LEAD OR DEAL

Leaders are not born but they are made!  Are you a Leader!  Are you a good Leader!  Good Evening!

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