Sirajuddin Aziz<\/p>\n
Leadership is about the ability to guide, influence, and motivate a group of people towards achiev\u00ading common and shared goals and ob\u00adjectives. To be able to guide, influ\u00adence, and motivate, the person who leads has to have at min\u00adimum some essential charac\u00adteristics and traits. The most common denominators of any leadership definition of the re\u00adquired traits include skills in planning, organising, directing, and control, besides decision-making.
\nIn addition, a leader is expected to pos\u00adsess a self-confident character, strong communication skills, and a willingness to delegate. Leadership across human history has been so romanticised that the expectation is of nothing short of a \u201csuperman\/woman.\u201d In reality, there ex\u00adists no such individual.
\nFoolhardy is the thought that a single individual will combine in his\/her per\u00adsona a plethora of largely positive char\u00adacteristics. Every leader, in some way or the other, has several inadequacies, ei\u00adther in terms of personal traits or in re\u00adlation to technical proficiencies. No indi\u00advidual is a complete man.
\nLeaders, in my view, essentially are \u2018Dream Merchants\u2019. They sell their vi\u00adsion (ideas) to a group of followers, who demonstrate faith in the achievability of that vision through dedicated efforts. But the development of following (fol\u00adlowers) is dependent upon a leader\u2019s re\u00adalistic approach to achieving the vision, which has to be fortified through traits like clarity in communications, hones\u00adty, integrity, patience, passion, expertise, intelligence (from intellect to emotional to spiritual), and a powerful streak of in\u00adfusing inspiration in the rank and file of the colleagues\/workers.
\nManagement studies that began in the early part of the 19th century searched for that \u201cone person\u201d who would com\u00adbine all the required leadership traits in them, more as a gift from nature than acquisition by training and experience. The clich\u00e9 \u201cborn leaders\u201d had gained much currency. This theory of presence of traits remained largely untouched and unchallenged through the 20th century.
\nWith the advent of the 21st century, there was tremendous growth in the application of technology in both busi\u00adnesses and government. The speed in communication and in the ease of con\u00adducting business led to looking at lead\u00adership on a fragmented basis.
\nManagement gurus went on a ram\u00adpage of hair-splitting the concept of leadership. This led to the emergence of concepts like \u201cSituational Leader\u00adship\u201d, \u201cTransformational\u201d, \u201cTransac\u00adtional\u201d, \u201cFunctional\u201d Leadership, etc. This fine hair-splitting went to the ex\u00adtent of creating theory of \u201cAuthentic Leadership\u201d and \u201cServant-Leader\u201d, etc.
\nPositional power arises from the rank, office, or title held. Positional power is not dependent upon skills, character\u00adistics, or qualities; however, possessing some basic skills adds value to the deci\u00adsion-making abilities. Positional power confers upon the title holder influence over actions of others, relating directly from guidance, planning, organising to direction and control.
\nThe impermanence of positional pow\u00ader must be recognised by those wielding it. Such power lasts only up to the time the rank or title is held, or if one was to move from one organisation to another. In contrast, those leaders who lead and influence others through their innate personal qualities are in possession of personal power. There is greater perma\u00adnence of personal power than positional power. Nobody can deprive an individu\u00adal of the qualities, either blessed or ac\u00adquired through toil and hard work.
\nPositional power is authority acquired on a de jure basis, while personal power is a consequence of being able to influ\u00adence others without holding a rank or title\u2014such command is a de facto lead\u00adership position.
\nThe power associated with the posi\u00adtion lends authority to hire and fire, re\u00adward and reprimand. The appendage to positional power is the availability of as\u00adsociated coercive power\u2014the authority to take punitive action or enforce pun\u00adishments in the entity.
\nAs a CEO, I was recipient to many in\u00advitations to various types of events; in choosing which one to attend, I normal\u00adly used the discretion of determining who was being invited\u2014was it me or the CEO? Unless driven by business compul\u00adsions, my choice fell on those invitations that were meant for the person I am. The invitations meant for CEO are for the of\u00adfice, not you… that clarity must exist.
\nThe wedding of a CEO\u2019s offspring is not a corporate event… vendors to the organ\u00adisation cannot be or should not be part of the guest list. The cover-up and excuse of being \u201cfriends\u201d with suppliers is a hol\u00adlow hoax. Personal power will control and limit the presence of such invitees. The guest list to such events must have names who are moved by your personal power and not the rank, title, or position. In the simplest terms, recognition of the \u2018principle of conflict of interest\u2019 must ex\u00adist while extending invitations.
\nTo get invited to events of purpose and substance, the holding of a rank or title helps and is an easier route for social recognition. However, developing so\u00adcial presence based on personal power and skills takes a longer period of time. It is also a given that recognition based on personal traits, characteristics, and reputation has long-term sustainability and stability. Positional power recogni\u00adtion has limited shelf life. On a genuine basis, no harm is done to tap upon posi\u00adtional power to enhance social accessi\u00adbility; the objective being increasing the network of business.
\nLeaders who bask in positional power have tendencies to \u2018demand\u2019 respect from colleagues; if and when it is not forthcom\u00ading, they can resort to abusing the power. In a meeting, I heard a remark by a Board member, in reference to a senior mem\u00adber of management, \u201cDoes he know who puts the butter on his toast?\u201d The nature and character of these types of leaders is one of being abusive in the application of tools of command and control\u2014fear and reprimand\u2014against colleagues.
\nAs leaders (CEOs, MDs, Chairpersons, etc.) of organisations, the imperative need is to use positional power for strengthen\u00ading the personal power base, through fo\u00adcus and attention towards acquiring new skills and abilities. To be an effective CEO, it is a necessity to be good in communica\u00adtion; should there be any inadequacy of traits, then efforts must be made towards improving oneself while on the job\/posi\u00adtion. The skills so acquired would last be\u00adyond the tenure of office held.
\nAs an antidote to both types of leader\u00adship\u2014one derived through the de jure process and the other obtained through personal power or de facto basis\u2014is the domineering presence of \u201cheredi\u00adtary leadership.\u201d Hereditary power is lethal. It is neither dependent upon le\u00adgality nor due to presence of any spe\u00adcial skills\u2014the heir apparent just de\u00adscends upon the institution and takes the reserved \u201cRoyal Chair.\u201d The \u201cCrown Prince or Prince of Wales\u201d of compa\u00adnies, even those that are listed, con\u00adsider themselves a \u2018gift from divinity\u2019… they take charge, with or without skills, abilities, or even attitude. This is a cul\u00adtural aspect\u2014an issue that prevails. It is more pronounced here locally than in the East or West\u2014not to suggest it is not prevalent in those societies\u2014the difference is that lineage is a given, but the position has to be \u201cearned.\u201d Unlike our environment, where self-corona\u00adtion takes place with no regrets.
\nColleagues must hold the leader in awe, not because of fear but for reasons of admiration that must sprout from the entrenched qualities of honesty, integ\u00adrity, principled behaviour, positive atti\u00adtude, and a general amenable nature.
\nPositional power can never yield loy\u00adalty. Personal power begets loyalty and long-term commitment.
\nA perfect blending of positional power and personal power in a leader will en\u00adsure the healthy growth of the organisa\u00adtion. A perfect leader of substance will combine in his\/her persona a fair bal\u00adance between power derived through the position held and the power of in\u00adnate qualities of heart, mind, and soul.<\/p>\n
The writer is a Senior Banker & Freelance Columnist.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Sirajuddin Aziz Leadership is about the ability to guide, influence, and motivate a group of people towards achiev\u00ading common and shared goals and ob\u00adjectives. To be able to guide, influ\u00adence, and motivate, the person who leads has to have at min\u00adimum some essential charac\u00adteristics and traits. The most common denominators of any leadership definition of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[13449],"class_list":{"0":"post-488990","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-article","7":"tag-sirajuddin-aziz"},"yoast_head":"\n