It’s been quite an intense and challenging journey over the last one year. Looking back at half time, I realize that I’ve learnt three important leadership lessons amidst the intense challenges.
The first lesson is to lead by example even when it isn’t quite possible literally! Allow me to explain.
From simple duties to complex tasks, I’ve always believed that leaders ought to lead by example. That one must set the benchmark by performances worthy of emulation. You know, like the captain of a cricket team – if you want your teammates to catch hold of difficult catches, then set an example by taking any difficult ones that come your way. And so it is at the work place, isn’t it? When a supervisor proves that the task assigned is something she can not just perform, but also perform better, one is left with no choice but to strive to meet her expectations and accord her due respect.
But what about when you lead a team where you can’t perform the tasks better than your team members? In the course of my fellowship, I was presented with one such instance – to improve the productivity of associates at Source for Change (SFC), the rural BPO where I’m currently based at, even though I could not even remotely match the number of forms processed by them. Heck, I could not even type as fast as the associates did. Yet, along with my colleague Shrot, we had to somehow (SOMEHOW!) convince them that they ought to improve! As we struggled, events outside of work presented a perfect analogy to my situation.
In my earlier post, I had mentioned how Shrot and I teach school kids basketball. As we continued to coach, it dawned upon me that leadership need not always be like that of the captain of a cricket team; it could also be like that of a basketball coach or a football manager. While the coach might ask you run 20 rounds and do 25 push ups, he may not even be able to manage half of that! Yet he leads by developing a strategic vision, by effectively communicating this vision to the team and by directing and guiding the team to achieve that vision. Needless to say, in areas where he can clearly lead by example, he does so such as being on time, work ethic and so on.
Lesson two is about learning to let go – when, and importantly what to let go! It is more a management lesson than a leadership lesson. However, it is an important one, not only for myself but also for the countless people who consider themselves ‘involved’ or ‘detail-oriented’ or the like.
When I gave the sales guy a detailed script to use while making/attending a sales call, I thought I was training him. In fact, even when I would hijack his calls, I still thought I was showing him how it’s done. When I instructed the intern to come to the sales fair with change in the following denominations – Rs. 100 (20 nos.), Rs. 50 (25 nos.), Rs. 10 (100 nos.) and so on till Re. 1, I thought I was paying attention to detail. But, in time I realized that none of those thoughts were right. In management lingo, they call this micro-management and if you are an entrepreneur, in startup parlance, they call it Founder’s syndrome (or Founderitis). Fortunately for me, I quickly recognized that people perform best when empowered; when given the liberty to experiment and the freedom to learn, both from their experiments and from their mistakes. I grasped that, simultaneously, managers should always be available on the sidelines for them to reach out for advice. And as people develop and nurture their own abilities and skills, they will grow from being subordinates of a manager to followers of a leader.
The third lesson is about feeling satisfied upon seeing a protégé become better than yourself at your own game. Easier said than done, I know. And even more difficult, when you’re still in the game and your protégé has gone a step above you.
My example goes back to the basketball court. When we started our coaching sessions, most of the kids could hardly dribble, let alone compete with two adults. After just over a month, I now see a 16-year-old dribble past me disdainfully, collect rebounds over me, block my shots, and match all my moves. Clearly, in a few days from now, he will outdo me hands down. Having had a small hand in his triumph, I feel proud. I realize that there always comes a time when the protégé becomes better than the mentor, and when that time comes, the mentor feels elated.
The question is will I feel the same when it happens at the workplace? I sincerely hope so!
