From Seniority to Significance - Threading Meaningful Leadership

I am surrounded by some of the brightest minds, masters of their craft, and countless achievements to talk about. In such a case, what’s my true role? How could I add value to their lives? I often wrestle with this question in my mind.

Senior by statute, not by earned stature, it was important for me to find the answer. A wise man’s advice to me years ago showed me the way. He said – solve someone’s problem and you shall solve yours.

Here are three things I have come around to:

The Why

In most organisations, the Why is reserved for the few, mostly by default than design. It is assumed the Why is important for that echelon where power rests. Perhaps true, but the point we miss is that the importance of the Why is felt most strongly by the one who is farthest from the corner office. S/he only gets to hear – yeh kar do (do this); isko jadi karo (do it in a hurry) or is saal hum yeh nahin woh karenge (this year we shall not do this but that) and so on. Could I be the conduit between that rarified space and the last node? I think yes. It will create a common understanding and a sense of shared objective. As they say in one part of the world – you are as strong as the weakest one. In short – I am choosing to become the Why person, designated as President of Why.

The Thread-holder

Sutradhar as they say in Sanskrit. Not the Controller or the Puppeteer, certainly not, but the one who holds the overall strategy together; someone whose main job is to ensure the plan of action designed to achieve a long-term or overall aim stays undiluted. One could reason against the need for such a role. My humble pushback – it is not only in organisations that you need a Thread-holder. Families that have stayed together have been bound together by this ‘thread’ of sometimes unsaid, unspoken but in all times, well understood set of values. In the family, our elders would play this role. In organisations, we are the elders who need to hold this thread together. I choose to be the Sutradhar – the custodian of the structure of the overall plan.

The Equaliser

One word with countless interpretations, each equally meaningful and relevant. Therefore, it is important I narrow down on the interpretation being called out in the following lines - a person or thing that equalizes, especially a device to counterbalance opposing forces. an electronic network introduced into a transmission circuit to alter its response, especially to reduce distortion by equalising its response over a specified frequency range.

The best of teams, even the most closely bonded families have opposing forces, distortions that alter the absolute version of truth because of conflicting views, objectives, and sometimes external forces. Let’s see it in a simpler way – even in the most regimented teams (the Armed Forces), there are distortions. The job of the Equaliser is to minimise if not eliminate their amplification. In any organised system that is bound together by a set of influences, the order must prevail, an order not to promote subjugation but freedom of expression and action within the boundaries defined by that system. I choose to be the Equaliser – the human network introduced into a system to equalise responses.

From those who have chosen to spare a few moments and read through my 03 conclusions, I hope to receive more inputs on how to thread a meaningful path to leadership.