An eager beaver, fresh out of college, I entered the corporate world after campus placement. Like any newbie, I was super excited by the idea of finally getting to do hands on work in real life (albeit it is only when you are threatened by the horrific dinosaurs in the Jurassic Park of the corporate life, that you realize how wonderful the Disney Land of simulated college life was). I felt like a midget entering the garden of giants, who needed knowledge for food from the experienced behemoths in order to grow. It was on a bright sunny morning during my first season in the garden that I was introduced to my boss – “Ms. On Purpose”. After working under her, I realized that becoming a giant in the corporate world is definitely not an easy task and requires a lot of effort. Despite the fact that I recall several instances of having been tortured by her-enough for me to have elicited spontaneous curses, I will always speak of her as a good leader with all due respect. This may have been for one simple reason – she worked on me for a better me. Those few rugged years resulted in a positive transformation which would clearly say that hey, all of that was done on purpose!
Few years later, I had the opportunity to work with another manager – “Mr. Boss Man”! How would you like if your manager gave you ample freedom to work, in the manner you want, with no restrictions on the work timings and the leaves you can take (of course that is only till the time you are in adherence to the policies, because the boss man would not want to go against the boss to get your purpose solved). I am sure majority of us would be thrilled with the idea, because who wouldn’t like an easy go lucky manager right?! But for some reason, I was not as satisfied with this manager – maybe because I could not see the leadership and the guidance which I was seeking. There didn’t appear to be any value addition to my skills. On the contrary, all I could see in him, was lack of interest in my growth which started having a soporific effect on my career. I started feeling lost with no clear growth trajectory. Mr. Boss Man would always show a rosy picture in accordance with the taste and requirement of his boss, callously disregarding the affect it may bestow on the team. This attitude made me wonder if he is a people manager or a boss manager!
As luck would have it, I was released from the sweet, directionless garden of joy and allotted a different team. Then came “Mr. Haughty Pants But I Know Nothing” into my life. Well, so to say he was that iconic manager who had neither the subject knowledge nor the intellect to run a team. The only resource which he had in abundance was the lack of trust. Well yes, Mr. Haughty Pants would burden you with a highly exacting work environment, expect you to work 24*7, but at the same time doubt every intention and every action that you take. The latest ‘adventure’ with the nagging manager made Mr. Boss Man quite acceptable-retrospectively, of course! Maybe it is only after the relative comparisons between the good, the bad and the ugly that you realize the value of good – it is only after comparing the three different characters, I realized that a strict and erudite Ms. On Purpose was the best for me. Needless to mention that Mr. Haughty Pants would love to have several servile Boss Mans working under him, who would agree to all his demands at the first instance.
It was these back to back experiences that made me take a conscious decision to cultivate those qualities which will evoke respect from my team in future. After all, if I am unable to add value to a subordinate, then there is no point in reaching a certain position with much coveted authority. I recall getting vexed and disinterested to the extent that I was ready to take another job, mostly because of the people I was working with. Does an employee leave an organization or a manager? This is a million dollar question that the HR fraternity has been mulling over for as long as the corporate history has been documented. There might be a possibility that my universe of comparison might be small as far as managers are concerned, but it was enough to value the importance of a good leader.
Clearly, the manager has a huge effect on how a resource prospers and grows in an organization. One needs to understand that there is a difference between a leader and a senior resource in the organization. Few of my managers or even other senior people in the management team have attained those fancy titles by virtue of either their ability to perform great tasks or because they have been with the organization since the ice age! But are these people able to create the next line of managers and leaders – that’s doubtful. It’s easier to be an individual contributor, but with authority comes responsibility. Organizations need to understand that they need to train their resources, not just to create and market great products, but also multiply efficient resources under them who can deliver the same quality of work, or even better. Leadership is not a position or a title, it is action and example. But alas, rarely do we get to see one live.
There is another issue which has been taken up widely across the globe – gender equality at workplace. Well, as unrelated as it may sound here, this is also a function of good leadership. This movement demands change in the basic mindset and policies which can only be driven from the top. The change needs to be ingrained in the ethos of the organization. Here, the concept of community development plays a very important role. Women need to draw the ladder for other women, as empathy, of which women will be more capable as compared to the opposite gender, can create a big difference.
There is no doubt that the basic DNA of any organization is built by its people and the culture essentially flows from the top. Imagine an organization where an On Purpose is working under a Boss Man who is further reporting to a Haughty Pants. What kind of culture will percolate here! The likes of Haughty Pants being the senior most, will give a message to juniors that irrespective of any talent, those who are good at boot licking and adhering to person specific demands can prosper. When the Boss Man will reach the senior most position, he will come with an assumption that knowledge and talent can play no good or bad role. So, growth of subordinates and hence of the organization, will not be in alignment with his KRAs or appraisals. Lastly, by the time someone cogent like On Purpose gets the chance to get on the power play and make a difference, he would have either capitulated to the circumstances and lost the appetite for reforms, or would have left the organization long back to go someplace more suitable. Clearly, this is a classic case of attrition of good resources which needs to be prevented from happening. It is only when the rain of good leadership falls on an organization, the drops of wisdom trickle down from layer to layer, providing a shield against the heat by moistening every surface that it passes through.
The great Nelson Mandela once said, “A leader is like a shepherd. He stays behind the flock, letting the most nimble go out ahead, whereupon the others follow, not realizing that all along that they are being directed from behind.” Only if we all could aspire to be the shepherd and the organizations would fuel this fire burning in our bellies to create a better tomorrow.