The CPI(M)’s nominees for the second cabinet led by Pinarayi Vijayan had one glaring omission — that of senior leader KK Shailaja, who served as the health minister in the outgoing government. The decision was criticised as unfair by many as, not only had she been elected with a historic margin of 60,000-odd votes but was also hailed for her remarkable leadership during the pandemic. In the corporate world, too, decisions where talented and achieving candidates are handed the short end of the stick are unfortunately all too common, experts say. “Corporates, like any other system, are imperfect and operate within constraints. Then, there’s also the matter of office politics where leaders may show a bias towards certain candidates over others,” explains Brajesh Bajpai, leadership coach and director of international business at Vodacom.

KK Shailaja’s exclusion came as a shock. Pic/Wikimedia Commons