The Secret of Leadership – Prakash Iyer Stories to Awaken, Inspire and Unleash the Leader Within

1.      Just as the true flavor of a tea bag comes through only when it is dipped in hot water, the true character of a leader shines through in adversity; under pressure .The hot water test is a good one .For teabags and leaders.

2.      PhD is the leader’s mantra for success: Passion, Hunger and Discipline! Get them all and see the difference .Becoming a Passionate, Hungry and Disciplined person can put you on the road to realizing your true greatness.

3.      The lessons we learn early on become part of our habit ,our instinct and stand us in good stead all through our lives .And an important lesson to learn is this :Never mind how hard you fall, always remember to pick yourself up and get back on your feet.

4.      Getting a driving license does not make you a driver .The license simply marks you out as someone qualified to learn from real-life experiences. It doesn’t make you an expert.

5.      How do you look at your own life and career? As a story of what you missed out on? Or what you achieved? Learning to find happiness is the key .It is entirely in your hands .Run your own race .Celebrate your success and your achievements .Don’t worry about the one that got away.

6.      We all have beliefs about what we can do –and more importantly, what we cannot do. We grow up believing in our limitations, our weaknesses. Our beliefs about what we cannot do often limit our achievements .If you want to change the outcomes in your life, start by changing your beliefs.

7.      When you moan and say this is bad, the mind gets conditioned to look for difficulty in opportunity .And when you say this is good, the mind looks for opportunity in difficulty .And therein lies the difference between winners and losers.

8.      For true success in life, develop the habit of perseverance. Perseverance pays .When success seems elusive, don’t give up .Don’t blame anyone .Persevere .If you do that, success is sure to come.

9.      Most of our problems appear as they do because of the way we look at them .You get back what you give.

10.  Success in life is not defined by talent and physical ability but by the mental strength to stay the course and run the extra mile .When you run with your legs , you allow the pressures to weigh you down .You allow obstacles to come in the way of your progress .You find yourself saying , “I can’t!” But when you run with your mind, you become unstoppable .Your mind says, “I can!”

11.  Dichotomy seems to pervade all aspects of business and life .On several issues, you will hear conflicting viewpoints .So what should you do? Find what works for you –in your specific case –and go with it .In life, there is seldom one right answer.

12.  As you go chasing your goals, your dreams and your ambitions, disregard the people who tell you it can’t be done .Turn a deaf ear to the critics and naysayers .Ignore them all. And go for it .Chase your dreams .Giving up is easy .Getting to your goals is hard work.

13.  Winners and losers, leaders and followers –all of us have two voices jousting inside our heads. One says,”I can “.The other says “I can’t”. The Difference lies in which one of the voices is winning .So, whether ‘I can’t ‘ wins or ‘I can ‘ depends on which thought you are feeding in your mind .The thought you feed grows !

14.  Stop focusing on the fielders –the obstacles. Focus instead on the gaps-the opportunities.

15.  We get so busy staring at the closed door ad banging our head against it that we fail to spot the other door opening .Learning to cope with failure is often the first and most critical step towards success.

16.  We all have incredible power inside us .We have it in us to take on the world .But we also have our own chains and pegs –our self limiting beliefs that hold us back .Sometimes it’s a childhood experience or an early failure .Other times it’s something we were told when we were younger .Smash the peg .Break your self -limiting belief.

17.  We let our perceptions and preconceived notions impact our view of the world .We don’t always wait to discover the truth .We allow mental stereotypes to take over .The mind plays tricks on us and influences the way we look at other people .

18.  Instead of making the most of what we have and focusing on our strengths like all successful people do, we worry about the missing piece-our shortcomings .Success arrives when you learn to make the most of what you have –and not worry about what you don’t have.

19.  There’s only one person who can set limits to your growth .And that’s YOU.

20.  What do you most enjoy doing? Whats the special talent you have that’s uniquely yours? What would you like to do for the rest of your life? Finding those answers –and then working hard to follow that dream – can possibly ensure your best chance to achieve greatness.

21.  The way we see the people around us depends not so much on how they are –but on how we are.

22.  Confront your fears –nay, embrace them –and you will find you can conquer them.

23.  Make sure there’s always another peak to climb , a new milestone to reach and a new challenge to overcome .Good leaders continue to stretch and challenge themselves and the high achievers who work with them keep raising the bar relentlessly.

24.   If there was one single habit that could make a huge impact on your life, it would have to be this .Wake up early! By waking up early, you are telling yourself that you are serious about achieving your goals and are willing to pay the price.

25.  Hope is what ensures we keep going when all seems lost .Hope is the cornerstone of all actions and achievements .But hope alone is never enough .You need to take responsibility .And you need to take action .

26.  When you encounter a trust issue , it is tempting to believe that the problem is with the other person .Often ,the problem lies in us ,not them .They way we see the world around us is usually a reflection of the way we treat other people .

27.  We see two paths ahead of us and are never sure which one to choose .We make a choice and then worry about the road not taken .So what is the way out? Allow your choices in life to be dictated by what you want to achieve and not the sequence in which those options appear before you .getting there faster –nay, first –doesn’t need to become an overriding tenet of our lives.

28.  In life, as in driving, it’s not enough to find the best roads and then drive on them .It’s important to ensure that the roads will take you where you need to go.

29.  Let go of your problems .Don’t carry that grudge .Remember to put the glass down!

30.  Most of us just wait for good things to happen .That’s of no use .You’ve got to make things happen .And there will be times when we feel crushed, stamped on ,beaten .But never let that diminish your self-worth .Remember you are still the terrific person you were .Just because someone chooses to crush you –that doesn’t change your worth one bit !

 31.  Failure holds valuable lessons –if only we are willing to learn .Very often, we do all the hard work but when we don’t see the desired results, we turn around and walk away –even though we may have been just one step away from success. The problem is, we seldom realize that we are so close to achieve our goals.

32.  Learn to forgive .Carrying a grudge in life only makes you overweight-and in turn slows down your progress.

33.  The ability to stick it out and preserve is priceless. The road to the top is long .It takes hard work, increasing levels of responsibility and consistent performance to progress in your career .Don’t expect to be rewarded for flashes of brilliance.

34.  Retain your humility .Don’t let titles and success go to your head .Do those little tasks that remind you that you are just another human being .Remember to polish your own shoes.

35.  Be careful what you say when you are angry .Choose your words with care .Those words can leave a permanent scar .They may be said in the heat of the moment but the damage could be permanent .And while you can apologize profusely and say sorry a million times ,the damage is never completely undone .

36.  Writing down goals is the first and most significant step you can take towards achieving success .Goals give purpose to life .There’s an old saying that people who don’t have goals are condemned to work for those who do .So never mind which side you are on right, it’s never too late to set goals.

37.  If you are not enjoying the ride, get off the bus .Life is too short to be wasted doing things you don’t enjoy .Doing what you enjoy offers you your best chance of success. It also gives you the strength to overcome all odds.

38.  Holding the door open is not just an act of chivalry , it’s a mindset .it says you care for people ,that you are not so caught up in your own progress that you have scant regard for other folks .It marks you out as a leader who walks faster ,pushes ahead ,opens doors but is mindful of his team ,checking their progress ,helping them get past barriers .HTDO doesn’t merely make other people feel good .It makes you feel good too.

39.  Excellence comes from inside and not outside .It’s an attitude .One which we would all do well to inculcate in ourselves .Commit to doing your best at all times .Don’t compromise ever .Whatever you do, give your 100 per cent .Aim to be the best .And do that not because someone tells you to do it – but because YOU want to.

40.  When you meet someone, don’t just stop at getting to know his or her name .Go a step further .Find out just a bit more .Show interest in the other person and you’ll get to hear several interesting, unique and memorable stories .Stories that will help you connect far better the next time you meet.

 41.  Rewarding other people – and yourself –in advance can indeed make a big difference.

42.  Do your own thing .Chase your dreams .Don’t just go by what other people tell you. That may be safe but it’s unlikely to get you the success you deserve.

43.  We all come across situations in our lives when other people need our help .And most of us only think ‘if I help them, what will happen to me?’ The truly great people think,’If I don’t help them, what will happen to them?’

44.  Life is not just about getting .It is also about giving.

45.  A true friend is often the finest possession anyone can ever have .A real friend can help you find happiness and achieve all that you ever wanted .Now here’s the rub. Most of us would love to have a friend like that .But the question is –are you a friend like that? Are you the person who’s making a difference in someone’s life?

46.  Tendulkar studies the whole book for the exam! Do you?

47.  Here’s a guaranteed formula for success:

a. Every morning, write down a list of things to be done that day.

b.Do them .

48. Most good leaders have knack for spotting great talent .But it’s the exceptional leaders who bet on that young talent ahead of its time .It takes courage to bet on unripe fruit.

49. Don’t focus on telling people on what to do and how to do it. Instead, help them discover why they might want to do it .A strong why trumps a set of ‘how’s’ and ‘what’s’ any day .Once you have a strong ‘why’ – a goal, a dream, a mission that you’ve bought into –the how’s and what’s easy to find.

50. Become a two-footed player. Develop an interest and competence in a second function .In the early years of your career, resist the temptation to play to your strengths and operate in your comfort zone .Notwithstanding which function you belong to, make sure you take an interest in other facets of the business. Training that other foot is hard work, it requires practice, but ultimately it has its rewards.

 51. The next time you are angry or hurt, or need to take a decision, take a deep breath –before saying a word or moving a finger .The next time something goes wrong and you feel like reacting-just hold it .After the moment has passed, you will find the turmoil settling down. The mind gets clearer. And the decision that follows is usually a lot better than what you might have taken in haste.

52. It is good to remember that in life, the little heartaches and the odd discomfort and pain may be caused by the ones closest to us –but they are the ones who give us warmth when we need it the most.

53. As we go through our lives, we get distracted by the temptations around us .To stay focused and not get distracted what we need is a goal-a purpose-that excites us and keeps us on a track .Once you have identified goal in life, you suddenly find yourself focused doing everything it takes to achieve it. Having no goals means not having to work towards achieving them.

54. A leader recognizes that unless his team is in alignment execution of the strategy will suffer. But seeking alignment too soon can often mean that a team is headed down the wrong path-albeit in complete alignment .It’s one thing to seek alignment after a decision is taken. It’s quite another to seek alignment without healthy debate .How a leader responds to the dissenting voice can often be the true mark of leadership greatness.

55. The distance between a leader and a subordinate may not be great on an organization chart but the perspectives can be very, very different. Good leaders learn to put themselves in their teammates’ shoes .The view from the top is often distorted. Good leaders never forget that “upar se sirf gap hi gap nazar aata hai!’

56. The next time you are communicating with a colleague, remember, whats obvious to you may not be so to the other person .When the listener says he doesn’t get it, that’s not a signal to get irritated. It’s probably telling you to put yourself in the other person’s shoes, and try and be more explicit.

57. The next time you feel you have a team that’s not as strong as you’d like, don’t complain.Dont try and be a hero and do it all yourself.Dont take actions that only serve to remind the teammates of their incapability. Instead, challenge them, inspire them, guide them, push them –but trust them. Let them know you are backing them to do a great job .The teams desire to live up to that faith only strengthens .And with a point to prove; they deliver results that are spectacular-and surprising.

 58. Good leaders make sure they have great headlights-and excellent tail lamps too. They recognize that there are folks behind them who need to see those tail lamps as they drive forth on their journey .It is a poor leader who is solely focused on his bosses, constantly looking up, and forgetting about the people he leads, the people who are counting on the tail lamps. Think of the tail lamps in your life as those acts and little things that help other people more than they help you.

59.Aiming for the ultimate prize-going for the jugular-might make the task seem more difficult and harder to achieve .Set an intermediate goal, and attaining that might actually help accelerate the achievement of the long-term goal .Remember the cheetah’s stategy.Dont go for the jugular. Aim instead for the hind legs!

60.’You shouldn’t really worry ‘said the eraser to the pencil. ‘I was meant to help you whenever you made a mistake, and I am happy doing my job. I know one day I’ll be gone, but you should keep writing.Remember, never be scared to make a mistake .There will always be an eraser around to set it right!