“ You are missing the wood for the trees” was an idiom I often heard from General Kulkarni. As a mentor, he taught me the importance of not losing sight of the larger picture while paying attention to the details. There are many other things that I have learned from him. The importance of preparation and ensuring that we always had a Plan B in place. The need to keep pace with the latest developments and news from all fields, not only one’s own. The importance of focusing on the student and building everything in the school system from the child’s perspective. I saw firsthand as an Army General went about quietly transforming himself into an ‘Educationist’, developing a deep understanding of pedagogy and curriculum, which, when merged with his immense understanding of human behavior and strategic planning from the army, built a unique ecosystem that brought transformation. Of all of these admirable skills and qualities of General Kulkarni, the one that I covet the most is his skill to be able to connect with the youngest as well as the oldest person in the room, his habit of giving complete attention to the person he is engaging with at the moment – regardless of their age, job or stature and the legendary memory that he uses to make every person on the team feel like they mattered to him personally. General Kulkarni is an exceptional leader who has been instrumental in shaping many leaders and will continue to create many more in the future.