From the desk of COO, Shyam Valloornatt
In the last blog – Leading from Behind — Redefining Leadership for a New Era, we challenged “leading from the front,” with “leading from behind” as a powerful strategy. It involves the leader guiding strategically while empowering individuals to innovate and influence outcomes, recognizing their “infinite innovation DNA.” The shepherd exemplifies this adaptive model.
How do we, then, map who that “competent“ leader can be, that can lead, as well, from behind, effectively, given the fractious variations. I am deeply rooted in the belief that those who possess the following “virtues” will be that “someone” who can / will scale to be a leader of choice, truly, and will propagate growth, too.
- Leaders, true ones, are “unpretentious”. Even with fallible human emotions, designs methods to overcome conflicting cross-roads, always.
- Individual contributors. Undoubtedly the masters of “grounds up” model propagators. Will continue to embellish skills of being “hands-on,” refrains from vague preaching.
- Not taking anything / anyone for granted. Intuitively engaged. Does not template. Everything is a new beginning and requires new initiatives.
- “Nowhere to be seen” when the team is credited for accomplishments. Magnanimity in acknowledging, he or she would not have succeeded without the team.
- Be on the forefront, when things fall apart, however, “be conspicuously absent “when the team succeeds”. Leaders assume accountability and own the outcome completely.
- Setting the stage for individual’s intellectual exploration journey. Shuns “redundancy.” Creates and leaves a trail of progressive legacy for the posterity.
- “Etiquacy,” and “Grace” be the ever-guiding influence, continuity of “humility”. Calmness, through thick and thin. Teaches, practices “sustenance through persuasion”
- Listening, architecting decisions, with “collectiveness” as “lifeline”. Realization of one cannot be the “know all,” collectiveness is “key”, prides with a deep sense of appreciation.
- “Shortcomings” acknowledged in “private”; “dignity” preserved in “public”. Unequivocal enablement of individuals to “discover” themselves.
- Invisible line of “confidence” vs “indulgently exuberant”. Brings the distinctiveness between “perseverance” & “presumptuousness.”
- Defines the scales of “empathy”. Accommodation, with no “strings tagged” Will flex, but will not break the parameters of compliance.
- Establishing an “innate trust” of being the “go to person in confidence”. Confidence building through “reciprocal” collaboration” shares expertise/experience.
- Comprehends “delegation” vs “abrogation”. De-centralizes, de-clutters the path of learning, intellectually, still owns the outcome. Refrains delegating “responsibilities” under the pretext of individual “enablement.
- Remains objective, a well-rounded, representation. Focuses on “what is next” while utilizing the lessons of “what just passed.”
- Acknowledges the “need for continuous learning “and scaling “together”. Does not seek ideas from the team to “self-enrich,” does not fail to acknowledge “teams” contribution, at higher “echelons.”
- Attention to details… Single minded devotion to “details” and “forbearance” to guide and to stay the course.
- Never will consider others be “part of his / her team”. Instead, will embrace the “himself / herself being part of ” team, embedding “self.”
- True to age old adage – “patience is virtue” and “silence is golden”. Always a directed calmness, remains as a “centripetal” force, helps to deepen, a “multitude dimensional mind.”
In closing, it is imperative for that “leader” to be someone “ in a mode of a wet clay, ever”, being shaped for outcome driven efforts, embedded in progressiveness with a purpose, deliberates ideation for efficiency, committed to failures be educational, non-detrimental for exploration, fearless to be fresh and “nonchalantly inspirational” …
I am still scaling to be any of the above…
