‘A leader should be open to changes in the environment and know how to deal with it’

A successful leader is one who is undeterred with the changes around him, no matter how difficult they are.

‘Leadership is not about attributes, it’s about behaviour. And in an ever-faster-moving world, leadership is increasingly needed from more and more people, no matter where they are in a hierarchy. The notion that a few extraordinary people at the top can provide all the leadership needed today is a recipe for failure.’ (Harvard Business Review)
Indian businesses have seen significant transformations over the last few decades, which have changed the way we work and interact with our colleagues in the organisation. From the domestically focused businesses of the post-independence era, Indian firms today have reoriented themselves, to become more global and to deal with competition from global companies. This changed approach of Indian companies and increased focus of global companies on the Indian market has also impacted our work culture. We have moved from an authoritative leadership style to a more accommodating style where employee satisfaction is the prime focus of every leader. Employee satisfaction is built on the foundation of trust and delegation of greater responsibilities, amongst other factors.
In fact, it is imperative to train every employee in an organisation to be an efficient leader, because leadership is a quality that is not restricted to only the top bosses. Earlier, organisations used to believe that only a single individual with enormous leadership abilities could be the leader, impacting the company’s successful future. However, this belief is no more perpetuated. Corporates today share greater responsibilities with valued employees and it always works in favour of the organisation!
India is also a country with burgeoning youth population; we have more young people joining the workforce than anywhere else in the world. This generation is broad minded and independent and do not require hand holding. Every individual is a leader by mindset; we just need to harness these young minds properly so that they can become great leaders of tomorrow. There could be many good managers in an organisation but becoming an effective leader is equally important.
So what really are the attributes that a good leader should possess? In my view, leadership style is an active choice one makes, and it has a direct impact on the results they achieve. There are no well defined leadership qualities; it completely depends on the individual. However there are a few attributes that all successful leaders demonstrate.
First and foremost, it is important for a leader to have a vision and firm belief in his vision. He needs to be completely sure of the goals he wants to achieve and how he would achieve it. Further he needs to possess the skills to convince people about his vision and work with them towards it.
A leader should also be open to changes in the environment and know how to deal with it. As a famous saying goes – “you cannot change the direction of the wind, but you can adjust the sails to reach your destination”. A successful leader is one who is undeterred with the changes around him, no matter how difficult they are and knows how to steer the ship to the right direction.
We have several examples of great leaders who have believed in their vision, shown resilience to tough circumstances and emerged as a winner. Steve Jobs was forced to resign from Apple, ten years later he went on to make it one of the most profitable fortune 500 companies. Walt Disney went bankrupt several times before he finally built Disneyland.  He was once fired by a newspaper editor who accused him to be lazy and lacking imagination and creative ideas!
From an Indian context my current favourite is MS Dhoni, Captain of the Indian Cricket team, who I believe possesses the qualities of a great leader. From handling controversial team selections, to managing a diverse team, be it the Indian team or IPL, Dhoni is a performer and demonstrates the same to the team. He gives genuine respect and confides in his team members even in the worst circumstances. As a leader, he is calm in extreme situations. Above all he allows his teammates to take risks and lets them experiment even if it means tasting failure sometimes. He has been a key contributor to helping the Indian team achieve its vision of winning the cricket world cup.
A leader’s responsibility is to guide the change at work and in the society. He needs to foresee the need of a change, be the change himself and bring the change in people he leads. This alone is the key to success! Infact, a leader should prioritise the behaviours that will have the greatest impact on the disposition of his employees and enable his company to implement its strategy.