LEADERSHIP: THE NEW BUZZ WORD IN THE BUSINESS WORLD, SO WHAT ABOUT MANAGEMENT???

“A manager always needs to be a good leader but the vice versa is not a pre requisite for a leader though”. Throughout our life times we have read & listened to this phrase a thousand times and we agreed to it. B-schools across the globe were into producing good, infact, great managers. It was always believed that a manager always possesses the leadership qualities because initial part of his job is always to get the work done through others. Also, there was a myth prevalent that leaders are born, but the question is that ‘is it true?’ Many debates have been held and we have a lot of reviews but no results. Irony, isn’t it?

Well, leaving the past reviews and not indulging in one more debate, I would like to draw your attention to this new buzz word- LEADERSHIP. A leader is always believed to be an influencer; the person who is like the sandpiper whose flute has the magic to lead all the mice. He is the one who has the capability to be the role model. As a manager has functions like planning, organizing, directing, controlling & coordinating to perform, a leader has just one function, i.e., to influence. Now, who can be a leader?

Just to make a distinction, I would like to give an example. You are in your campus/office and suddenly you get to know that in the next building of yours, two eminent people are coming in different auditoriums- Mr. Asaram ji Bapu & Mr. Xyz, COO of ABC CO. You have an option to go for one, who you think you will go for? You, and infact, 99% people of your age might go to attend the session of Mr. Xyz as you think you will gain some knowledge from him. But the irony is that if you compare the fan following of both, you will notice that Mr. Asaram ji Bapu has much larger, may be more than 10 times, fan following than Mr. Xyz.
Confused???
This was the same point I wanted to draw your attention towards. Mr. Xyz is a manager; however, Mr. Asaram ji Bapu is a leader infact. He has the capability to draw a larger audience than Mr. Xyz. Now, we can mention as many leaders from different walks of life as you want, e.g., Amitabh Bachchan, Rajni Kant, Ratan Tata, Dhirubhai Ambani, George Bush, Osama Bin Laden, etc. We know that all these people have such a charisma that whatever they say, whatever they do, people follow. Now are there any pre requisites to be a leader?

The answer is both yes & no. Yes if you take a macro view of whatever I am going to mention below now and No if you take it specifically. So here are certain musts to be a great leader:

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  People Skills: No followers, no leader. Develop a liking for you in the hearts of the “junta”. No matter, be a heart-throb.
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  Voice: The best example is Amitabh Bachchan or for that matter, any of the movie star. Whatever they say becomes a dialog. Have a good tone.
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  Communication: Whether you have a great voice or not, if you are unable to send your message across, you can’t be a good leader. Learn to imbibe all the principles of communication.
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  Memory: Sharpen your memory. You must remember your followers to make your impact not just a one time exercise but continuously. It’s a process, remember it. Start remembering the faces, names, telephone numbers, and their last comments.
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  Appearance: It is not necessary that you must be tall like Amitabh Bachchan or powerful like Muhammad Ali to be a leader. But appearance means that you must display an image with which you want to get recognized. It includes your inner charisma too. Also, remember that you must be conscious about your cleanliness and hygiene.
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  Aggressiveness: “slow & steady wins the race”, “speed thrills, but kills” and similar phrases I would associate with losers. The person, who is not aggressive in his approach and is not fast, can’t be a good leader. By aggressiveness and speed, I do not mean that you should work in haste but do not waste time. Kill the snake as soon as you see its tail; don’t wait to see his head or you will be killed.
  
  The list is not exhaustive. One can go on and on but these are the qualities one must have or develop to be a great leader. So now the question comes, if there is so much buzz about leadership, what about management? Is it a waste material to study? Are managers somewhat below the leaders?
  
  Well, I have started writing with the answer only. Look at the first line of the article. And that is the answer. It’s not about who is above or who is below, it all about who can do what. I would say that it’s easy to be a leader than a manager as leadership is an integral part of management. As of today we have a dearth of leaders in India but might be with some insight we can produce great leaders within home.
  
  So what are you waiting for guys, get up, the world is yours,
  
  “Let’s make a dent in the universe.”

Contemplated & Written by: Gaurav Goel, MHROD (Batch of 2008), Delhi School of Economics, Delhi University.

KEY PRINCIPLES OF LEADERSHIP

INTRODUCTION

Leadership is an organization’s lifeline, the critical bridge that spans all organizational levels to cross over from the ideal world of vision to the real world of making it happen. Forming the bridge, leaders throughout the organization define, communicate and clarify the vision. They then provide clear direction and consistent support for the people attempting to realize the vision. The mantle of leadership carries the great responsibility of building trust and meeting the expectations of people throughout the organization.

Being an effective, vital leader demands skills and knowledge in critical areas such as coaching and reinforcing, building strong relationships, developing organizational talent, encouraging initiative, and delegating and sharing responsibility and authority. The effectiveness also depends on specific communication skills and relationship behaviors that will motivate people to do their best, support them through difficult situations, build mutual trust and inspire commitment to organizational objectives.

KEY PRINCIPLES

Successful leaders focus on coaching, reinforcing and supporting people who are encountering new challenges or working more independently. They relinquish and delegate tasks others can do and encourage people to take appropriate risks without penalty. These leaders make people feel important, valued, and respected. They inspire full commitment by practicing the following key principles:-

- Maintain or enhance self-esteem

- Listen and respond with empathy

- Ask for help and encourage innovation.

- Share thoughts, feelings and rationale.

- Provide support without removing responsibility

These key principles address the personal needs. When leaders use them effectively, they support people through difficult situations, build trust and inspire commitment to actions and ideas.

Maintain or enhance self-esteem

Self-esteem is defined as having a good opinion of oneself. People who feel good about themselves are motivated, productive, cooperative and committed.

Leaders who maintain other’s self-esteem demonstrate sensitivity to people’s self-worth, especially in developmental or problem discussions. Effective leaders make these types of discussions productive and enhance self-esteem in the process by focussing on facts, not people and by specifically acknowledging others and their good ideas. They express confidence in people’s abilities and treat them with respect.

Leaders who use this key principle get:

- Open lines of communication

- Inspire commitment to action

- Reduce defensiveness

- Increase cooperation among team members

Listen and respond with empathy

Leaders, who talk the time to really listen to people, then convey understanding and empathy have grasped the heart of open, two-way communication. Responding empathetically and acknowledging people’s concerns and feelings as well as the situations builds trust and promotes cooperation.

Leaders using these key principles helps to defuse negative emotions, such as anger, resentment, frustration, and embarrassment, before they cause significant problems.

Leaders who use this key principle effectively get:

- reduced defensiveness

- enhance self esteem

- encourage cooperation

- share ideas, solutions and actions.

Ask for help and encourage involvement

Involving people in day-to-day activities and decisions is the key to discovering effective solutions to problems, gathering ideas, and getting the job done. Asking people for help in solutions ranging from major cultural or technological changes to small, but important improvements allows leaders to tap people as valuable resources, while inspiring commitment and maintaining others self-esteem.

Leaders who ask for input gain buy-in and make people feel valued. When people “own” an idea, they give their best effort. And, when solutions are not feasible, it is still to maintain other’s self esteem by explaining why and following up by seeking additional ideas.

Leaders who use this key principle help others to:

- Encourage people to become involved in making work solutions.

- improve teamwork and collaboration

- Enhance self-esteem

- Encourage brainstorming

Share thoughts, feelings and rationale

Leaders who sincerely use this key principle demonstrate confidence and trust in people by sharing issues and problems, rationale behind decisions, personal vision, information that might not be a common knowledge. Having information that is not available to others put leaders in a position that demands good judgement and sincerity. If people perceive insincerity or a hidden agenda they will feel manipulated and the value of disclosing will be lost.

People who do not share their thoughts, feelings or rationale in matters that affect others might be perceived as untrustworthy. Sharing or disclosing prevents misunderstandings and reduces resistance.

Leaders using this key principle help to:

- build trust

- communicate openly

- express concerns

Provide support without removing responsibility

People want and need leaders support effective leaders support people’s efforts without taking over, particularly in difficult or risky situations. Support comes in many forms, coaching people to overcome resistance, paving the way to build working partnerships, or encouraging people to see a job through in challenging circumstances.

Coupling responsibility with support encourages people to take ownership of their work and creates a sense of accomplishment and self-esteem. People with ownership are enthusiastic about taking on new responsibilities and helping to determine how work is done.

Leaders using this key principle help to:-

- Provide job ownership

- Enhance work satisfaction

- Increase participation and commitment.

Contemplated & Written by: Mr. D.K.Bakshi, Head-HR, Luxor Writing Instruments Pvt. Ltd.[Originally appeared in Jigyasa 2004 (Jigyasa is the Annual Journal of MHROD)]