I have been covering in my blog the webinars organized by Bija training under their Mask leadership series that provide insights to the viewers for becoming better leaders. Dr Anuj Kacker, President and ED Aptech Ltd, the speaker on 23rd June 2021 chose to include many videos during the discussion to drive home his points . At the outset, the speaker was keen to dispel any myths that we may have about leadership. As for example we tend to believe that all leaders should have the ability to speak (Showed videos of Hitler and Lalu Prasad Yadav speaking in effective yet totally different styles) or have a dynamic/charismatic personality (showed a video of M.K.Gandhi). Dr Anuj stated that he neither had the speaking prowess of great speakers or a magnetic personality like that of Gandhi and yet he was a leader. It is necessary to keep aside these attributes and see in what ways may a leader contribute.
Generally, a leader is expected to inspire and motivate, show an intention to influence people while giving them some direction and exercising some control. He/She is endowed with some authority and also has the responsibility for the end result. Looked at this way, we are all leaders in different situations and times. We tend to assume the responsibilities and requirements when in the role. According to the speaker, practical experience gained from situations is what enables one to develop leadership skills rather than mere theoretical inputs. The onus is on the person in a leadership position to constantly improve, during the journey. Dr Anuj said that leadership qualities "cannot be emulated.Each person has to develop his/her own style."
To underscore the importance of people working in harmony in a company, the speaker showed a video of the maestro Mozart guiding his symphony orchestra with motion of hands and body. It is a wonderful metaphor for an organization. If people play well their own tunes in disharmony, it will not serve the interests of the organization. Dr Anuj then went on to show videos of conductors performing using varying styles to draw attention to the point that leaders may use different - own unique style, suitable for themselves and team, so long as they are successful and get the desired results.
The videos shared during the evening included that of Grammy award winner, Riccardo Muti, whose style and body movements suggested that he expected strict compliance to instructions. There is no scope for any change under his leadership. We then saw the video of a conductor who employed a slow, calm, composed body language. He let his team perform organically. Here, the leader seems to say "The music is already written; the job is known, they just have to be left alone to to do what they know best without interference". Another video featuring an Austrian conductor showed him with eyes closed, giving space to his musicians to perform without clear instructions.
We then had a video featuring conductor Johann Strauss who used a smooth dancing style, creating a happy place with everyone feeling a partner in the process. In the final video of the evening, the conductor Goldstein (could not get his first name), appeared to have reached a stage where he trusted his team's ability to deliver without interference. There was minimal facial expression or hand movement.
Dr Anuj summed up the talk reiterating what he said all through the evening namely development of a leadership style unique to yourself and the situation you are operating in and also catering to the changing needs and demands of the customer. While conducting his orchestra, the conductor Leonard Bernstein used to encourage audience involvement and inputs. He is known as the "Benchmark for outreach and engagement". Similarly in corporates, engagement with your team and the employees of the organization has become a basic requirement. A start up would need to come up with new rules and styles of working ,for engaging bright new employees and adapting to a changing environment.
During question time, I asked as to how we could address the problem of most companies in India having the "wrong people in leadership positions" resembling the conductor Riccardo Muti who does not allow any autonomy and demands strict compliance to his instructions? In line with the stand he had been taking all the while, Dr Anuj said that he did not believe that a 'particular style of leadership' was either 'good' or 'bad' and that what matters was the end results achieved. However, the speaker himself stated while discussing Muti, that as many as 700 musicians had at one time, resigned en masse from his team, unhappy with his working style.
To my mind, working with the millennials who will shortly comprise of the majority of the work force , is a different ball game altogether. What worked with earlier generation of employees are not likely to work with them. Harmony like in an orchestra, may be better established with millennials when we give them more freedom, autonomy and repose trust in their abilities. Further, it is high time that companies became transparent enough to declare their 'real' expectations instead of couching it in 'nice to hear language' such as " We believe in work life balance" when they expect people to put in 12 hours a day or " Teamwork is the most cherished value in our company" when they actually look up to individual contributions and reward people on that criteria. The least they can do is to be transparent like Amazon whose employees know they have a tough grind and still take it up because they love that kind of challenge.
I would like to conclude this post showcasing the main point that the speaker of the day Dr Anuj drew attention to in a unique, engaging and entertaining manner whole through the evening- There is not one leadership style. Do not look to copy or emulate some one else's style; nurture and develop your own style through observation, self analysis and practice!
