Stress of Being a Leader
"You cannot
make progress without making decisions."
Jim Rohn
After having passed
Union Public Service Commission’s Limited Departmental Competitive Examination
for Section Officers, I was posted in the Philately Branch of the Department of
Post, in the background whispered in corridors that my predecessor had sought
voluntary retirement to avoid regular departmental action as he could not keep
track of an assurance given in the Parliament and the Department had to face
embarrassing situation there. So I was little afraid and cautious too that put
me in alert mode perhaps of the highest order. After two three days of my
joining as Section Officer, all the dealing hands applied for leave except the one
dealing hand lower division clerk and one Assistant Superintendent of Post
Offices: thus out of nine, seven asked for leave. Proposition was critical. I
was perplexed what to do and what not to do. I thought, if I refuse leave it
will have to be for everyone and that would invite irk of all and their
presence would be forced, they would spoil more and dispose of less and if I
grant that would make management of work difficult being I had not mastered the
things. In the evening, I returned application of everyone and went out of the Section
without saying anything and when I came back told everybody to rewrite the
application with the maximum extended period of leave they intended to take; a
few amended their applications. After collecting revised applications, I told
them everybody’s leave is sanctioned: they have to join on expiry of leave
period otherwise rules will have their way. Dealing Clerk who had not applied
for leave was too afraid. After everybody had gone, he came running to say that
work in the Section is time bound: can’t be postponed even for a day, so we
have to be cautious. Next day reached office a little early and asked that
Dealing Hand present to place on my table all files and papers of the Assistant
who had taken minimum leave. It took me 2-3 days to dispose of all his papers
and files and while doing so prepared a list of papers which had been delayed
than the prescribed period. When the concerned Assistant returned from leave;
no action was taken against him for delay in submission of the cases but was
told that delay has happened for the last time. Similar procedure was followed
in case of others. This exercise gave me knowledge of seat of each and every
dealing hand and put me firmly in the saddle and had the smooth sailing till I
was selected as Desk Officer in Vigilance Branch after four years. This is how
I learnt my first lesson in leadership.
Lessons were clear,
determined, learnt hard way. Leadership is the name of realization of the fact
of taking responsibility and discharging the same meticulously yourself; more
you honour this fact lesser are the chances of things getting out of control,
as you would take action to fulfill the duties and responsibilities entrusted
or thrust upon you. In fact, in ideal circumstances a leader is fountain head of
decision making and action-honest and selfless; as people see and believe him.
Decision taking-making
is an asset, if you can decide, otherwise it is a stress; more you linger on,
more you suffer. It is an activity that precedes action. It is a faculty, Lord
has given perhaps more to human beings; sometimes it is built in your
personality and character - courage, conviction, wisdom, prudence, capacity to
work hard, learning from criticism, physical fitness otherwise you can learn it through its
attributes - skills, knowledge, analysis, experience, precedences, education, instinct
to learn from others and the history. It is not everybody’s cup of tea, to
decide and every decision can’t be right or wrong: without a decision one can’t
move further. No decision is big or small. A small decision may change your
life and big inappropriate may ruin your life and the situation. Taking
decision is important, other things follow automatically. Decision making is a
journey not a destination, a journey alone, lonely and with accountability; it
is not something rigid and solid, it is flexible and amendable, solid is the
target where one wants to land after taking a decision. Always remember once
you decide, it evokes the desire to reach the destination fast; efforts and
action with permutations and combinations thereof, and determination follows.
Decision is the start- professional, pure, transparent and positive, better
start is half done. Every decision is positive for the man who has to decide.
Even fighting a war is positive, it is most of the times to save the unity and
integrity of a nation. Decision taking is a pious activity, one helps Him to
discharge the functions He has planned to be executed through you: so if you
decide to take care of others you are already taken care of by Him. So decide,
decide and decide and proceed.
Once you make a decision, the Universe conspires to make
it happen.
Ralph Waldo Emerson
People always lead
people: fundamentally biologically all are equal in the matters of emotions,
requirements, mental faculties, basic physical activities too etc differences
are only of degree not of division; so treat your people the way you would like
you to be treated by others: People are better understood as friends than as
subordinates or followers. Take care of the people and people will take care of
you. Be with your men in difficult times: that way you build the road to lead.
A leader leads a
group, an organization; no person can lead alone: it is always a team work:
together everyone achieves more that is what a team is: lead without imposing:
get done the way you like; make the things that the group likes and loves to do,
the way you like them to do. Action should be collective, individual action
seldom succeeds exceptions are always there. Always remember a leader is one
among equals and not the first among equals that way he becomes the boss –
something inferior to the leader and leadership.
Honour all your
commitments, even if they are insignificant and not important and those which
are in favour of work culture may be against the individuals. Individuals are
always important because every work is to be got done through them but they are
not above task objectives. Be known that you keep the promises that is pleasure
for you and others and a way to be stress free: be a man of commitment.
Time management
plays an important role in honouring the commitments. Honour the time it will
honour you and your commitments and you need not see the schedule again and
again because one would always be ahead of the time fixed. One must understand
that a day at the constant speed of the earth is of 24 hours, you can make it
of 26 hours or 20 hours by varying the speed of your performance. So learn how
to move with the work instead of the earth.
Action: execution:
performance: delivery is the crux of all existence on this planet: everybody
has to do some task not only animals but also other living things like plants,
trees and also the non-living things like rocks and sand. Nothing is constant
but the change is. Action is supreme test of a leader: even Lord Krishna in
Gita mentioned as follows:
Whatever action is performed by great man, common men
follow in his footsteps and whatever standards he sets by his exemplary acts,
all the world pursues.
Bhagwad
Gita
It is the action: the
most important and impressive tool in management; that sets examples and
the standards and while doing so follow the Lord by His dictate:
You have a right to perform your prescribed duty, but
you are not entitled to the fruits of action. Never consider yourself to be the
cause of the results of your activities, and never be attached to not doing
your duty.
Bhagavad
Gita, Chapter II, Verse 47
One must ensure that
he takes positive action that brings fruits to reach the target: negative
action whatsoever evokes only negative response; may be fruitful to some extent
in short term: in the long run it will have its natural course of negativity as
it keeps simmering the flame of revenge somewhere; hence can’t be productive.
Replace negative thoughts and action with positive thoughts and action, one
will have positive results hence nearer to the goal and equipped to lead.
Positivity is convincing, assertive, prevails the logic easier, obstinates turn
around: an action with no stress; transparent, open without fear. Positivity is
the key to many difficult issues and a stress reliever.
Play the game of
action well: goals and targets would reach you themselves: if one concentrates
on goals game would be spoiled; targets would get farther and farther. Action
makes the heap non-existent and inaction makes a heap solid and slippery. In
public service, principle is dispose of a paper otherwise it will dispose you
of. Action makes one the master and no-action makes one the servant. Preparation
is important- it can make tough exam paper easy and results better and bright.
Action with your
hands, yourself and that too of the lowest employee; the last follower, gives
the leader the best of experience and inside into the intricacies of the team
task. A leader is the man who is a substitute for every worker when need arises
without disturbing the schedule of others. Leader is a prism that emits only
that colour which is needed to save and solve a situation.
“Do you want to know who you are? Don’t ask. Act! Action
will delineate and define you.”
―Thomas Jefferson
Appreciation is the
best management and leadership tool and trait. Appreciate ideas, analysis,
views, emotions, problems, apprehensions, hardships, opinions, ways of working of
others-yours followers, team members, workers, family members, vendors, sellers all others interested, they
will shower best of theirs for your consideration. It is also a tool of critical
analysis and in-depth knowledge. Take care of your critics, they provide most
valuable advice, look into intentions not the words and volume of voice.
Appreciation is
always the enemy of ego: more the appreciation lessor the ego and vice-versa. Appreciation
is also a tool of spiritual attainment and we believe that invokes His
blessings always. Appreciate from the core your heart not perfunctory and no
sycophancy: He understands the difference: they would also understand as they
have His element in them. Genuine and real appreciation is always spontaneous
real: it bursts from inside, do not withhold at that time you, if one withholds
he would be acting against the nature: appreciation always for the cause and
action: from the core of the heart.
Initiation of action
is always pulled back by inertia and the human nature to throw the
responsibility on somebody else, postpone to some other time: at the same time
unless one initiates nothing can be achieved. Start of action is always
difficult, one has to commence from the scratch, have to be original,
independent and of his own. One must get rid of inertia, start action here and
right now: throw away the fear of failure and being criticized by others: one
never fails it is FIRST ATTEMPT IN LEARNING, do it once more: when it is the
first and last attempt like in a stage performance it is the courage,
confidence, preparation and the prudence that matters most among other things: the
way to motivate the people to perform and perform better. It automatically makes
one a leader. Great
leaders don’t tell you what to do: they show you how it’s done: that is the
real initiation.
“God provides the wind, but man must raise the sails.”
―St. Augustine
“Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds
confidence and courage. If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think
about it. Go out and get busy.”
―Dale Carnegie
"Decision is the spark that ignites action. Until a
decision is made nothing happens."
Wilferd Peterson
Resources: men,
material, money, technology, methods, power, environment, approvals,
circumstances, environment, anything which helps you to reach, even the advice
and guidance and above all the time, even one’s own effort etc are always
limited can’t be enhanced, altered or changed overnight: can always be managed
over a period of time: but situations are not uncommon when demands are made on
leaders to deal with extraordinary emergencies: hence the need to adjust the
resources as per the needs. Leaders must change with the time, assess the
future demands, implications as accurately as possible, must know deeply the
internal resources and external sources to meet emergent circumstances and
always be resourceful. Resources and sources under one’s control are the assets
and with others seldom available at the crucial hour so depend on what one has.
While performing
always use organizational resources not personal ones; as the organization is
supreme not the leader. Personal resources may help to tide over a situation
once or twice but in the long-run it will damage the organizational discipline
and decorum and set a bad precedent for your successors.
Organizations are
perennial: except for specific short term goal or task: leaders are not: nobody
has been at the top always: they have to leave with the passage of time. Most of
the organizations are for human welfare: may be for earning profit: they
provide employment to many and earn dividend and profit for others: hence above
leaders. These have to be protected, preserved and developed: whosoever heads
these must prepare somebody who can take over after him; this task is pious,
must be performed with organizational benefit as supreme. No society can
provide its citizens the best quality of life unless it has effective
organization; take care of organizations they will take care of all of us.
Daring and different
are the two most important words that must find a place in the dictionary of
leaders. These are two words that help one to meet a challenge: vow to do under
all odds like army war orders. These are not overnight qualities: they require
knowledge, skill, experience, exposure and above all capacity and courage to
take risk. It can be a learning processes or learnt exposure and expression.
I am always doing that which I cannot do, in order that
I may learn how to do it.
Pablo Picasso
Hard decisions are
fundamental to discipline and decorum, they require seniors to follow
established principles of public life: integrity, honesty, devotion,
transparency, public welfare, be above board etc. and not be guided and
impressed by compassion, individual gain and circumstances. It is requires
clarity of thought, values to live with and aims of the organization above all
strength of the character, otherwise it would put one under great stress on the
question to do or not to do.
"Shelving hard decisions is the least ethical
course."
Adrian Cadbury
Your emotions are making it difficult for you to accept
hard decisions.
John C Maxwell
It is not hard to make decisions when you know what your
values are.
Roy
E. Disney
A leader must be the
master of the skill of communication: not only speaking but also of listening:
a skill which is more difficult to learn than speaking. One must speak in such a
way that the people like to listen and one must listen in such a way that the
people like to speak: must keep manners, tone, tenor, pitch, volume, vocabulary
soft and polished and still in the language and manner understood by the
receiver of the information.
Leadership is not a
position; it is a privilege given by the Lord to serve others: you may be at
whatever level, always have an opportunity to serve, at least the people whom
you lead and sometimes those who have been neglected at one stage or the other.
One can serve anywhere, anytime, anyone, at any place and even at a place where
there is no body apparently: serve the nature, serve Him, and above all service
yourself- be at peace, empty you mind, try to create internal vacuum so that He
can come sit and talk to you, absorb yourself in yourself, talk to yourself,
realize yourself biggest of the service on can do etc. Position to serve is a
gift of Lord – honour His gift and the position you are occupying-President,
Prime Minister, Chief Minister, Judge, Examiner, even a head of a small group: a
Teacher in a school, every leader is His descendant, He governs the whole
Universe and leaders anywhere govern a part of it may be insignificant and
unknown to the governor and being governed. It is sin to malign what He has gifted.
Service is the prescribed motto of a leader: that is what Devon Ke Dev Mahadev Lord
Shiva told us in all His preachings and whatever He did was for the welfare of
the mankind and also for individual satisfaction of those who were full of ego
and every time these people proved wrong. Lead the people with service they
should feel having come to the right person in case they approach in their
difficult times: don’t exploit their miseries mitigate them to maximum: they should
have father figure like feeling in you: father an institution of guidance and
advice the supreme and always.
Frustration the
feeling of being upset or annoyed as a result of being unable to change or
achieve something is the opposite of achievement smooth: a way of life, a
result of action as well as no action: it signifies nothing
happening as planned, results not as expected; everything upside down, stress, slips, issues, generates
thoughts to give up, may lead to suicidal tendencies and in some cases it does,
bolt from the blue: negativity all-round that is what frustration is normally
known. In any life situation frustration is not uncommon, it is more so in
leadership: where you are the chief or head like your own family, even
otherwise also. How to overcome: nobody has ready-made solution. Strength of
character; belief in almighty and self-efforts are the wonder weapons to fight
it out. Rationality of thinking, courage, confidence and patience are other
savers. In fact, frustration is symptom only, disease lies somewhere else.
Every problem has a life span, even if one does not address, it gets its due,
may be in your favour or against. Some problems are addressed better if not
responded. Try to find out the root cause, it may be hidden, a friend acting as
a foe, your understanding of the issue is not detailed and has no depth or it
is just over-confidence, continue the journey slow and steady with eyes and
ears wide open, one may stumble the real cause solution too. Consider
frustration as a friend. It comes to you to transform you into a better person.
Feeling frustrated is quite normal, which can be due to work stress or
dissatisfaction from self and people around. So, talk things out. Frustration
is a teacher in taxing time: one must reap the harvest, need not collect the weeds
after the harvest has been reaped by somebody else. Frustration is mine of
ideas, innovation and creativity, one has to dig it, in dark, deep and hard. It
is just like the journey through hard time one has to continue. Frustration is
perhaps a signal from the Almighty just to stop, slow down and watch how things
move for some time and catch the opportune moments. Don’t give up that is the
message hidden and clear too, it is upto the individual himself the most
important cause and effect. Frustrate the frustration.
Frustration, although quite painful at times, is a very
positive and essential part of success.
Bo Bennett
You’ve done it before and you can do it now. See the
positive possibilities. Redirect the substantial energy of your frustration and
turn it into positive, effective, unstoppable determination.
Ralph
Marston
“Undisputed leader”
is the dream of every one who leads, but nobody has so far been: simply because
we are human being not perfect beings. Fact is, everybody has his own way to
lead; his preferences, priorities, values, alignments, leanings, strengths and
weaknesses : may be tolerated as a respect and regard; differences are always
there may be big enough for creating a rift or may be small but simmering.
Leader should always be alert to the voices of dissent and correct himself in
the interest of larger goals. Reconsideration is always a tool to correct and
zero budgeting that is to rethink and review right from the beginning is one of
the best.
Negotiations:
transparent, open, honest, with complete knowledge of issue, respect for the
opinion of others, appreciation of real facts, with cool temperament: are the
essence of all business and disputes: table is always important. Never fear the
negotiations but never negotiate out of fear. Negotiations are for building
bridges not; for burning bridges; negotiation is a process of compromise: give
and take; neither for give alone nor for take alone: it must produce a wise
agreement and build relations stronger than before. It is win-win for both parties;
nobody is a loser. To negotiate is a skill which has to be developed; an art to
learn to lead; generally it is not inherited however some people are very good
at negotiating table while others are not. Negotiations are for peace and
tranquility: all of us made of: made for; love to live with. Always discuss the
issues, problems not the persons negotiating: they are just tools not the
essence. Always discuss with the person who can decide then and there otherwise
it is just an exercise: prelude to negotiations: frustrating process. There is
always better alternative than a negotiated agreement; continue the process as
it is the only process that is positive and fruitful.
Never lose your
goodwill for small issues and concessions: goodwill is an asset that adds
slowly but melts quickly: has a place in the thinking of the persons with whom
you deal: goodwill is another brand: in fact it is a super brand: a small sacrifice would ensure many
concessions and gains in long run.
“Negotiation in the classic diplomatic sense assumes
parties more anxious to agree than to disagree.”
– Dean Acheson
“During a negotiation, it would be wise not to take
anything personally. If you leave personalities out of it, you will be able to
see opportunities more objectively.”
– Brian Koslow
All men make
mistakes: a leader is no exception. All genuine mistakes teach and give
experience: intentionally made mistakes are mischievous, they expose must be dealt
with heavy hand and the rules if need be. One should always honour mistakes and
accept them with a view to correct if possible: that gives strength and genuineness
to the men who you lead. A true leader is one who is humble enough to admit
their mistakes and strong enough not to repeat them.
A man should never be ashamed to own he has been in the
wrong, which is but saying... that he is wiser today than he was yesterday.
Alexander Pope
Leader is the
epitome of the confidence reposed by the group, team, people and in fact by the
Almighty the Greatest of the Leaders: the Creator, the Operator and the Maintainer
of the Universe; everybody does not get to this position, so think to lift
those who are behind and along with you with your presence and thereafter;
relieve others of stress, make them happy and be happy: forget yourself, your
person and family and their interests : if you are capable to do so, there no
stress, it is pleasure, satisfaction, solace, sense of achievement and having
done it and many more things you never dreamt of. Try to find your place. If you feel you have
the ability to lead; be led by your conscious - right in direction and
decision. Great leaders don’t set out to be a leader: set out to make a
difference - never about the role but the goal.
The
challenge of leadership is to be strong, but not rude;be kind, but not weak; be
bold, but not bully; be thoughtful, but not lazy; be humble, but not timid; be
proud, but not arrogant; have humor, but without folly.
Jim Rohn
