“Before you are a leader, success is all about growing yourself. When you become a leader, success is all about growing others.”

— Jack Welch

If we think about great leaders and their mass following; we will realise that they have had the ability to stir crowds and rally the troupes around them, the ability to attract people to their thinking and ideology, the ability to rouse passion and retain great loyalty. Great leaders are like powerhouses that attract people. What gives them the ability to reach the hearts and minds of people and capture their imagination? What makes people stir out of their comfort zones and follow these leaders?

Take the case of Martin Luther King Jr, he understood the pulse of the people, he made them dream of personal freedom and united them to an ideology that they believed in. In the words of Jawaharlal Nehru, Mahatma Gandhi, “he­ld aloft the torch of freedom and lighted up the darkness that surrounded us”. How did they achieve this? The core of leadership lies in empowering people, in connecting with pe­ople. Leaders are blessed with drive, energy, and vision. However, they need people to rally around them to achieve their vision. Nothing can be achi­eved alone, and leaders must learn the art of connecting with people. People are the ultimate differentiator between an organisation that wins and one that does not. Only an engaged workforce can deliver success. A well-knit and networked organisation has the ability to navigate through difficult times, as motivated employees will stretch themselves that 10 per cent extra. However, as organisations become large, staying connected is not an easy task. A lot of people also do not understand the essence of being connected. It is easy in today’s day and age to get caught up in technology and lose personal touch. While technology has given us the ability to reach a larger number of people, nothing can replace the power of personal communication; this is what leaders must not forget. Connecting is not just about holding open houses and staff meetings and neither is it about newsletters and PowerPoint presentations — connecting is first and foremost caring about people.

Leaders must be genuine and authentic about their interest in people and appreciative of individual strengths and differences. They must know the people they work with — their goals and aspirations, their strengths and weaknesses. They must know them as individuals and not just as tools to perform tasks. For this, leaders must learn to genuinely listen to people, speak about their needs, understand their limitations, know their hopes and fears and have the ability to help people achieve their goals. While it’s important to deal with people on their work-related matters, it’s important that the leader connects with them on a personal level too. To invest in people will mean taking time out for them, understanding their issues and helping them through some of their personal challenges. “People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care about them,” said Bob Moawad.

Leaders have to learn to value people and help them to move in a direction where they can realise their true potential. A true leader is one whom people trust — they believe in his ideology, they respect him for his demeanour, his abilities and trust that he will do the right thing. Any one will go the extra mile for someone who demonstrates respect and appreciation and not for someone who demands performance at all costs.

While the emotional connect is important, there are other factors that influence the ability of a leader to gather support. The first and foremost is his vision and ideology. People must have a sense of purpose, it is only then that they will work with passion. It is only when people believe in a lea­der’s vision and in his success see the realisation of their own goals, do they step out and support the leader. People will also watch a leader for consistency and integrity in thought and action. A leader’s priorities and practices must match his wo­rds. He must be able to establish credibility. He must lead from the front, be visible to his people. He must be available to his people. He should be able to respond to people with speed and spontaneity. In addition to standard communication forums, a leader must find ways to connect informally, to address concerns, to share a piece of gossip or rumour and have a hearty laugh. An effective leader is one who knows how to give respect and in return earn the respect of his staff through his conduct. A leader needs to show his commitment to people before he asks them for anything. He needs to set examples by his behaviour; others will follow.

Leaders need to remember that while results are important, the people behind those results are the biggest resource. Hence, leaders need to feel accountable to these people and ensure that the company addresses their needs so that they can deliver for the company. Sometimes that need is so small, but, when processes take over, everything falls by the wayside. I think leaders need to be humane because one is dealing with human beings who live and breathe and need to be understood.

I would like to end in the words of Carl Sandburg, “Ti­me is the most valuable coin in your life. You and you alone will determine how that coin will be spent. Be careful that you do not let other people spend it for you.”

(The writer is head of advisory services of KPMG, India)

richard.rekhy@mydigitalfc.com