Aleader with higher social competence and emotional level, besides educational qualification, is the need of the hour. Today, we need people with holistic personalities. Leadership is all about people and a leader’s role is to ensure that people not only see the vision, but live it too. They inspire others to be the best in their capabilities. He is the one who represents the spirit of a brand.
During my journey with Rich Graviss, I have realised that the foremost attribute required to be a leader is focus on high-leverage activities. At some point, you realise that there is more work to be done in a given period and you need to prioritise accordingly. Leverage should be the central, guiding metric that helps you determine where to concentrate. Another important thing is investment in learning and continuous improvement. Learning improves productivity and increases opportunities.
At Rich Graviss, we have an open feedback culture. This is the only way to ensure that people stay open. I believe a leader should create a long-term sustainable model of success for the organisation, so that it can run even without him. You may have seen that in the presence of leaders organisations do well but once they leave,organisations fall apart.
I believe, the autocratic style of leadership is over. In every organisation, you have responsibilities. You will have a person at the top. I think people do not have a problem with that, but what is important is how a boss/leader makes decisions. We should create an environment where everyone can speak. People will be happy if they can bring in some personal hue in the final decision, even if it is not their idea that is finally accepted.
Leading from the front, having confidence in your people and creating trust in your team and associates are the critical attributes of effective leadership. Another important attribute for effective leadership in the business world is integrity. This is one quality that helps you get respect from your team and peers.
Creating an environment that fosters open communication, flexibility, innovation and risk taking within the team are other necessary qualities of a good leader. You may have flexibility, dynamics, and everything else to be a leader, but at the end of the day you have to anchor your company with values and the vision you stand for. I have an emotional connect with the organisation and know about the company in detail. I am also a people person and enjoy their company.
Respecting people is the primary thing. I am direct and transparent – which means that people know quickly what I feel and what I want to achieve. It is quiet a simple style of leadership. If I think something should be improved, I tell people by keeping their cultural sensitivities in mind. I believe that being authentic is the best way to be a good leader. However, a lot of people try to mimic leadership.
My leadership mantra says that consistency in decision-making leads to success. Everyone can have ideas, but a leader has to develop an environment for such ideas to flow in consistently.
Trustworthiness is an important trait that a leader must possess. It is the trust and confidence that a leader imbibes in his team which forms the foundation of a company and ensures effective decision-making. Just like in a family, it is the overwhelming atmosphere of trust that helps a company build a prosperous future.
Ability to conceptualise and regard for engagement with the society are important assets of a leader today. The fundamental measurement of delivering economic value does not change, but when coupled with social engagement, it signifies the social value being created. I strongly believe that one of the important aspects of a leader is his regard for the society and his involvement in giving it back to the society. I think social responsibility is going to become a key deliverable of every company, especially in emerging economies like India.
Some qualities like sense of values and integrity are innate in leaders. But beyond this, leadership can be learnt and has, infact, been learnt through the ages. When you are a leader you have to assess people quickly and understand who could do what.
Leaders need to be motivators who inspire trust and motivate others to perform. Their foresight charts a course for future and navigates organisations through it successfully. They should be good at listening, should be able to empathies and effectively empower their people.
To be a great leader one must identify what kind of work one wants to do. If you love the business you set up, you will definitely be successful in running it. You have to build a core team, delegate and empower your people, train your team and let them work and make things happen.
Build a team of people who trust each other and are willing to designate one of them as their leader; not based on shareholding alone but respect, trust and competence because only then the team will become self-sustaining.
The mark of a good leader therefore, is to learn to be collaborative and take the final call by taking in all contradicting inputs. In challenging times, leaders need to go back to the basics and ensure that they continue to display integrity, courage and authenticity. Motivating teams and discouraging despair and stagnation can help in continuous benchmarking.
