How must a leader be??

The title evokes interest, emotions, strategies and even moves leading to wars.

From dates recorded and read, it has been observed that anybody who possesses the power to impress, convince, dominate and initiate something/ revolt against, is called as a leader. Add to these qualities, the skills gained through academic training and experience, to make him/her the invincible. 

Mythological or otherwise, leaders have always been portrayed as those who have either acquired magical powers or those who instigated and inspired the masses to follow them, through their actions.

Mankind is replete with examples and so is the animal kingdom. Since this article is related to leaders and mankind, I will limit myself to us. 

In early days when management meant simply managing people, several leaders felt that applying what they have learnt or experienced (including gut feeling) was and is the right thing to do in situations which were similar and during challenging times without assessing the impact or the extent of benefit such an action would result in.

In short, a scientific approach to problem solving was rare to find. Those who did, were successful in steering their organization to the apex and are studied and followed as well, as an example.

Thanks to Globalization, the definition and the vision of all those who felt it was simply “people management” changed.

With passage of time and with competition playing a vital role in survival of the fittest, leadership started changing hands from old experienced people to young. With this, changed the way decisions were taken and resources managed.

Challenging times as the recession, demonetization and Covid saw leaders in managerial positions struggle and also emerge as resilient as they can to address the impact of these external environmental disturbances – political and financial, on their organizations and teams within.

Educational institutions too, were impacted and leaders here too, did what was necessary to contain the damage.

Tough times as these, thus, forced leaders to move out of their comfort zone and face challenges head on.

So, what are those traits which we look for in a leader today?

1.      Clear visionary – know what you must drive home and how?

2.      Resilient – be strong and mentally ready to accept challenges head on.

3.      Futuristic – work and base your vision on what matters now and what will matter in the coming few years than base your plans and strategies on what had been a better thing once. Align your actions and directions in the same direction.

4.      Creative – think out of the box to beat competition. Staying within the red ocean won’t help.

5.      Daring – your creative ideas reflect how willing you are to take the risk to steer your organization to level next. By staying on the same path as other organizations are, it will really be impossible to be different.

6.      Passionate – come what may; stay closer to your vision and your plans. They must matter the most above anything at any given point of time.

7.      Team leader – empower your team and allow them to take the lead. Be their spine. Train them first. Make them realize that they matter and can take decisions which they must. Look at them as leaders of tomorrow and not as mere employees. Shortlist potential leaders and mould them in silence.

Involve yourself in tasks you assign as a colleague and not as a leader. This will instill confidence in them.

8.      Accessible – let your office door be open to every employee irrespective of the position they hold. You never know who can suggest what and how a discussion can convince an employee to rethink his/her decision to resign and contribute better. In order to be accessible, a leader has to keep aside ego, judgments based on guesswork and hearsay, favorites and relations. 

9.      Empathetic – understand your team members. It means that you must know who is what and why beyond office and classrooms. This will help you to take decisions effectively and also bond well. This in turn will unlock their hidden potential and the make them feel free to work with you as a team member and not as an employee.

10.  Analytical – analyze every decision, input and output.

As a leader, while you must be a team player, you must also be a reliable management person, who can be consulted before financial/policy decisions are taken. Technical and Financial analysis soundness are important for a leader in any field.

11.  Technically smart – It is time that you and I are equipped with the best of what technology offers. Everybody owns a smart phone or a MacBook but not every leader knows how to use MS OFFICE, operate ZOOM or design e cards to wish his/her team members. There will be a few of us who might be academically qualified to design programs while others might be good and efficient with other talents. It however becomes necessary or quintessential to be familiar with a few applications, basics of MS OFFICE, net banking, mobile banking, tracking classes online and a lot more as it is time to be AI ready keeping aside hesitation and assumptions which will not help us in any way.

12.  Be 21^st century skilled leader

The work of any leader, in any given reputed organization, involves stress and pressure which cannot be ignored. It has been seen that leaders suffer from problems as diabetes, heart problems, ophthalmic issues, high blood pressure and migraine to mention a few. It is implied that being static for hours, a few hours of sweating either on treadmill or in the garden, a few minutes of a rigorous game or a brisk walk for half hour or an hour becomes mandatory. Other than these, a few of these practices can help us all to add life to an otherwise stress filled time table with no breaks in between:

1.      Early hours for self

2.      Yoga and meditation

3.      Trek/ walk on green grass

4.      Listen to soft music early in the morning

5.      A soft instrumental – flute/saxophone or the recitation of OM mantra during office hours to keep stress at bay

6.      Be positive and practice calmness

7.      Dedicate time for family members

8.      Dine with family (keep mobile away)

9.      Be a child with your children or be one with yourself after office hours.

10.  Draw, paint, sing, dance, write… do whatever helps you to distress yourself.

11.  Avoid alcohol and tobacco – they are not stress busters.

12.  Sleep early

These are a few ways in which the leaders can practice good health and good practices also.