Leadership

There are many books & articles written about leaders & leadership.But what exactly is leadership? In simple terms, it's the strong conviction of one's "vision & dream" & how they go about achieving this.

There are several attributes to leadership qualities but i am going to discuss on certain critical issues here.

1) Shared vision:

This probably is the most important requirement.Vision kept unto oneself is only a dream & a personal agenda. It's vital that it should be shared with your people & modified suitably with inputs from them.This gives a sense of belonging to your people. The vision should always be "BIG" & stretched but should be achievable. Once the vision & goal has been bought by the people, then the strategies & milestones should be put in place for monitoring & course corection. Value systems should be clearly defined & understood by all. Any deviation from this should be a no-no.

2) Selecting your team:

In any group you will find high fliers, average performers & cribbers. Having different views on issues is a good & healthy sign . But people who put cold water on any new suggestions without proposing alternate methods are the most dangerous.They are like weeds who will spread virus among the group & derail the project.It is absolutely necessary to spot them early & weed them out for the success of the vision.

3) Clear communication:

Creating a structure & an environment for two way communication is paramount. Levels of hierarchy should be minimal paving the way for faster communication. The leader's communication should be clear,unambiguous & he/she should be a good listener as this forms part of the communication loop.

The leader should lead by example & "walk the talk". This gives them the credibility which is very essential .

4) Stand by the people:

Never let your people down in public. People do make mistakes. Accept the responsibility. But when there is success, reward & recoganize the individual or group in public. You will be surprised how it improves the morale of the group exponentially.It also enhances your credibility as a leader. Small things like this will make your people "charged" towards achieving the common goal.

The leader should create & provide an environment where the "fear of failure" syndrome is absent. As long as people make a sincere & honest effort to the common goal,mistakes & failures should be taken as a learning process.

5) Be proactive:

This is a quality which is more easily said than done but makes the leader stand apart from others. It requires a lot of hard work,attention to detail,commitment & an untiring passion for learning. Leaders should not only know whats happening around them & the world but should also decipher what is most likely to happen in the future-be it about the competition,products/services or the geo-political scenario-. Strategies should be put in place based on the likely future changes. Ofcourse, he/she should be flexible enough to modify strategies on any unforseen events. But the leader should see through & make things happen & not generally react to the unfolding of events .This is what is leadership innovation & creativity. This quality is what makes people look upto the leader.

Having said that learning is important,it is also eqully important to unlearn bad practices. Unlearning is an important aspect of individual & organizational growth.

There are several other attributes to leadership like courage,networking, delegation, compassion etc... It's a bonus if one has all this. But it's my belief that if one doesnt have the five attributes i have discussed, one can never become a good leader.