santa wanted a something-something green picture.

I could go on. Really. But I'll stop here.

This is someone worth knowing; worth observing; and worth learning from. For a long time, I've held that Keith Green and John Schlitt are the only two humans who've lived within the past century that I really really really look up to. Well... they've now been eclipsed.

Happy birthday, Joan Miss.