Leadership Beyond the Visible

Anand (Name changed) is one of those leaders who has a number of stories to share. He is quite reflective and pretty proactive in keeping himself updated on all that is changing within his organisation and the larger environment. My interactions with him were always pleasant. He had a pleasant demeanour and his seniors vouch that he is “captain cool” in sticky business situations. Anand's team remotely runs the supply change system for a global FMCG major.

As a leader, Anand holds a systemic view of his role in his division. He operates based on a set of clear-cut principles. He understands that merely driving the team towards performance objectives builds a transactional relationship with his key stakeholders – his team. Anand understands that beyond the structures of the organization lies the life-giving force of the organization – the assumptions and beliefs each of the team members embrace. The immense trust the team experiences in the leader and also in each other. The intrinsic assumptions that drive their actions, and the total confidence they have in him to lead them to success – both personal and professional. Yes, Anand fully appreciates that business situations can be unpredictable.

There may be a Covid-19 like crisis that might force his entire division to operate in new ways. They may face completely new expectations and challenges. Each team member, independent to drive their performance and at the same time be coordinated as a team to hold a stitched up view of the whole project and the client context. They need to function though the personal risk is significantly high.

These situations neither bother Anand nor his team. They are prepared for such black swan events. Since they have been nurtured to own up their responsibilities, they understand that Anand will provide the air cover in such situations and they need to completely focus on the mission.  And if there are mishaps, they know that Anand will be available as a coach and mentor to enable and resolve. They feel empowered to take risks and ensure that the client’s business challenges are adequately addressed. 

Working remotely does not matter to them, since the team has immense trust in their ability to see through tough situations. They believe they are more like a family and not a bunch of egos competing to gain Anand's or the client's attention. Having said that, Anand is quite selective in the way he selects his team members - each one carefully hand picked to fulfil a certain outcome and also fitting in well into the overall culture of the team.

The team believes that there are fair processes which govern both their performance and the the rewards that follow. Each one of them is calibrated on their career plans and are fully aware of where they stand and what they need to grow. The team has a clear idea of the skills they need to build and each of them knows specific opportunity areas they need to work on.

Anand seems to comprehend his leadership role beyond the visible and he fully understands the means to enhance his leadership leverage. And by the way, it is not an overnight magic, a lot of thought has gone into sculpting his organisation.