New Delhi, Feb. 19 -- Almost every field of work needs three kinds of capacities: technical, social-human and operational. Their mix required in any field is determined by the nature of the work in that field, which becomes clear when we examine the role of the person at the frontline of work.

In education, teachers form the frontline, and their role requires all three capacities. Software coders, who are at the frontline of the IT world, mostly require technical capacities and a few social-human capacities. The frontline politician's role is also complex, as it requires social-human and operational capacities in ample measure, though the typical political leader does not need technical capacities to match a teacher's.

This inherent nat...