The Key Aspects Of My Leadership
I am a cheerleader of democratic ways, but, depending upon the situations I can switch my leadership style. From my past experience in a Coal-based power plant, I have observed that in ‘normal’ business conditions it is best to adhere to democratic style, since it gives the employees a breathing space and they are able to contribute more. Integrity, honesty and ethical approach of a leader are key ingredients for the success of an organization. Any laxity pertaining to these values is simply not acceptable. Though, I have believed and internalized these traits all my life, I believe the real test of ‘internalization’ for such values happens when you face pressures from people placed higher in the hierarchy of organization.
In my previous job role, I faced dilemmas where I had to choose right over the wrong, even though the obvious right choice wasn’t the easy one and had some adverse consequences for me. Such situations strengthen the character of a man, and I will continue to put all effort to sift right from wrong and stand by the right, irrespective of the choice being hard or easy. Another important factor in the leadership role is that I must ingrain the vision of XYZ in my team of analysts and keep them motivated, to collectively and continuously achieve the organizational goals in line with the vision. I will make sure that every team member feels connected to the common vision of the team. This said, a natural question arises whether I can correct the course of a team member if, ever, he/she feels left out or disjointed. The answer is yes, I can, and I have. In such situations, I make use of a potent trust winning tool, good listening skills. Such situations, mostly, arise because a person fails to feel his work’s worth in the organization. For me, talking and listening to such employees sincerely, has always produced remarkable results in terms of improving their motivation towards their work and their efficiency.
Trust is another important factor that drives the operational effectiveness of an organization. Micro-managing is the classic sign of distrust and impedes the journey of the team towards the goal, and gladly this isn’t my cup of tea. I believe in effective delegation of tasks to the members as per their strengths, and I also like to continuously coach and give feedbacks. Moreover, in times of need (personal or organizational), I am approachable to everyone. This makes me a pan-team and pan-organization accepted leader, and thus an efficient one. In fact, humility and empathy have been key to my learning curve as a leader. Well, if you are haughty you cannot learn from anyone.
Lastly, strong emotional self-control and resilience in face of difficult situations have helped me take rational decisions during the testing times. And, considering the numerous challenges that are faced by portfolio managers every day, I believe this skill set would be a huge asset here in XYZ.
