I do not simply lead but I deal
with people in a manner in which I make them feel empowered and gain the
confidence to become good leaders. I
create leaders and in that sense I lead as I am MAD. MAD is not a word that you associate with someone
who is mentally disturbed or insane or extremely angry. MAD is an acronym for Making a Difference.
There are different types of
leaders and they have different leadership styles. Some leaders follow the autocratic style or
the Hitler style and some leaders follow the democratic style. There are some who follow strategic leadership
style.
At the beginning of my career
nearly 40 years ago I was exposed to Autocratic Style of leadership where
everything worked as per the leader’s wish.
The people who did the work for the leader did it out of fear of losing
their job or losing their position. When
the cat is away the mice are at play and so does the employees. We used to have lot of fun when the Boss is
not in the office and the moment we hear the noise of his car we used to take
positions become extremely quiet. We
used to pretend as if we were working though we will be watching his steps –
all eyes and ears on the BOSS.
When I came to Dubai I met a
Leader, Mr.S.S.Rajkumar, He had a style which is a combination of a
Strategic Leadership combined with Transformational Leadership. He had a long term vision and clear
objectives for himself. At the same time
he set long term vision and clear objectives for everyone around him starting
with the General Managers and right down until the Office Boy. He is one of the best Leaders that I have met so far in my life and I keep talking about him on a daily basis.
who was neither Autocratic nor Democratic.
My Leadership Style when I became
a Manager was Autocratic as that was the style to which I got exposed for the
first 20 years of my career. However, my
style changed to Transformational Leadership in the last 12 years. The transformation happened when I had a long
chat with my BOSS here in Dubai which was my performance appraisal. He highlighted how good I was in so many
areas and then pointed out how bad I was when it came to dealing with people. He asked me to decide whether I want to Lead
and feel that I am leading or Deal with people nicely so that they are led my
way eventually.
The Transformational Leadership
has enabled me to play a catalyst role with so many youngsters over the last 12
years and I have created more than 100 leaders in this journey. It is a wonderful feeling when people are
empowered and encouraged to take decisions and become leaders. It is also a very satisfying feeling when the
very same people come back to you and say “Thank You – You inspired me and
helped me to reach this level”.
When you Lead it is self centered
but when you deal with people it is with empathy. Deal with people to help them realise their
true potential. They would automatically
follow you and accept you as a leader.
I always feel a Good Teacher is
one who is always willing to learn. I am
a permanent student though I teach regularly in various institutions a variety
of subjects. A good Leader is one who is
willing to follow and let others take the lead.
I love to deal with people and enjoy seeing them take leadership
positions. I am a leader who likes to
lead from behind.
Setting the Vision for others,
enabling others to realise their dreams and helping others become good leaders
is exactly what a transformational leader is supposed to do. I have been doing that for 12 years and will
continue to do it in the future as well.
Deal with people nicely and they
will let you lead them. Get ready to
become MAD – Make A Difference.
T.P.Anand
Dubai, UAE
20th December 2018
