Be a leader, sans the title!

Leadership is not defined by the title; instead it is personified by each and every selfless act of ours, as we go about our daily routine.

In my first job in corporate world, we were a group of analysts who had started around the same time in a rapidly expanding division. There was a person in the group, who appeared to be more engaged with everyone. He was the one to inquire about your previous job, your fist day at the new work place, your office space and how you were adjusting to it, etc. He was also the one who organized our first offsite lunch and introduced us to each other, even before we could do it ourselves. In essence, he appeared to be most interested in us, the people on the team and appeared to be trusted by all. Needless to say, that he was the unheralded leader of the group and we would all unwittingly look to him to plan our next outing or carry on the conversation, when there was an extended silence at the table. I remember being in awe of his people skills.

More recently, while leading a new product launch, I had pulled together a team of operations, marketing and IT analysts to help build the business case. When I had to shift focus to the marketing plan, I had operations analyst run scenarios on the business case model. In a few days, during the management presentation, I called out the help from the operations analyst and credited him with the good job he did at building the business model. Although impromptu, my gesture was greatly appreciated by this person and he acknowledged how empowered he felt in his role. I remember the episode, not because it was an impromptu call-out, but how good it made me feel somewhere deep inside. It clearly made my associate's day. We get plenty of similar opportunities daily to recognize someone new or junior on the team and help them grow. Sometimes, we just need to shift our focus away from ourselves!

We know good leaders are people oriented and selfless, but there is no rule that "non leaders" can't do it - that is, make a difference! Here's what I have stored away from these musings:

1. Show genuine interest in your associates and listen to "who they are"
2. Help your colleagues make new friends and encourage them to participate
3. Hand out recognition and praise to highlight smallest of contributions

Good leaders start early, and nurture themselves and their surroundings equally. Titles are meant for business cards anyway!

3 E's of Effective Leadership

The greatest responsibility of a leader is to make their employees successful. This is, more often than not, the one trait that does not garner enough attention from those measuring leadership success. It is about how well the employees are flourishing under one's leadership!

Use the 3 E's to answer this question; perhaps a better measure than (or in addition to) the usual promotions, team size, numbers, etc.

• Empower your employees (go do it!) – set clear goals and expectations, but don’t stymie free thinking. Establish the culture where managers can think freely and are “empowered” to make decisions that move the project forward.

• Enable your employees (provide the required resources!) – get down from the “I know all” pedestal and learn about the daily struggles of a manager in balancing deliverables and getting projects prioritized for delivery. Then make sure to provide the required resources and/or remove the organizational hurdles to “enable” employee success.

• Engage your employees (give a pat on the back more often!). Employees are more engaged when they are recognized. But, do it on a regular basis, not just once a year. Even the small achievements should be called out at weekly reviews or other team gatherings. It will go a long way in keeping them motivated and “engaged” towards the company’s success.

Just like the other assets within the company, employees also need nurturing, albeit with a human touch!