The Hindu Business Line : Great leaders never lose sight of their goals

The most obvious quality in a successful leader is his or her willingness to lead. Leadership invariably calls for more than one skill, though a leader need not be an expert in each of them. That is where the strategy of leading by example fails.

There are multiple paths to arriving at the same goal and it is the leader who should lead the team along the path considered best. In most cases, the consensual approach does not work and an effective leader has to motivate every team-member to follow the chosen path. That is not to say that an effective leader should be a dictator, rather, an effective democrat.

An essential quality of a good leader is a strong commitment to achieving the goal without which he or she will not be able to motivate the team towards it.

An incident from your life, or, what you observed, which you think was great leadership?

About 15 years ago we had the opportunity to establish a business relationship with a particular party; though the business relationship did not materialise for various reasons, I continued the relationship on a personal level in the belief that a viable partnership could be struck in future. That business relationship, first explored 15 years ago, is now becoming a reality. This may not have happened but for the continuation of my personal relations with them. It leads me to believe that clarity in communication is an essential requisite, and that for a leader, there is nothing personal.

Ways in which young managers can develop leadership skills?

Any young manager aspiring for a leadership role should be committed to achieving goals. Young managers should earn the trust of their team members; a skill that can be acquired by observing successful leaders.

Your leadership ideal in the corporate world — India or global?

I find Dhirubhai Ambani inspirational for his fight against the odds, his sustained focus on his goals, and his success in building from scratch a global business enterprise in a short time. — Y. S. Chowdary, Chairman, Sujana Group of Companies

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