Leadership - Belief in every team member

Leadership: Belief in every team member.

Leadership means different things to different people. Based on my experience, it's about successfully leading people from different backgrounds, mindsets & personalities. It's about taking them along towards a common & agreed goal. It is not a one-man or a few-chosen-men game. It's an 'us' game. A joint defense against any challenge is important for any team to succeed. And to have a strong and united defense, it becomes imperative that as a leader, you respect every individual for who they are and for everything they bring to the table.?

Every individual is a cog in the machine adding unique value to the process. A good leader realizes the value of every individual and creates an amalgamation of all the qualities put forth by all their team members in the best possible way to move forward.?

A cricket team cannot win if they have all 11 players, just like Virat Kohli. There needs to be a skill and personality balance with players like Bumrah, Rohit Sharma, Hardik Pandya, and Chahal. To win a game, you need a bowler and a wicket-keeper as much as a star celebrity batsman. This mix is important as you cannot expect your players to reverse the roles or adorn someone else's positions. Imagine this: there is a crucial game ahead, and you need a spinner in your team to turn the game, as the pitch is favorable for spinners. Now you can't expect Kohli to do the batting par excellence and then bowl the best spins in the world.

A true leader understands there will be a potpourri of people belonging to culturally and professionally diverse backgrounds and with entirely different skill sets. As a leader, you are responsible for finding the best in everyone and making them believe in themselves. When working in teams, the diversity in temperament and perspective may lead to silent conflicts. During such times, as a leader, you must reinforce every individual's qualities and what they contribute to the team. It becomes necessary to understand that a team won't function at its best if even one of them is missing.?

Every individual has their role to fulfill, and bringing out the best in them not only helps them contribute to their full potential but also makes them believe in their value as a team member. People involved in data research are often hidden in plain view while the data presenters get the spotlight. Several other profiles in a team work in the background but are equally important as the showrunners. In such situations, a leader needs to ensure that every single individual gets their due credit and that the balance in the team is maintained.?

When you believe in your team, and the team believes in each other, there is no stopping. But one has to also look for the loopholes in the system and try to fill those up. Push individuals to their best self rather than mold them to be like someone else. To motivate people to become better at their jobs or to improve themselves, we often compare an average or a low performer with a star performer. "Look at how he is excelling in this field. You can do it too." Such statements often lead to animosity rather than a feeling of admiration. While one can always share success examples to build a context, but the fact of the matter remains that people do not like being compared. If you want to motivate someone, rather than compare, make them believe they have more potential than they are showing to the world. When a leader expresses his belief in his teammates, especially when the chips are down, the team members tend to work harder to prove them right and satisfy their self-worth.?

I strongly bet on people who have an honest and go-getter attitude. You will never be able to fix someone's thoughts as a leader, but if you can see in someone's attitude that they can achieve great things in life, hold on to it. Push them to better themselves. Make them believe in their strengths. Help them overcome their flaws. Believe in them more when they are not in their best form. Be by their side when no one is taking them seriously. This personal touch, trust, and faith never fail to bring that person up.?

Believing in every team member is one of the basic principles that every leader should live by. By showing their belief in every team member, a leader increases the team's efficiency and motivates them to improve and stretch their potential. Leverage the diversity and make them "complement, rather than to compete with each other."?

I'm rooting for your success,

Sandeep Mishra