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All great organizations have great leaders. The leader is the visionary, the captain who guides the organization. In today’s corporate world we call her/him the Director, CEO, COO, etc. Without her/him we will lose direction. Steering the cause, company at the highest levels means you must contend with more complexity and demands than ever before. A strong foundation is the key to any successful business. Your vision, your commitment, your purpose – all form the basis for an organization. They are the all-important pillars, the most essential part of any building.
Most leaders today are familiar with Sun Tzu and his book ‘Art of War’. Perhaps because most book stores have various translation of this book on their shelves. I for one also look up to another great man and his works which were produced more closer to home. Centuries ago a man walked amongst the now ruined city of Takshilla. He taught at the greatest university of this region and was single handedly responsible for changing the course of history for the sub-continent. That man was Chanakya. A man who spurred on by the threat of Alexander the Great’s ever growing ambitions to conquer the world, envisioned an unified India
In a lot of organizations we hear the same story – leaders get ensnared in the entrapments of their titles and perks. The higher they are in the organization, the less accessible they become to the very people who at the end of the day are responsible for delivering results.
Leaders need to understand that enrolling their teams to a communication skills workshop does not improve communication in the organization. It improves when the channels of communication are kept open. When leaders are willing to answer people’s queries and take the time to explain the common unified goals.
A great leader is never afraid to say “Thank You”, “Sorry, but I don’t know can you explain?”, “I believe in you.”, “Nice Job.”, “How can I help?”, “What do you think?”, “I believe in you.” and the most important one “Let’s do it” .
Great leaders are great because they have the ability to inspire, inspiring your team to see the vision of the successes that lies ahead is vital. It makes your team feel invested in the accomplishments of the goal. Let them own the piece of dream that you hold dear.
Leaders communicate clearly what is the goal, delegate and then get out of the way, they lead from the front and are always committed to the larger cause.
In today’s ever changing paradigm leadership is as much about learning as it’s about teaching.The 21st century leader must have the ability to make the most out of every situation. They are courageous and not afraid to challenge the status quo and push the boundaries to make things betterthan before. Because of these qualities and many others, the best leaders know how to get the most out of people; they enable the full potential in others.
A team member’s success, the lens they see through, the decisions they make is heavily influenced by the types of leaders they are able to observe and learn from. This is why you will find that many of today’s best leaders were mentored by great leaders themselves. Every team member is different, with their own set of experiences, values, cultural backgrounds, influences and beliefs. The best leaders are those that can identify and appreciate the differences that one brings to the table and knows how to put them to full use. These leaders are emotionally intelligent enough to connect the dots a phrase made popular by Steve Jobs a great leader himself. Leaders know how to their team out of the comfort zone.
Great leaders know their team’s blind spots and their own. Great leaders don’t try to make everyone in the team think like they do. They welcome the different thought process and build on these differences to create high performance teams. Many times it’s not just the immediate decision that needs to be made – but the subsequent decisions preceding the current one that must be anticipated before circumstances force our hand. They have the ability to see beyond the obvious,they stay calm and confident, and help keep the team feeling the same. Remember, your team will take cues from you, so if you exude a level of calm damage control, your team will pick up on that feeling
Great leaders have a high standard of integrity, they are someone who practice as they preach, they walk the talk, they have congruence between their thoughts, feelings, words, and actions-What they are and do spring from the core values they hold dear. Gandhijiis one of the greatest examples of integrity and leadership that we have seen in modern times, and there are many moving stories about him that demonstrate.
A lady once brought her child to Gandhiji, She requested bapu to tell the kid not to eat jaggery, because it was not good for his teeth. Gandhi replied, “I cannot tell him that right now, bring him back in a month.” The lady was upset with Gandhiji, she had expected the great leader to support her. However, a month later she returned, ambiguous of what to expect. Gandhiji took the kids’ hands into his own, knelt before him and spoke with love, “do not eat jaggery my child. It is not good for you.” he continued to hug the kid as he returned the boy to his mother.
The Lady, was perplexed and asked Gandhiji, “You could have said that a month ago?” Gandhiji replied, “A month ago, I was also eating jaggery.” When we look around we realize what this great leader gave us, the largest democracy of the world… On that note may you keep inspiring!