The function of leadership is to produce more leaders, not more followers.
There is some valuable information about the challenges of leadership, something that today’s corporate world is struggling to understand.
These can be applied not only to business leaders but also to heads of departments, project leaders, community leaders, politicians and can even be applied by the head of a family or any other organisation.
1. Money Is The Priority
Do employees work for money? Yes, they do. That is the first and most important requirement.
No organisation can keep a person inspired, if the salaries are not paid on time.
Also offer options beyond their salaries – employee stock options, incentives, share in profits and other schemes by the management to keep the employees financially secure.
2. Encourage New Ideas
Leadership is the capacity to translate vision into reality – Warren Bennis
Your employees are not just machines to be operated. They are human beings with a head on their shoulders.
Each mind can create different idea and new ideas are the fuel of any organisation.
As a leader, it is very important to keep note of these new ideas and experiment with them.
While doing this, involve the employee who came up with that particular idea. Also give credit to him/ her.
3. Be In Touch With The Last Person
The challenge for any government is to check if the last man in the last village is happy.
Till that is achieved, a leader’s work is not complete. At times, we find that what is reported is only the success of a few people.
As a leader , never go by these reports. Be on the ‘ground‘ yourself.
Regularly track what even the peon or driver feels. Talk with them, understand what keeps them going or makes them feel frustrated. Take corrective steps.
4. Honour And Respect Them
When the best leader’s work is done the people say, ‘We did it ourselves. – Lao Tzu
A psychologist once said, “Like food, shelter and clothing, ‘appreciation‘, is a basic human need too.” So learn to appreciate every person.
A good word from the boss goes a long way in boosting employee morale. And this should not be artificial. Show that you genuinely respect them.
In many companies, there are ’employee of the month’ awards and in some organisations, a photo of the most efficient employee is displayed at the reception.
Related : 8 deadly start-up mistakes to avoid
5. Never Misuse Your Power
The key to successful leadership today is influence, not authority
Remember the famous dialogue from the movie Spiderman– Peter Parker receives sage advice from his uncle , “With great power comes great responsibilities!”
A leader can misuse the power, if he is not a person of integrity. Especially if he is not answerable to anyone.
A good leader is one who creates more leaders.
In the Navy, when the ship crosses the equator , a ceremony called ‘Crossing the Line’ is held. During this, a junior cadet is made the captain of the ship and all the senior officers have to follow his orders.
Try this for a day in your organisation. While this may sound like fun , you will also learn a lot about what your juniors think about you.
6. Work Hard, Rest Well
The employer has to believe that optimum productivity is achieved by giving space and peace of mind to the employee. In some developed countries, employees work very hard for 10 months to take a 2 months vacation.
The thought of a 2 months vacation has made the employee work hard for 10 months.
The balance between work and rest has to be maintained for better results.
Bonus Point :
Keep Watch
To lead the people, walk behind them – Lao Tzu
Keep an eye over the people. Keep watch on what is happening in the industry.
Keep an watch on changes in the surroundings and your society. All things in the world are interconnected.
A small change in some other place will affect you soon, in some way or the other.
Therefore, keep yourself updated and informed in all matters.
If you face difficulty to remember so many points, well, you don’t have to remember them all. If you practise even one of these rules, the remaining will follow. They are interconnected. Just start.
Good luck on the journey to discover the leader in you…
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