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– Akshay Purohit

Leadership is the ability to rally people to a larger cause, get the best out of them, and inspire them to thought and action. It starts with the self. A ”leader” is a difficult title to earn. Several traits, mindsets and behaviours go into building a leader. Here are a few habits that could help in imbibing leadership skills in you.

#1 Start with a ‘Why’:

Having a strong ‘Why’ helps people connect to the bigger picture, and helps them understand why they’re doing what they’re doing. It builds motivation, which enables higher commitment and performance. This applies to a task, a project, a product strategy, or a company vision.

Martin Luther King didn’t start his speech with “I have a plan”; he had a dream! This dream was inspiring enough to enrol thousands of people across his nation towards realizing it. Be clear about your why, and emphasize it constantly to yourself, and people around you!

#2 Embrace ‘Extreme Accountability’:

Leadership entails training the brain to not point fingers in other directions when things go wrong. This particularly applies to situations that may have initially been out of one’s control. A mindset of ‘Extreme Accountability’ means if there’s a challenge, I will do everything I can to solve it. This means being on time for an appointment despite ‘bad traffic’, fulfilling a commitment to a customer despite ‘other urgent jobs’, and achieving a sales goal despite a ‘slowdown’ in the market. Extreme accountability leads to a culture of leading by example: consistently doing what you say, and doing what you expect others to do.

#3 Focus on ‘The One Thing’:

In his book, Gary Keller guides us to ask ourselves “What’s the One Thing I can do right now such that by doing it everything else would be easier or unnecessary?” Getting this clarity brings sharper focus and better execution. What people think of as ‘multitasking’ is actually ‘task-switching’, alternating between multiple tasks at a fast rate. This leads to loss of focus, cognitive energy and time. He who chases two rabbits catches neither!

#4 Care about People, and listen to them:

Always assume that people mean well, and are trying their best. A leader’s role is to augment what they’re doing. If things go wrong, one must avoid assuming that the person was careless or incompetent. Don’t be furious, get curious. Ask questions. Listen to people. Take feedback. Get to know them better as people. Every business is a people’s business. Every role is a Human Relations role.

This does not mean setting a lower bar, or being soft on results. It means gradually raising the bar from where a person is today, like in a high jump.

#5 Take care of yourself, and become better every day:

The human body, mind and spirit are powerful, yet ignored tools. Energy management is as important as time management – both are limited resources. Eat well. Move through the day; exercise regularly. Sleep well, every night. Meditate. Write a Gratitude Journal. Read books. To stay motivated, keep away from energy robbers. Build a circle of people you can confide in, and learn from. Chaos is an inevitable part of a leader’s life, and things often don’t go as desired. Make peace with the fact that change is a slow process. Recognize that happiness is a choice.

There are no absolute answers, and there are many more elements to leadership. On an entrepreneurial journey, these are some steps a leader could consciously take to build his or her own capability and credibility, and truly earn the title of a ‘leader’!

About The Author
Credits: Akshay Purohit, Chief Operating Officer, Neptunus Power Plant Services Pvt. Ltd., Member of ASCENT Foundation