LEADERSHIP

This is not a regular blog post but, my son's views on LEADERSHIP. Recently, my son had applied for a scholarship in which he was asked to write about his views and ways of leading a team.
I am sharing the same writeup by Arnav Sharma here......

Ideally, a leader should be an influencer but that influence must not be forced upon. His followers or his sub-ordinates must choose what about him influences them.

When I lead, I try to lead by example. As a leader, I don’t try to grab the most important task but, readily assign it to someone who, I think, can do it better than anybody in the team.

For instance, when we make a documentary or a short movie, we know it is teamwork and everyone in the team has a specific role to play.  The final product will be as good as our efforts, zeal and degree of passion. Even if it is my idea and I have taken the initiative, I cannot accomplish it alone. I not only depend on their help and support but their devoted Participation.

Professional relationship is just a derivative of personal relationship. To be more productive and continuously raising the bar of performance, we need to create a congenial environment of working that includes the rapport between the professionals.

For sound professional relationship, one must understand the temperament, likes and dislikes, aptitude, attitude towards life and career, ambitions and dreams, and a little idea of the personal life of each one of my associates.

Trust and respect are indispensable for any relationship. We must appreciate and always give positive affirmations to our associates. Even when something doesn’t yield expected results, we must encourage and motivate them for future endeavours without going mad at them.

During the making of one of my short movies, my friend who was playing the lead character didn’t turn up on the shoot-site. We tried to contact him but could not. After a long wait, we had to cancel the shoot. All of us were angry. His called on my number and the first thing he said, swept away my frustration. He said, “I have called you because I know you will understand” His voice enunciated the trust, hope and faith. I couldn’t retort and chose to hear him patiently. He said, “My uncle who lives in Nagpur passed away this morning. We had to leave immediately. We are still in the way.”

You can’t always behave with your co-workers weighing their worth for your business. I believe that a diplomat may fail but a humane heart will never in any kind of relationship.