Pure Gold or Ornament?

 Pure Gold or Ornament?

On my journey, I stumbled upon particles of gold,

Tiny, glittering, radiant, untouched.

They shone with the brilliance of purity itself.

The goldsmiths looked at them and said,

“Let us craft ornaments from this treasure.”

And then they added wisely,

“To give it strength, we must mix in a little copper.”

Now, as proposals arrive from renowned publishers,

A question stirs within me:

Should Value-Based Leadership remain as pure gold,

Shining in its raw brilliance?

Or should it be shaped into ornaments,

fortified with copper,

Through development and structural editing,

book blurb creation and SEO checks,

Bookstore promotions and launch events,

So that it may endure, be worn, and reach many hands?

This is the choice before me as an author:

• To self-publish, preserving its untouched purity.

• Or to entrust it to established publishers,

who may add their copper,

Giving it strength, polish, and longevity.

Yet, Dear readers,

And Dear Leaders,

Value-Based Leadership will walk its own way.

Whether as a bar of pure gold or a beautiful ornament,

It will reach your doorsteps,

Step into your drawing hall,

And invite itself into your conversations.

Please, keep the doors open…

So I ask you:

What would you prefer,

The rare beauty of pure gold,

Or the lasting elegance of an ornament?

Dr. Mahendra Ingale @ Jalgaon on Jan 8, 2026

#ValueBasedLeadership #EngineeringHeartBeats