Leadership.
I know I have mentioned it earlier but I firmly believe that right now in business your key competitive advantage is growing more leaders in your organization faster than your competitor. Many people have still narrow understanding of what leadership is. Leaders for them what they think is president, prime minister or chairman of the board. Undoubtedly, people in those exalted positions are expected to lead but the fact is that leadership does not begin and end at the very top. It plays pivotal role in the places most of us live and work. I believe every single person on this planet is a leader. The team facilitator, the middle manager, front line employees, customer care executives, the person who works from the board room till mail room-just about anyone who ever comes in contact with each others has fine reasons to lead.
Leadership has nothing to do with designations and titles on your business card. Undoubtedly titles and structure are important but just to regulate organization activities and to avoid chaos. But leadership capabilities mean, if every single employee will work like he or she is the C.E.O of his own job, i.e. within his own areas of responsibilities, organization will not only grow but explode into great success. Big titles get fragile sort of powers which are externally driven and once the title is gone so is the power. The essence of real leadership begins from within you. Those slumbering powers which are very sustainable and naturally available inside in every single one of us if nutrified and nourished, it will unleash internal natural automatic powers to lead.
Organizations which are operated under commanding and controlling by ‘titles driven people’ will be in serious trouble. New model of leadership is all about connecting and collaborating with people. It’s about developing people rather than just managing to the things. It’s all about showing spine-tingling performance. Leadership is all about 3I’s which means innovating, inspiring and having an impact on others.
As a matter of fact, the role of leadership in management can’t be overlooked. Leadership sets the foundation for better management. As peter Drucker said so well ‘management is doing things right and leadership is doing right things’. Management tells how to do things more efficiently while leadership tells what is to get accomplished? Unfortunately so many entrepreneurs are focusing on management and undermining the role of leadership in management. Therefore, no matter how hard driving entrepreneurs they are, they constantly receive mediocre results or the results which they are far more capable to accomplish. Leadership sets foundation for effective management. Without developing leadership capabilities in your organization, management is quiet ineffective and paralyzed. If management tells how to do, leadership tells what to do.
Leadership is determined by passive vs. passion. Below analysis shows that what does it takes to be a leader in an organization.
Passive Passion
Reactive approach Proactive approach
Outside-in approach Inside-out approach
Working for Individual goals working for collective goals (common cause)
Stagnation Innovation
Interested Committed
Reactive vs. proactive approach: It can well be understood if as stated ideal time vs. adverse time. What I simply say that victim waits for an ideal situation to react while leaders play their moves even more wildly when face adversities. Always remember, difficult times makes superb leader. When the going gets tough, the tough gets going. Reactive approach makes seeing difficult situation through the lenses of despair, doubt and disbelief while proactive approach makes searching for the solutions through the eyes of hope and opportunities during difficult times. Reactive approach shows idleness and proactive approach shows initiation. We are hardwired to grow and perform our best than anyone could expect from us but unfortunately we settle down to mediocrity. Our comfort zone deprives us to display our creativity and effect of mediocrity takes over our life. Eventually the short term pleasure turns into our long term pain.
Inside-out approach vs. Outside-in approach: Leadership is a holistic approach and generally goes inside-out and not outside-in. The real stimulant of leadership is displayed by any person who is driven inwardly and not outwardly. Inwardly driven simply means have a great attitude, spending time in learning rather than leisure, education rather than entertainment and being authoritative at work rather than autocratic. It means connecting and collaborating and not commanding and controlling. Inside-out approach is marked by to show authenticity in your deeds and truthfulness in your words. How can you lead anyone if you are not leading to yourself? How can you expect anything best from others if your character is flawed? Real leadership is the personal powers which come from within and not by the entitlement which society induces. Great entrepreneurs are driven by a sense of mission which is to give away their talent, energy, creativity and potential in their business for a cause larger than themselves. While ordinary entrepreneurs look for their personal benefits only. Yeah, sure they are also doing business and serving to their customers but they are driven by flashy titles and shiny toys and not by customer satisfaction and adding outrageous values.
Work for collective goals (common cause) rather than Individual goals: However the true essence of leadership comes from within. One of the best ways to develop leadership culture in an organization is to work for common goals. It is generally found that usually employees’ goals are limited up personal benefits only i.e. to hike in salary, perks, bonus, recognition and other rewards etc. while organization goals are different and measured in higher sense. Employees’ work for their personal goals and misaligned with the organizational goals and visions, and, therefore, which distinguishes their common interests. This affects organization efficiency severely. I simply mean to say that when employees begin to take absolute personnel responsibility and to start devoting their time for organization to a cause which is bigger than their personal interests, it breeds the culture of leadership. They both should work for common goals and employees’ individual goals will automatically be achieved because their goals are directly linked with organizational growth.
Innovation vs. Stagnation: Either you will innovate or stagnate. As a matter of fact, innovation is the soul of any business. It gives you key competitive advantage over competitors. It simply means leave everything much better than you found it. What I realize that being innovative is an attitude. It’s a habit and any habit becomes permanent if accompanied by repetitions. Being innovative sounds simple but you can’t be just innovative dealing with big projects if you overlook the minute details. Always remember the way you do small things determines the way you do everything. Once you start asking questions like how I can do a particular thing better than my previous approach, new strategies will flash up into the screen of your mind. This is called innovation. Always remember, our mind gives us what we ask from it. Not necessarily at once but sooner or later it will guide you with other alternatives. Stagnation is a passive approach and stumbling stone for growth. Stagnation is the death of innovation. It shows insecurity and lack of courage. It means to hide yourself into the clouds of complacency.
Interested vs. Committed: People are generally categorized in two categories. First category is that who are interested and second category is that who are committed. Interested people usually yield mediocre results while committedness is the sole domain of super achievers. Commitment breeds self-discipline. It is all about doing right things than what is easy. Committed means believe in your dreams and values then no matter if others ridicule on those values. Committed means burning obsessed desire to serve your customer and add an outrageous amount of values than anyone has right to expect from you. Committed means have a sense of mission to be so good at what you do so that no one in the world could do what you do. Therefore your job as a leader is to show commitment towards the growth of your organization. Your commitment will soon turn out into your passion which is contagious and your employees and customers will start feeling that somehow in an invisible level.
Leader ship is creating awareness.
One of the best lessons about leadership is to ask the right questions. Always remember asking right questions yields powerful results. Clarity precedes mastery. Your mind will always give what you are focusing on. We all are bestowed a phenomenal machine called mind but the most tragic thing is that we don’t know how to make the best use of it. Our mind is like a search engine and guides us in our best interest if exposed it towards empowering questions. Your mind will have to give the answers you are seeking when once triggered by asking questions. Might be not at the first time but sooner or later it always gets the reality of any situation on the surface level to your conscious- leaving zero confusion. Visionary leaders ask empowering questions and so they get astounding results. It will never fake you out. It is always us who don’t want to face the reality and therefore, we let those answers burry deep within subconscious level which our conscious guides us. We never think twice that confronting to reality is the surest way of creating awareness which is nothing but will help us in beating our insecurities and fears. Your most empowering vs. disempowering questions could be categorized as given:
How can I add more values to my customers vs. how I can generate revenue fast? (Impact vs. Greed)
What is my competitive advantage vs. what is my competitor’s competitive advantage? (Inspiration vs. Insecurity)
How can I develop leadership culture in my organization vs. how can I be a cruel dictator? (Innovation vs. stagnation)
What can I appreciate my employees to make them highly engaged in work vs. how can I command/control my employees to get work from them? (Compassion vs. Clumsiness)
Leadership is the chase for passion rather than race for competition.
One of the timeless truths about success in business and in life is to chase for your passion rather than thinking about competition. Anxiety looses creativity. I absolutely don’t mean to say undermine status quo of real market scenario. You must ABU (always be updated). What I am simply saying, many entrepreneurs spent their valuable time and mental focus having a close watch on their competitors move. They become reactive. This ironically diminishes their innovative powers which I call their creative potential. And the more they are dependent on competitor move, more they will actually start to giving their powers, growth and confidence to their competitors.
Once you start your business for some cause which is bigger than yourself or some compelling purpose, your passion flows relentlessly within your organization. Your enthusiasm soars to its maximum limit. You need less sleep. Ripples of happiness will touch your heart millions times in a day. Your vision will stand out as your legacy. Impact will be your beautiful obsession and the same rhythm of feeling will contagiously float within your organization touching peoples’ emotions and this is called leadership.
