Engineering Technology and Management was on of my favourite subjects in college. In Kalpna mam we had a very thought provoking teacher. During one of the classes when we were about to start a chapter on leadership she first asked each one of us to state the qualities which each one of us felt a leader should possess. As usual I was sitting on the last bench and heard an array of answers before my turn came: honesty, punctuality, commitment, logical bent of mind etc.
I stood up and said vision. If the leader does not have a vision, if he does not know where he is leading his team or people to, what is the point in calling him a leader? Ah, pat came the reply from one of the first benchers, “That is not there in the book.” I could not help smiling at the naivety and the exam centric narrowness of that answer. Of late the economic slowdown and the Satyam saga has again made me think hard on this question.
So here we go…
1)
Vision: I hold this as one of the most important parameter for any leader. A leader should have the vision to look into the future. He should have a bold dream. He must know where he is leading his people. It is only a visionary who can change the world for good, make it move forward. Our reach should surely exceed our grasp. Without a bold vision we might have never got our freedom, without bold vision slavery may have never been abolished. Jamshedji Tata and Dhirubhai Ambani like scores of other great business leaders had a vision which helped them succeed. But there is a danger in dreams that are easily conjured up at night. During the internet bubble a lot of money was wasted on unrealistic business dreams. Thus it is realism about the world that separates dreams from delusions. But then how can we distinguish one from the other? One thing that all of us need to understand is whether our dreams are really our own or are they commodity dreams lifted straight from the shelves of mass culture. Also the strength of that dream needs to be tested. Often we will have competing dreams. Are we ready to sacrifice one for the other? Will the dream pass the test of fire? Dreams that are fragile, need constant pumping up are in reality are delusions thus better avoided.
2)
Prudence: After every bubble bursts pundits, finance gurus, journalists, anyone and everyone who has an opinion can’t stop emphasizing on this virtue. It is very necessary to keep ones head which gets all the more difficult in today’s era with so much of noise but very little information. Prudence is care, thoughtfulness or concern for a wide range of practical considerations. Even after all the preaching it is easy to overlook. The problem is that it smells of weakness. One may question the commitment and decision making powers of a leader. But then it’s far better to make the errors of omission rather than that of commission. If you have been an investor in stocks and thought of all your trades I believe you would have realized this for yourself. One of the best management tools is to break things in smaller parts and then solve them. Well it is good to simplify things but a case cannot be made for oversimplification. A leader needs to be aware of complex human realities and needs to factor them prudently in his decision making process. Value investors like Warren Buffet are the masters of this art and it sure has paid them handsomely. It is like riding a bike. When one is to go through a tight blind corner it makes sense to give it an extra second, make a mental map and look further into the corner before committing to it. That does not mean the rider is afraid or does not have faith in his skills. In an era of “Business at a speed of thought” it makes a lot of sense to sit back and reflect prudently at times.
3)
Commitment and devotion: Leadership is a long hard journey which requires years of efforts, tenacity and courage. There are no shortcuts; infact there will be seductions and diversions. No guarantees of good luck are made. Thus without the commitment and devotion a leader with no amount of skill or charisma is bound to fail. Someone cleverly said “Love what you do and do what you love.” Most successful leaders work very hard and have had to make huge personal sacrifices. With the emphasis on a better work life balance does this view of very hard working leaders make them a sad poster boy with the caption “No one ever died wishing to have spent more time at office” I firmly believe NOT. These leaders are not work machines on auto pilot. They do understand their choices and options. But more importantly they have a deep accountability towards themselves. A leader does not endure the hard tasks that come in his way, rather he embraces them and believes that they make his life complete. I think it is the only thing that can describe why so many people in all walks of life go that extra mile without being paid or honored for it. British explorer Sir Ernest Shackeleton is a very good example. He stunned the world by leading his crew back from a disastrous effort to cross Antartica on foot. Along with his men he spent nearly five hundred days making their way to safety through perpetual darkness of the polar winter. In the face of danger Shackeleton was a great leader but on land and in normal times he was a failure. Between his expeditions he was relentless and unhappy. All his business ventures failed. Great leaders find the work in which they thrive elsewhere they are useless. Also successful leaders do not take vows of poverty, they do expect to be rewarded fairly but this is not what drives them. Shareholder value is important but it is just a condition. One does not pour ones life into work because of his obligations to the role. One does that because of what it means to him. To keep the powers these leaders enjoy one needs to have firm checks and balances in place. There should be transparency and sound governance which good leaders respect. But this is not what they work so hard for. Only because they are committed to their work and are accountable to themselves they bring that extra sensitivity, imagination and wisdom.
4)
Ability to inspire and make others struggle: The true function of leadership is to create more leaders and not more followers. Successful leaders do not give black and white solutions to their people. They inspire them, ask them tough questions and unsettle them. One of the fine examples of this art in practice is exhibited by Thomas More. He viewed leadership as vigorous, provocative form of teaching. A true leader knows how to get under the skin of his people and engaging them. He sometimes provokes them, sometimes frustrates them and sometimes makes them laugh. . Great leaders understand that people don’t like being preached or scolded. An African proverb sums it succinctly, “When I pray for bread and get it, I think about bread and forget God. When I pray for bread and don’t get it, I think of God.” Though leadership is a serious business knack for humor surely helps a leader a long way in this task. But it shouldn’t be confused with jokes. It should pause as well as laugh, making the listeners grasp the significance of what was said.
Well, that is enough for today. I will continue this post later, when I have got some other thoughts in my head a little more ordered. Do let me know your views and opinions.
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