Mantras to Create Great Leaders

Leadership can be viewed from many levels – corporate, individual, national, global.
At any level, a true leader must be inclined towards:

1. Doing the right thing rather than the easy thing – This means a leader is fearless and makes clear and courageous decisions even in ambiguous situations.
2. Focusing on the larger goal vs. personal goals – This call for selflessness. Leaders help their teams grow by aligning towards a common purpose and cohesively working towards the larger goal.
3. Inspiring people to go beyond the direction set by himself – This asks for long-term vision on the part of the leader but also trust in the team and providing them the freedom to surpass his vision.

So, how should we create leaders who are fearless, selfless, and visionaries?

1. All of us have the seeds of leadership within us. It just needs the right trigger and context to unlock our leadership potential. This has to be the starting point for any leader. You have to believe in the vastness of human potential and constantly be on the lookout for opportunities to unlock the leadership potential in yourself and your colleagues.
   

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   Nitin’s insight: To start with an example from my own life, I was an introvert as a child and an average sportsperson in school. When I came to IIT Delhi and was elected as the sports secretary – which was a huge responsibility – my fears and inhibitions gradually started to fade away. This opportunity unleashed tremendous energy and passion in me, unlocking the leader inside me.

   So, my first important realization about leadership was that a ‘born leader’ is a myth.

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2. The importance of creating stretch opportunities—the tasks which challenge you to overcome your fears and inhibitions, force you to go beyond your comfort zone, and make you accomplish much more than what you think you can!
   

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   Nitin’s insight: I’ve personally experienced this during my initial days at McKinsey. I was just a fresher when, one day, a senior partner asked me to join a meeting with the CEO of a reputed financial institution. I was initially hesitant, but it forced me to step up, and I still thank him for that stretch opportunity. This has eventually become my signature leadership style, to push my team to go beyond what they think they can do!!

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3. Giving before getting. Consider your team’s development as the priority instead of obsessing about your personal professional growth. This shift in focus from ‘short term and self’ to ‘long term and others’ will lead to many young colleagues in your team stepping up as leaders and to phenomenal growth.
   

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   Nitin’s insight:I joined McKinsey as a consultant and later on headed their knowledge centre (McKC), which at that time didn’t seem as exciting as consulting. Apprehensive about my new role, I soon realized that my team was also looking up to me with similar concerns. By focusing on the team’s development, we were able to make McKC a hub of innovation and a source of multiple new services that revolutionized McKinsey’s business model. This success also enabled me to grow into a senior leadership position, which otherwise would not have been possible.

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4. Be an inspiring role model. To inspire others, you have to be inspired yourself. Our personal values and actions are the most potent way of influencing those around us. Leadership is not something you can fake; it is who you are. If you are in a position of influence, people are always observing you. It is important to be authentic and stay consistent with your espoused values even in moments of stress. How leaders handle ‘moments of truth’ constitutes the making of a great leader.
   

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   Nitin’s insight:I believe that to create leaders, you must start with yourself. I have been fortunate to observe some great leaders both at IIT and then across my career and to work with them. They have had a deep impact on me and have massively shaped my development as a leader.

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Nitin’s conclusion:

It is our responsibility to create more leaders. However, this journey is not smooth. There are many problems that pull us down, and we can lose our way. Often, our tendency is to criticize the system and focus only on the problems.

We need to channelize human energy with a bottom-up approach instead of just waiting for top-down actions. Start taking initiatives at the ground level and keep trying to ‘be the change’ you want to see.

Small actions, when persisted with over a period of time, can snowball and gain visibility and momentum. With this, the people sitting at the top are more likely to be shaken up too and will be forced to change the status quo.

I am very excited about the energy and potential I see in the youth. If our generation can do our bit to spark their talent, I am confident we will see many more leaders from this young generation stepping forward in all walks of life.