Building Bridges, Brick by Brick: Leadership Lessons from the Field
What does it take to transform classrooms, empower teachers, and reach thousands of students across India?
It takes people.
Not just systems or strategies—but people who bring heart into the work. Who build culture as intentionally as they build capacity. Who know that large-scale change is rooted in everyday care.
At CEQUE, our work across 10 districts—impacting 3,200 teachers and on track to reach 5,000 by 2030—has only been possible because of these people: our district teams, who carry the mission into classrooms, schools, and communities every single day.
Recently, at our three-day capacity-building gathering, we were reminded again that leadership isn’t always loud. It doesn’t always wear a badge or speak from a podium.
Sometimes, leadership shows up in the quiet moments—in the choice to listen deeply, to laugh together, to say “you matter here” without needing to say it at all.
We saw this clearly in two of our District Managers: Shivalingappa Kanchanale from Belgavi and Dipti Pingale from Palghar.
Shivalingappa Kanchanale
Belgavi: Shivalingappa Kanchanale — Building Trust Through Belonging
Shiva, as his team calls him, leads from the centre—not the top. He’s not the kind of leader who issues instructions from behind a desk. He walks with his team. He eats with them. He listens first. He participates fully.
His leadership philosophy is simple, but radical in its impact: If people feel like they belong, they will build together.
In Belgavi, this isn’t just theory—it’s visible. Team dress coordination may look playful on the surface (white one day, pink the next), but it’s a powerful symbol of unity. It says: We are part of something bigger than ourselves. It collapses hierarchy. It nurtures psychological safety.
Shiva has also created small but meaningful practices—like the “Friend Zone” corner in the office where team members pause to connect, or the collective “gullak jar” that funds shared meals and experiences. These are not just nice-to-haves. They are the daily rituals through which a culture of care is sustained.
And because his team feels seen, heard, and valued, they pass that experience forward—to teachers, headmasters, parents. This is how transformation begins: with belonging.
Dipti Pingale
Palghar: Dipti Pingale — Leading With Stillness, Growing With Grace
Dipti’s leadership is quiet, grounded, and deeply relational. She is the calm in the room, the steady hand, the person you turn to when you need clarity—not just on work, but on yourself.
What makes Dipti’s leadership powerful is her refusal to manage people. She mentors them instead. She doesn’t ask her team to “deliver”—she invites them to discover. She doesn’t rush to correct—she encourages reflection.
Her strength lies in presence. She remembers birthdays. Notices when someone is off. Starts meetings with laughter and warmth. Offers feedback as dialogue, not direction.
And her team responds. They take risks because they know failure won’t be punished. They grow because they feel safe to stretch. They extend this ethos to teachers—offering support, not supervision; partnership, not policing.
For Dipti, leadership is not about being at the centre of attention. It’s about creating space for others to shine. Her influence is quiet, but unmistakable.
The Heartbeat Behind the Change
What leaders like Shiva and Dipti show us is that scale is not just a matter of numbers—it’s a matter of culture.
You can’t build lasting systems change on outputs alone. You need trust. You need intention. You need the kind of leadership that doesn’t just meet targets, but transforms how people feel—about themselves, their work, and each other.
At CEQUE, we are building an ecosystem where this kind of leadership is not the exception, but the norm. Where district teams are not just field staff, but cultural carriers. Where every interaction—with a teacher, a colleague, a student—is an opportunity to lead with empathy, humility, and courage.
Because when our teams feel held, they hold space for teachers. When teachers feel valued, they show up differently for their students. And when students are met with that care, learning becomes more than a transaction—it becomes transformation.
This is the quiet engine behind CEQUE’s impact.
One gesture. One insight. One act of trust at a time.
That’s how we build. That’s how we lead. And that’s how we reach every teacher who dreams of doing more, being more—for their students, and for themselves.
