Q. Leadership style inspires in building a team, creating a conducive work environment, encouraging and motivating employees and leading an organisation into the profit zone. What kind of leadership style do you portray? Do you agree that leadership styles change according to the demands of a situation?
A. I have a proactive approach of leadership, where I strive to lead my team by setting examples for them. I believe in a hands-on approach to work, wherein my stress is on the pointer that every individual learns by doing things and should be encouraged to take initiatives to discover and learn something new. My efforts are concentrated on creating a value-based learning approach, where my team is not a follower but a contributor.
I do agree that leadership styles change according to the demands of the situation where one has to keep a lucid approach while dealing with situations. Rigidity never works; one should always be on the lookout for varied ways to maximise utilisation. A good leader is the one who understands the need of hour and looks for the solution by working proactively towards it.
Q. Every organisation has a different culture and environment. Do you think leadership styles differ by cultures?
A. Although leadership styles differ by cultures, the intrinsic values of leadership remain the same. A good leader is someone who leads by example, has a proactive approach, is a visionary, encourages the team, knows them well, and is the crux of the team. Although distortion in approach may appear due to intrinsic leadership qualities, the crux essentially remains unchanged. As they say, “Leadership is not about the means, it is always about the end.”
Q. How would you differentiate between strategic and directive leadership?
A. New school and old school, is how I would differentiate between strategic and directive leadership. Strategic leadership, being a new-school method, involves creating an atmosphere where all participants chip in with their ideas and efforts towards growth of the company. Directive leadership, being an old school method, involves the leader handing out directives to the subordinates to bring results for the organisation.
While strategic leadership follows a multi-directional approach where the ideas and thoughts are freely discussed and pondered over, directive leadership involves the leader initiating the action to achieve and provides directions on how to achieve the goals.
Q. In a labour abundant country like India, people’s satisfaction is an easy thing to forget. How can a definite leadership style address this problem?
A. Results are intrinsic to every action, where one must remember that every action has to have an end. While every concern works to improve productivity and deliver outstanding results one should not forget consumer satisfaction as it is the end.
The duty of business entity does not end with producing products and launching them in the market; it ends once it reaches the consumer and the latter is satisfied with it. In the same vein, employee satisfaction is also paramount and an efficient leader should look into this aspect earnestly as well. A content worker delivers perfect results, and a leader by looking into the needs and wants of his or her employees can ascertain and ensure perfect deliverance.
It is a satisfied worker who makes the things work. An efficient leader by looking into the mental and physical well-being of the employee can inspire him or her to work hard and deliver perfect results.
Q. How important is it for a leader to be an active member of a team comprising executives of different levels? Does it help in assessing the way employees work and how well they are trained and motivated?
A. “A good leader is as good as his team,” goes a famous adage. It shows the relevance of being a team player and contributing to the success of a leader, and underlines the importance of a leader as an active member of the team. By being a part of the team, he or she can understand the nuances of team-play and contribute to the growth of the team.
Helping the leader actively access the level of output of members and being the fulcrum of the team helps the leader in assessing the situation in real time and augurs well for the group as well where all can work around the leader and deliver positive results.
Q. The leadership style that worked yesterday may not work today or tomorrow. How easy or difficult is it for a leader to identify the ‘right’ style of leadership that can help a whole generation of young leaders?
A.youngsters in the team. A leader has to keep tight watch on the changing dynamics and environment. By modulating his or her leadership style, he or she can motivate the followers to excel in their spheres of activities.
A famous adage says, “visionary leaders have following coming in easy, and being a visionary is what their way of life is,” and this holds true for pioneers as well. These visionaries have the power to lead the entire generation of young leaders and provide the right channel for them to grow.
It is seen as the hallmark that sets them apart and makes them excellent in their own ways.
