What other leaders won’t tell you?

Did that title sound clickbait to you? It could be. But there is also some truth to it. Over the years, I grew into a leadership role. I became an Engagement Manager in Deloitte 4 years back and I was pumped to take on this new role. I imagined there being an onboarding session. A manager 101, where they show slides of how to be an effective leader or at least those info-graphics of what a good leader does vs a bad one. We all have seen those, haven’t we? I waited and waited. But nobody came up to me. There was no training. I was left there to fend for myself.

And that is when it hit me. There are no guidelines to being a leader. No Playbook. There is no template. Everyone brings in their own flavor, their own personality to the table. And that is the beauty of it.

This is my story and the things I have learned over the years as a ‘leader’. This is how I moved from a ‘completely lost manager’ to a ‘slightly lost manager’. I haven’t figured it out yet but I am enjoying the ride now. And I thought of sharing the things I have learned so far.

Culture, culture, culture.

I am starting with a cliché topic here. But is a cliché for a reason. Because it is true. If there is one single thing that can make or break a project – it is the team culture. I have seen firsthand what toxic work culture can do to your team and how it ultimately results in the downward trajectory of the project. I won’t recommend going that route. There is a pool of resources on this topic but here are some of my recommendations –

• Spend extra time to let the team know that their physical, mental, and emotional health is much more important than anything else. The well being of your team members cannot be compromised in any situation. Even if that means affecting the client deliverables. A happy team is a productive team. Happier teams are also more flexible because they care about one another and the project. Happiness is underrated, unfortunately.
• Celebrate small wins – Working on a project can become mundane very easily. And to break that, you need to celebrate every small win you get along the way. Your first PR was approved, celebrate it! The button design looks amazing, celebrate it! When you start looking for these small wins, you realize how far you have come.
• Let people be. This is an important one. We often look for people who are similar to us in personalities. Because you are used to that. You can predict the next move. I am an introvert. I have to analyze every sentence before I speak it, I can’t be the happy chirpy type. But that doesn’t mean I will try to wear someone down who is loud and cheerful. I wouldn’t tell anyone to dial it down in front of a client or the onsite team. Please, just let them be.

Make yourself redundant.

Some of you may find this career-ending advice. But hear me out here. As a leader, your most important role is to make yourself redundant. Make your team self-sufficient so that they don’t need you anymore. And when you have achieved that, you have become a successful leader. You can now move to a different team, a different project, a different planet. Nobody would bat an eye.

• Empower the team to make decisions. It is important that a team member knows he/she has the right to make a decision. Your role as a leader is to hear them but don’t enforce decisions on the team.
• Don’t be a bottleneck. This is an extension of point 1 but it can also swing the other direction. Sometimes, you need to relieve the team by taking a tough decision. Also, let the teams talk to each other without you being there every time. There needs to be an open line of communication. Please, don’t be a bottleneck.
• Be transparent. This is the best way to make yourself redundant. Always, be transparent. In everything from what is happening in the project to how a person is performing. Share as much information as possible. And involve people in those conversations and decisions.

Find a friend.

As you climb the corporate ladder, it starts to get lonelier. There is no way around this. The politics increase too. And it becomes part of your job to protect your team from all the shit that happens. So they don’t feel pressured and can focus on what they do best. Also, your 20-something team usually won’t find you ‘bro’ enough to hang out with you all the time. So, you will need to find a friend. Preferably within the organization to just vent out. They understand you, you understand them, they vent a little, you vent a little. Life is good. Your physical, mental, and emotional health are just as important.

Loose a few battles to win the war

We often lose sight of what our end goal is. What is it that we are ultimately trying to achieve? And we try to get ready for every single battle on the way. It becomes important for your ego to win all of them. But this is exactly what makes it dangerous. If you are trying to win every battle, you are exhausting yourself for the important ones. You are also making way more enemies than you can handle. A war needs to be strategic, long, and hard. And to win it, you have to lose a few battles. You have to let go, knowing fully that this could have been an easy win. Tame your ego and choose the battles that are worth fighting for

There. I have shared what I wasn’t told when I started. And I hope you find this useful and this gives you a jump start. What are your ways of becoming an effective leader? Do share your thoughts in the comments below.