How strong is your ‘mind-set’?

You need to show - 'You are the LEADER'

A tiny story of ‘Leadership’

‘I hadn't met a man so ignorant that I hadn't learnt anything from him’, said Galileo centuries back.

Childhood memories, sometimes are so cherish able, some are not  but nevertheless, they make the basis for the following life.This quote when I remember, rear or reread it connects me to my childhood days.

Those were the days of India approximately 20 years after independence. India was still struggling with poverty and too economically backward status than the state we are now. While the situation was little better in urban areas, the villages used to have more illiteracy and more struggle. In addition to this my village ‘Chinna Kakani’ had extra menace from plenty of street dogs wandering around. And there was no control either from Panchayat (Indian Village Committee) or from people with the fear they may bite. The menace was increasing day by day.

At those times there used to live a man looking wild with long undisciplined beard and scruffy hair, giving a dreadful look especially children of my age at that time.  Around 6.30 pm almost every day, he used to walk on the road where we used to play. Might be that was the time he used to come out from hibernation. A deep stare from him, all the tots used to run so far from him in search of location to hide ourselves. While we had this type of fear, the dogs used to have a quite different approach.  They used to go very near to this dreadful man and used to bark and bark loudly. That used to be a puzzle for me for days. While that was the situation of mine, the villagers used to go inside of their homes quietly, closing their doors.

That day-

As usual, the ignorant man, the escaping, the dog’s barks – the routine story continued just only for minutes. We, hiding behind a big tree watching the same-old sequence like a movie.

For a fraction a second, the man stopped walking and stood silently. He stared at the dogs barking wild. The next very second, he caught the front legs of a big dog, spun the dog around him several times and dropped him on the road. Suddenly the remaining pack of dogs got puzzled and literally became silent and quite with squeeze groans.

He showed the dogs and also the villagers who the LEADER is.

There has been too much prominence debate on ‘leaders as equals among equals’. This debate is misleading and treacherous. Actually, leaders demonstrate the way to others.

1. You being a leader facilitate, articulate and influence others in the attention to the key success factors after a clear diagnoses and big picture that must be “nailed” to ensure execution.

2. The higher you go as leader, the more you must expect to “Champion” and to deal with ambiguity.

3. Your failures and results will be more visible to others. More and more, the people whom you want to influence may not be under your control.

4. You may be required to mobilize a group of strangers to work effectively on a non-routine goal.

5. You may have to lead a team whose members are spread over several countries.

6. You may encounter situations where you cannot depend on your boss’s judgment.

7. You need to bring purpose, direction and focus where these qualities do not already exist.

8. Your leadership quality is an intangible asset that usually cannot be show cased as aesthetic talent can.

9. You must focus on methods to keep yourself managing crisis.

10. You maintain, perhaps increase, your intellectual freshness, of your emotional flexibility.

11. You must be progressively more equipped to act with “guts and wisdom” when the big risks, conflicts and challenges have to be confronted.

12. Part of your job as a leader is to put out fires and maintain the team morale.

13. Mind-it, your team will take cues from you.

14. It is your job to keep spirits up, and that begins with an appreciation for the hard work.

15. You being a leader show your leadership prowess by getting your hands dirty. Instead of just delegating tasks and relying on subordinates to do all the work.

16. Seize leadership opportunities, no matter how small they are.

17. Make sure your “let me do that” attitude extends beyond your horizon with your peers, boss and subordinates.