Be a Leader ,Not the Boss~Live to Lead

Be  A leader, Not the Boss

~Live to lead

“Yeah, they share and for that you need to be approachable “ – was his reply at the end of the series of questions I asked ..
so what does this bring to your mind when I talk from an employee perspective ..
This was very clear to me and I had no questions after this ..

I write articles to communicate ideas and values that have empowered and influenced me to find a path. I hope that readers find practical ideas and they can use in their work life.

I have closely worked with few people who I must say have taught many different ways to lead life ..

My Dad of course who has always been an example for his love and concern towards family apart from this I have also seen him giving more importance to work and people who work for him.

 I’ve seen him leading both work and personal life which I’m sure all of us do when it comes to responsibility , but this was something I have seen closely and that makes me write.

And then when it comes to hard work and commitment again Deepak has always been an influencer.

I think you’ll agree with me when I say:

Being a leader is one of most difficult AND rewarding positions.

Time management, people engagement, Empathy, sympathy,collaboration with the team are all the terms that we have heard of in sessions conducted for employees, students and maybe read in most of the articles but it isn’t really easy to deploy or say bring things in action when needed at times and I knew there was something more that I should understand.

Do you think good communication skills are necessary for a leader?

What do you think about risk-taking abilities?

Are they essential for a top-manager?

Were the questions that springed my mind  many times when working with couple of teams,

I Failed at times to portray the leadership skills(I’m talking about handling small teams ) when I found people with different attitude.

All this sounds easy when you know that the person is ready to listen , what if he is not someone who doesn’t want to understand.

I always wanted to know how Deepak managed to work with people carrying distinct attitude,

So my first question to him was –“How do you manage handling people who have been in the process for a long time and knows more than you..”

“If someone knows more than me then I shall appreciate his/her knowledge and assign tasks where they can excel .” he replied --- Fair enough isn’t it?

This single statement reflects below qualities and are more likely to be qualities of a leader.

Appreciative:

From what he said, this was the first quality that comes to my mind .When you really want to do something meaningful for others and make them smile ,having this quality can make it .

As I have always mentioned in my blogs showing Gratitude is one of the best quality I have learnt from few around.

And this is what Rhonda Byrne’s “Secret” is all about.

People around you will connect more when they feel genuinely valued and appreciated.

And that is why you should appreciate your parents, friends, colleagues and helpers and may be more and more.

Fair:

You can rarely think of this right ..?

When you really feel treated unfairly that’s when you think about it ..

So when it comes to work I think being Fair is being honest and Not partial.

This is again a very different topic to talk about ..however precisely it is to be open and genuine and say what you mean . Then people will know what to expect from you.

Responsive:

Does it really benefit us? Yes, in many ways ..

Being responsive makes you decide,exhibit and conduct which will improve others and yourself .

 I have seen people approaching Deepak for each and every matter, so he is highly effective and accessible.


You are considered to be responsive if you are effective and approachable to everyone.

Hence you shouldn’t isolate yourself from the team.  If you are one such responsible,Your teammates will depend on you for them to respond promptly.

Honesty & Transparency:

When I have made mistakes, I wasn’t criticized for being wrong but quality feedback was shared.

At the same time I was encouraged and appreciated for the good work.

Many leaders hesitate to be transparent because they worry they’ll be viewed less as a leader.

But that isn’t true..Effective communication and quality feedback creates more positive effect

Be it treating employees Fairly, setting clear expectations and at the same time taking the responsibility of the end results are all nothing but factors of being honest and transparent.

In short, my understanding is that as an employer he Created clarity of his employees purpose, Enabled the mindset (determination, will), the skillset (technical or soft skills) and unlocked the potential so that we deliver excellence within our role .

This builds self confidence and ignites self motivation.

I did have series of questions about different people however ended up with informative conversation.

So at the end of our conversation answering to one of them ,he said (reminding you of the first lines) “Yeah, they share and for that you need to be approachable “…

If you gotta be a leader , 

• you will need to listen,when I say listen I mean spend extra time  and  pay attention ,
• show them that you care ,
• Make time to talk to everyone and make your people feel comfortable

Not just being a leader but even when it comes to an employee who just started working ,having these qualities of showing leadership and ownership should help you grow quickly and collaborate with the other employees.

Pretty sure now that this should be the reason for having young leaders ..

So yea .. try to be someone you expect others to be , let others experience good leader in you!!