Effective Leadership

Gauri Chhabra
The forthcoming Lok Sabha elections are a harbinger of change. The results might be anything, but one thing is certain – the elections after five years show that everything in this world including the Government needs a rethink, a change, a step back and see mode.
Change is the only constant. Does it happen in corporations too? No. Do you think that all those who are in leadership positions should go through a churning process? Every organization needs to identify the inflexion points when it needs a leadership change.
Many leaders today don’t belong in leadership positions anymore. The success factors for leadership have changed drastically because of the demands of a new global marketplace. It’s not only about evaluating the charts, graphs and the numbers – it’s much more than that now. Leadership has become more instinctual and requires broadened observation to connect the dots and understand the patterns of performance probability about the business, its people, its clients and the marketplace it competes in – simultaneously.
Mature leaders have a great feel – a sixth sense of the pulse – for what’s going on around them and as such they are expert decision makers. They can anticipate crisis and manage change before circumstances force their hand. They are passionate explorers in pursuit of excellence who can enable endless possibilities in their organization’s talent pool and corporate strategies. Leaders in today’s uncertain times must be much more entrepreneurial to maximize their time, resources and money. Equally, they must have agenerous purpose where they treat their clients, employees, and partners like family. Finally, today’s leaders must embrace their cultural promiseand lead to leave a legacy not only of success, but of long-lasting significance. The organization they serve must be able to seamlessly reinvent itself long before they retire or pursue another career.
Leadership isn’t easy and it’s clearly not for everyone. Leadership is what defines a company’s success and long-term sustainability. It is about seamlessly being able to reinvent yourself, your organization and the people who serve it – all at the same time. If you or your organization’s leaders lack this ability – it’s time for a refresh.
Don’t wait too long to make a leadership change in your organization; here are clear signs that it’s time to think of ushering in change:
Outdated approach
When a leader’s style is outdated the teams and colleagues stop responding. The teams are no longer inspired and motivated to follow their leaders because they have stopped learning and growing. This is what happens when leaders stop reinventing themselves; as a result, they expose their complacency, bad decision-making and lack of any real effort to invest in themselves.
In today’s fast-paced, highly competitive global marketplace, leaders can no longer wait for their organizations to invest in the development of their skills and competency. The most effective leaders know this, including those in your own organization. If you begin to notice that your leaders are operating on cruise-control, they are being irresponsible to the organization and the people they serve.
Grow taller than the organization
True, leadership is about power dynamics, but when it is reduced only to power it starts degenerating. When leaders begin to act as if someone owes them something – this is a sign that they are power hungry. Entitlement is a sign of desperation and victimization. Leaders that lose the respect of their team and colleagues eventually assume a “woe is me” mentality. When leaders feel entitled, they are threatened by any perceived slight or loss.
They start becoming taller than the organization and that’s an early sign that you need to refresh.
Disrespectful
When leaders are rude and disrespectful, this is a sign of weakness and an indicator that they are trying to make themselves feel more important. In many cases it means that they are threatened by you. Many traditional leaders still think that the power and influence that comes from a leadership position allows them to treat others any way they want. It’s as if they have given themselves permission to mistreat others.
Do not let anyone in your organization be mistreated by anyone else, however great a leader he might be. Self- respect of all your employees takes precedence over everything else.
Ad hoc and disorganized
When you ask a leader what their goals and objectives are and they begin to fumble their response, this is a sign that they are unprepared and disorganized. Their lack of preparation exposes their disorganization. The most effective leaders are always prepared and anticipate the unexpected. They never enter a meeting or potential new relationship without organization of thought and clarity of purpose.
When you see a leader that is disorganized, don’t waste your time. In fact, it’s best to respectfully end the meeting so as not to further expose the leader’s weaknesses, especially in front of their own team.
Disruptive
When leaders become desperate, it’s a sign that they have lost the competitive edge they once had. They become desperate because the marketplace is passing them by. Desperation is a cry for help because they lack mental toughness.
With desperation comes aggravation and eventually disruptive behavior in front of clients and colleagues. Your organization doesn’t need a desperate leader disrupting momentum and the workplace culture.
Desperate leaders may make sweeping generalizations, assumptions, and inappropriate requests. You know when you are around these leaders because they are always looking for attention and desperate to be heard. The louder, the more desperate.
Lack of Focus
When a leader is distracted, it is impossible to have strategic focus. Leaders that lack strategic focus see through a blurry lens. They are not clear with their goals and are unable to connect the dots. They find it difficult to see and seize opportunities and can no longer influence growth and innovation. They become shallow in thought and have the tendency to get caught up in the politics and the noise that surrounds them.
You can detect a leader without strategic focus because they are unable to identify the opportunities, strategies and talent of greatest potential. They lack the laser beam focus and hunger required to maximize the talent of their people, the organization’s resources, its brand and their overall capabilities. They have tunnel vision where they can only see what is in front of them – not around, beneath and beyond what they seek in order to find the best outcomes for their people and organization.
Take a moment to evaluate your own leadership performance and that of the other leaders within your organization. Do any of these warning signs sound familiar or apply? At what level of leadership effectiveness is your organization running at? Carefully observe and gauge their leadership intentions.
We are transitioning from a knowledge-based to a wisdom-based economy. It’s no longer just about what you know but what you do with what you know. Do the greatest leaders have all of the answers? No. Are they gifted enough to know how to assemble the right people and resources to discover the right answers? Yes! You know it’s time for a leadership change when you see one or more of these warning signs. People and organizations deserve the best leadership and it’s your responsibility to change it when it no longer works.
You need to go in for a Quality Check in your leadership suite at frequent intervals- like the Lok Sabha elections…

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