How to be a Good Leader

Mentor Speak

This series of short write ups provide pearls of wisdom from Global Leaders and Mentors who are associated with us. They bring in a practitioner’s perspective and serves as an effective combination of advice that has authenticity, experience and most importantly – relevance.

The first and foremost qualification of a good leader is to appreciate his or her followers. It is the job of a teacher, transformer who chaperons the team to their desired goals, and in turn allows the corporation to reach its destination. Many a times a leader generally feels that s/he is the one who is entitled, is the boss and has resources at their disposal. That’s where the problem begins. This Master/Slave mindset invariably leads to tribulations and tragedies. The best way a senior person starts becoming a good leader is when they ask these 3 questions:

1. What is my objective as a leader?

2. Why would an employee, who is reporting to me, need me?

3. What are some of the things I should do to be successful?

Most people make their mistakes by having no clarity on these 3 questions. It’s a good idea to start by answering these questions first. Most of the time the answers serve as the beacon light for subsequent behavior and actions and thereby gives birth to a great leader. Let’s try to answer these questions in the simplest ways:

What is my objective as a leader?

Typically, a leader’s objective is to complete a series of activities with their team members, where a clearly defined goal along with milestones are articulated. One should be able to write them down on a small piece of paper. If the leader is not able to write this down clearly, it is important that the leader should approach their leaders to get clarity on this very crucial component of leadership success. A sloppy, tentative writeup with no clarity will lead you to a poor leader. Spend time on this. If required, get a sign-off from your higher ups about your mission in the company in a simple, actionable, measurable way. So what does this look like? Here are a few examples:

1. My goal is to sell X dollars’ worth of products every month and achieve my targets with the help of 3 team members.

2. My goal is to complete this project on time with no defects or rework with the help of my team.

3. My goal is to help and train my team members so that they can effectively perform the tasks given to them from time to time.

You will clearly notice that these kinds of statements inherently drive action-oriented behaviour. Like in (1) you are responsible for Sales, in (2) you are responsible for Projects in (3) you are responsible for training. You will also have clarity on the measures by which your organization will evaluate you and your team’s actions - be it targets, defects, timeliness, budgets and quality.

Why would an employee who is reporting to me, need me?

This is the most important question good leaders should ask themselves. The answer is simple. From you, they should see value addition to their work, their strategy, their tactics. You are their fall back when they are stuck, or they are in bad times. You are the pillar on which their work thrives, and you are the one who will guide them when they are in doubt. Several times it has been found that leaders or rather typical bosses suffer from a false sense of ego about their entitlement, their positions and a few times possess a nasty idea of having the ability to play with an employee’s life. Think of yourself as the super servant and not the super boss, who is approaching and participating with an empathetic sense of being a constant Onlooker. You are not breathing on their shoulders, but allowing them to perform their work, however, you are looking at them with a sense of compassion and hand holding them when they need you. Leaders who do not possess knowledge of their department or the area of work, mostly fail. However great leaders who initially lack knowledge, quickly mingle with their teams, jump in their pool of work and appreciate their triumphs and tragedies. When the leader withdraws, s/he has a good sense and knows what to look for.

The other reason a leader is required is to create a sense of bonding within the team. When people work at will, it is important to collectively come together in a harmonious way. It’s called Operational review. A good leader effectively presides over these review meetings. S/He exercises choices for them when in crossroads. S/He serves as the bonding glue. These review meetings, at times are informally carried out in most companies. It is a good practice to conduct formal Operations Review, periodically with rigour and discipline. Great Institutions boast of their teamwork, their meeting styles and their decision-making approach. Without a leader, it is difficult to conduct such reviews that calls for serious decisions.

What are some of the things I should do to be successful?

The best metaphor for becoming a successful leader is to get inspired by the coxswain in a rowboat. This position of the cox is to sit facing the rowers called crew, as in teams in our case. The coxswain is responsible for safety, direction, real-time feedback, commanding the race, training them off race, motivating and encouraging them. In short, the Cox is the Driver of the boat without rowing. Good leaders are like these people who are an integral part of the game, always motivating them, training them, ensuring their safety, taking tactical decision and commanding the vessel. A leader who remembers the job of a coxswain is always on the path to succeed. S/He takes the blame when they fail and gives credit to the crew when they win. Like sports or games, a leader is the captain of the team, or a driver of the bus or just the hailer who is passionately engaged with their teams so that they succeed and win.

To Summarize Leaders are -

The ones who are aware of their Goal, are constant Onlookers for their teams, are periodically carrying out Operations Review with measurable outcomes and giving them feedback. Leaders are also the lonely Driver of the journey on whose shoulder a corporation’s goal reside. When they do these four well, they become GOOD leaders.