Author: Sushil Tayal
Tell me a skill that a leader does not need to be an effective leader.
What will be your answer?
I have been asking this question for some time, and usually, it draws a blank. The facial expressions of people tell me that they have been asked this question probably for the first time in life or probably never thought of this.
I always get intrigued when organisations connect with us and say, “We want to do leadership development training”. I ask them what specific skills they are looking for/ focussing on, what they mean by leadership training, or how they define leadership. I get vague responses pointing to strategic thinking, initiatives, decision-making, conflict management, influencing and team motivation in segments.
In my 40 years of professional life in HR, people & leadership development, I have studied & interacted with great thinkers, authors & experts across the globe. I have reflected on leaders I have worked with who championed the people & organisational transformation with such ease. They have made tremendous mark in their field and brought the transformation that others do not dare to even think about.
We all know people want to be guided by those they respect, who have a clear sense of direction and ability to convey a strong vision of the future. People demand visionary leaders who trust & respect them and who can create a culture that fosters performance, a sense of pride and fun.
Leadership happens at all levels. Leadership is not a position but a voluntary choice that a person makes to be a leader and lead on a specific issue/ arena. Travis Kalanick and Garrett Camp found themselves stuck in Paris on a snowy evening, unable to find a taxi, and decided to solve the issue of availability of transportation/ cab at one’s convenience, which created Uber and changed how we commute today.
My experience and research on great leaders led me to 6 critical elements one must possess to be A Great Leader.
1. Purpose is the beacon of the leadership. Inspirational leaders have a clear sense of Purpose. They have a very high level of clarity on the purpose of their leadership. It is like having a blueprint of their vision, what they want to achieve & why. Driven by the purpose that exuberates the energy and sense of urgency to make things happen. Blue Dart, India’s largest express logistics & distribution company, was founded with the clear purpose of changing the way we managed express logistic distribution in India. That the purpose of the founders was reflected in everything the organisation did and how it did. All the innovations/ inventions covered in “Making Breakthrough Innovation Happen” by Porus Munshi were driven by the purpose of the respective leader and how they managed to achieve these breakthrough innovations
2. Passion: Passion is the fuel that drives inspirational leaders. Great leaders are highly passionate about their purpose, goals & direction. Their passion enables them to articulate a compelling vision, purpose and direction that inspires and ignites excitement around shared goals and values, building a sense of urgency in the team to get the results. Their enthusiasm is infectious in motivating the entire team to engage fully and work towards achieving the goals. Their passion is not just about excitement, it is about a deep commitment to the mission. Mother Teresa is a perfect example of a leader passionate about her purpose. With the aim of alleviating the sufferings of the poorest of the poor, she founded “Missionaries of Charity” which operates in 130 countries today. Her passion to serve those who are excluded & vulnerable inspires others to join the cause. When Steve Jobs was asked about the reasons for his success, Passion was his first response. “ If you really look at the ones that ended up being successful in the eyes of society, and the ones who didn’t, often times it’s the ones that are successful love what they did so they could persevere, you know, when it got really tough. And the ones that didn’t love it, quit. Because they’re sane, right? Who would want to put up with this stuff if you don’t love it? So, you gotta love it, you gotta have passion. and I think that’s the high order bit.” This leads us to the third element – Commitment.
3. Commitment: Armed with a high-intensity sense of purpose and passion, they are fully committed to achieving what they are slated to achieve. Commitment is the unwavering resolve to pursue their goals despite challenges and setbacks. Using their strengths, they continue to pursue their goals and withstand all setbacks en route. They do not compromise and are ready to pay the price to achieve their purpose. They demonstrate resilience, persevering through setbacks and challenges. Their determination ensures that they remain focused and steadfast in their pursuit. Dyson, in 1978, got frustrated with his vacuum cleaner’s diminishing performance and realised that the bag was blocking the dust and wanted to solve the issue for all. Five years and 5127 prototypes later, he invented the world’s first bagless vacuum cleaner. We have heard countless examples of global leaders like Gandhi on his path of non-violence, Nelson Mandela’s unwavering commitment to freedom, Elon Musk on innovation, Jeff Bezos’ journey with Amazon, etc. Leadership happens in everyday life and everyone is/ can be a leader. Not sure if many have heard about the ‘Canal Man’ of the State of Odisha, India. It is the perfect example of displaying Purpose, Passion & Commitment. Daitari Naik, from Talabaitarani village in Kenojhar district in Odisha, was awarded Padma Shri by the Indian Government in 2019 for his contribution to agriculture and for his extraordinary effort of four years for digging a 3km canal from a stream in the Gonasika mountains with just a hoe and an iron bar to bring water to his village to drink and for irrigation. Daitari’s canal now irrigates round the year, about 100 acres of rolling land where farming was earlier possible only during the rains, but the runoff was high. Likewise, Laungi Bhuiya, 71, from Kothilwa village, 80 km away from the Gaya district, for the last 4 years is single-handedly digging a canal of 5 km so that rainwater cascading down the Bangetha hills can be diverted to the fields for farming.
4. Competence: Leaders must possess & display their competence to lead. Back to the same question, leadership competence is such a vast ocean that it is nearly impossible to have all the skills & abilities required to lead. The top-level competence essential for a leader is not technical competence but the competence to anticipate challenges and build a team of people with the strengths & competencies required to accomplish the milestone. Identifying and leveraging the strengths of the people, and quickly locating the available resources is the key competence that a leader requires. As Steve Jobs said, ”You’ve got to be a really good talent scout because no matter how smart you are, you need a team of great people”. Leaders who have the competence to quickly identify the talent, strengths of people, the sources of other useful resources, succeed more often than leaders who just rely on their capability and want others to just execute the tasks.
5. Contribution: Effective leaders have a sense of Contribution. They continuously reflect & assess the outcome of their actions and swiftly change the strategy/ course correction to achieve maximum results & impact. All great leaders constantly monitor the outcome of their actions and remain open to exploring new methods to achieve the desired results. They quickly accept the failures and display a high level of resilience. This result orientation feeds into their sense of purpose & the energy to continue to work towards their goals. Constantly monitoring the progress made against the targets helps them stay on course, productive and relevant to the people.
6. Progression: In my experience, many leaders fail in this element of leadership. They remain possessive about what they created and do not let anyone handle that. Great leaders continuously strive to create a self-sustaining mechanism and create more leaders. They achieve and move forward to a larger purpose. They immensely believe that the role of a leader is to create more leaders. They actively build the mechanism to grow more internal leaders who can fit into their shoes to manage the existing goals, and they actively look forward to moving to a larger purpose. That means making oneself redundant as quickly as possible and reducing dependence upon oneself yourself is the key to successful leadership.
We must also understand that Leadership is always “Service to Others”. Leadership is about enabling others & their interests are central to the leadership purpose. One must also remember that being in a leadership role can be lonely & frustrating; one must be prepared to take the rough with the smooth.
To Sum Up
A leader’s role is to raise people’s aspirations for what they can become and to release their energies so they will try to get there. Leaders need to inspire others to achieve & grow as quickly as the environment and responsibilities demand.
Anyone can be a leader. Leadership is now recognised as a transferable skill that can be developed by continued learning and development throughout a person’s career/ life. By adopting & mastering the Purpose, Passion, Commitment, Competence, Contribution, and Progression model, you can become a more impactful leader in all aspects of your life.
Let me know by putting in comments, your views on these 6 critical elements and other elements you believe will make a great leader. Do share the tips that helped you build your successful leadership style. Looking forward to seeing your input.
At Enabling World, we are committed to supporting organisations in cultivating these qualities, ensuring they thrive in an ever-evolving landscape. Our Leadership Model is the product of extensive research and hands-on experience in leadership development. Our experts help organisations implement these leadership principles through comprehensive talent management practices and help build an effective pipeline of leaders.
Sushil Tayal – Enabling World
#leadership #inspiringleadership