The Essence of Leadership: Vision, Influence, and Impact

No matter your role within the company, you experience the effects of good & bad leadership. The traditional notion of being a boss, someone who simply commands and controls is becoming obsolete. Instead, the concept of leadership is gaining prominence. Organizations achieve more when managers carry a leader’s attitude instead of a Boss. If you are willing to guide your team towards success, you must need to adapt leadership skills rather than just bossing around them.

Of all the lessons I have learned through my years of entrepreneurship, the most valuable was to be a leader and not a boss. According to me, above everything else, all business owners must be leaders and not boss. But when many people step into managerial or superior positions, they lack the leadership skills. This is where I want to extend my learnings towards helping people become better leaders and by mentioning the differences between a boss and a leader. Let’s get started on the core mantras that I abide by in this regards:

1.??????Bosses Command; Leaders Influence

A Boss’ authority comes from their position whereas a leader’s authority comes from their ability to influence people. A boss ensures that the employees follow the rules but a leader will encourage the employees to think beyond and get the results. Although employees follow Bosses only because they have to but when it comes to a leader, employees’ are actually influenced.

At SAMIL, we influence all the Samilians through various engagements; listen to their ideas for business and operations etc. We also have “Ask a Question from CEO” sessions on a monthly basis to encourage communication from all levels at the company so that no end is left lose.

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2.??????Bosses Explain; Leaders Inspire

A boss just explains the task and leaves it in his employee’s hands but a leader supports and guides them through it. The biggest difference between a boss & a leader is that a leader inspires people and makes them excited about their work. One can only be successful if he is passionate about his work and without a desire to complete tasks, people won’t be as driven to give their best performances.

At SAMIL, we motivate all the employees by explaining about their importance at the company, by giving them a vision for growth and by providing them various kinds of incentives & benefits for smart & efficient work.

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3.??????Bosses Discipline; Leaders Mentor

Who are you, a boss or a leader? It depends upon how to deal with mistakes. It is because all your employees are humans, and they will make mistakes. While a boss believes in reward-punishment rule, a leader understands that employees benefit from encouragement and mentorship. One key element of leadership is to harness the talent of people to achieve a common goal along with their strengths and weaknesses to guide them accordingly.

At SAMIL, we are conscious about continuous improvement for overall growth of the company as well as people. We provide On-The-Job-Training, Technical Training, Product Training, Process Training & Soft Skills Training. We have also introduced the 'Circle of Excellence' to reward and recognize outstanding performers every month & Annual Awards to recognise exceptional contributors at the end of the Year.

4.??????Bosses Delegate Tasks; Leaders Delegate Authority

A boss’s main focus is on department’s short-term objectives so he delegates tasks to employees and tends to micromanage whereas a leader sets the team’s long-term vision and uses it as a “key motivator.” A boss gets results from telling people what to do and is concerned with doing things right. On the other hand, a leader gets results by enabling his team to figure out the best way to do a particular task in a right manner.

At SAMIL, I prefer to see my team develop so, I delegate authority and avoid micromanaging. So, my team knows how to utilize their communication and negotiation skills for the benefit of the organization.

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5.??????Bosses Are Above the Team, Leaders Are A Part of The Team

A Boss recognizes themselves as superior and separate from their team and doesn’t take the time to know their employees. A true leader understands the importance of being an integral part of the team. Leaders achieve success by working alongside their team by knowing them, not by simply overseeing them.

I know most of my employees by name and aware of their work. At SAMIL we have different sessions to engage our employees. We have a “Coffee with CEO” session every Wednesday for employees to spend time with me, talk their hearts out, clear doubts and anything with me during that session with a cup of coffee. I also meet the new joiners; spend time at “Potluck Lunch” with teams and much more.

6.??????Leaders are not born, they are made

Leaders are not born, they are made. Irrespective of the Gender, Leadership is not confined to a select few; it is a quality accessible to all who dare to embrace it & let the best person get to do the job. It's a journey of struggle, growth, resilience, sacrifices, and continuous self-improvement which are not at all easy. Anyone can become a leader if they are willing to embark on the journey and unleash their true potential.

The journey of leadership begins with a spark of ambition, but it is through perseverance and self-development that a true leader emerges. At SAMIL we have equally encouraged the women leaders to run various roles at the forefront, as it’s important to have a gender neutral environment to get all perspectives & diversity of thoughts for success of business. We have already achieved a significant milestone with 40% women employees at the CXO level. Additionally, we take pride in our women-only customer service team, comprising over 100+ dedicated women employees serving customers nationwide. It is commendable that our women Automall Business Heads are successfully leading and managing the complex operations of our business, which is extremely challenging & traditionally performed by men.

Tips to be a Good leader

I would like to share my decade long wisdom of leadership that will help you in succeeding in your businesses. Here are some important tips:

·????????Learn about your team: Take time to learn about your team and help the team learn about each other. This will help improve communication, mutual respect and work productivity.?

·????????Keep Learning: As a leader, you have to know that there's always something new to learn.

·????????Trust your team: When you trust your team and let them do their job without interfering, you can increase their productivity and boost their morale.

·????????Constructive feedback is important: Constructive criticism can have a positive effect on a team member's professional growth because mistakes need resolution with humility.?

·????????Learn from your mistakes: Learning from past mistakes can help you determine better techniques for achieving your goals.

As this article is coming to a close, I expect all of you to embrace the leadership qualities and lead your businesses effectively. By inspiring, empowering, trusting, uplifting, and by setting examples, you can unlock the full potential of your teams paving the way for sustained growth and success. You too could achieve greatness, make a lasting impact and redefine what it meant to lead in the modern world.