Lalit Jain
Should
he lead or should he demonstrate? Lalit Jain, director and co-founder annectos
Rewards & Retail (P) Ltd lists out the qualities that make an exceptional
manager.
Being a boss is not an easy job.
People don’t naturally wish to have
one, and not everyone aspires to be one.
There is a distinct difference between
being a boss and a being a leader.
You need to be a leader who inspires,
motivates and instils trust and builds loyalty.
Managers should strive to become good
leaders not just great bosses.
By focussing on leadership, people
will learn from you, want to contribute to your success, the client’s success
and their own.
The top traits of an exceptional
leader are as follows:
1.
Expansive thinking
A good leader creates an atmosphere of
expansive thinking. He empowers his team with time, resources and techniques,
to solve big issues with big ideas instead of quick fix solutions.
2.
Right culture
A good leader builds in the right
culture from the very beginning. This culture is built by design and not by
default. It means they attract the right people and get them the right seats. It’s
also important that they ensure that the wrong people never get on, and in the
off chance that they do, they get off just as quickly.
3.
Delegate
Delegate substantial projects, not
just simple tasks. Most managers often give task-based assignments to people
without sharing or involving their team in the long-term strategic plan or
business implications. Time and effort spent in teaching someone in your team
to work their way through the project will pay off. Your team will appreciate
the increasing trust and responsibility and will work harder to prove their
value. Be accepting of different work styles or approaches. Your team might
surprise you with insightful new ideas.
4.
Applaud and reward
Reward and advocate your team. If your
team has delivered and completed some challenging assignments don't forget to
reward them for a job well done. Recognising their efforts and rewarding them
is very important. Advocate for them throughout the organisation. Applaud them
in front of their peers and senior managers.
5.
Career growth
An effective leader integrates
learning and development into every job description so that personal growth is
required and rewarded. They ensure that the company apportions time and money
towards personal growth so that everyone shares reasonable expectations of
commitment and success.
6.
Team building
A good leader builds teams that work
together to succeed and fail together (of course he also ensures his is a
fail-safe leadership -- that’s good direction). This creates a tight bond of
loyalty towards the company and each other. Successes are met with equal high
praise and rewards, while failures are met with encouraging acceptance and
post-mortem learning discussions yielding next-step improvements
7.
Responsibility
A good leader admits s/he is human and
takes responsibility for his/her own errors. As a leader, you are also a
teacher showing a sense of humility when an error happens. This also sends out
a clear message to the team about honesty and owning up responsibility when
things go wrong.
8.
High on ethics
A leader conducts himself/herself with
high standards of morals and ethics. It's important to inspire future leaders
by living and working with integrity.
9.
Passion
Leaders demonstrate passion. They have
a feel for the business. The best leaders have a solid understanding of all the
key aspects of the business they are in. They understand the products, the
technology, market share, sales channels, and how to read an income statement. Those
well-rounded managers make the best business leaders.
10.
Decision making
Good leaders are awesome decision
makers. More than anything, management is about decision-making. That is where
the rubber meets the road. The most effective way to do that is to ask the
right people the right questions, listen to what they tell you, then trust your
gut and make the call. If you’re right a lot more than you’re wrong, you’re in
good shape.
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