How to make people rally behind us
What does it take to make people to think very highly of us, to come back to us for advise or help or whatever they do? What sets up apart?
There have been tonnes of books on leadership. Most of them point out some quality or the other, explaining how these qualities stand out for success in some given situation, but mostly in organizations. However, for ordinary mortals, some of these messages do make a big difference. Let us examine how these matter in our day to day life.
It is a fact of life that anyone can exhibit qualities of leadership. We can always learn from the most humble of people. We can learn from very ordinary people.
A very famous behavioral science trainer from Chennai, used to refer to this story from his real life experiences. On a post-dinner stroll, somewhere near the world-famous Marina beach, he observed that a small boy was studying under a particular street light. Our friend asked the boy why he was studying there. The boy replied that their family did not have the money to spend on electricity in their tiled house, not so far away. It was an asbestos tiled small one-room house, right in the middle of a big slum. The boy's father was a habitual drunkard, but one cared for the family. He did some odd paining work, but that was sufficient for him to run the family. Unfortunately, a couple of years ago, he did of heart attack. The mother somehow managed to educate her son in a Government school.
When our friend quizzed the boy if he could lead him to his house, the boy obliged, and took him to his mother. When offered some monetary help, the mother agreed, but on one vital condition.
She just said, "sir, thank you. But give the boy some money, only after he does some work for you. He could get some things from the shop, or could he wash some clothes or even vessels for you. I have given him some training, in some of the houses I work in, as a servant."
Simply stumped, our friend, promised to return the next day. He took the boy to his house, and asked him to do some cleaning. The boy, just fourteen years old, did a splendid job, and was given one hundred rupees.
Forgetting for a moment that the boy is a minor, the mother had showed remarkable leadership qualities., She had gone out of the way to help the neighbors in whatever little way she could, like helping them to earn some extra money by serving some snacks at the Marina beach. Some casual inquiries revealed that she was very highly respected in the locality.
The trainer would open his leadership session, with this example. This is exactly what is really high quality leadership.
We can simply make a big difference and draw others to us, when and if we set a good example, through setting an example, and walking the talk. Any small slip and our reputation would go down under.
We also need to understand from others and try to follow them, to have an impact on others. There is no use of giving lectures on "what should be done?".
Instead, we need to ask the question, "what can I do now?" or "what can we do now?".
Those who have attempted answers to the aforesaid question, have always done very well.
It is not without reason that the whole IT world, and Indian MBA students in particular, look towards two outstanding leaders of the Indian IT industry.
Gide as one of them does, and head as another does, two globally competitive IT organizations, Mr Narayanamoorthy of Infosys Technologies and Mr Azim Premji of Wipro, have huge lessons for anyone in India, and in the world as well.
These two leaders are those who have always paid their income tax upfront, and have supported charitable causes like never before. They have always insisted on world-class quality, and have made the whole world sit up, with superb quality software, that has now made India a global player in the global ecosystem.
So, if we also follow such leaders, we can easily draw other people to us.
It is not essential that we give away even part of our wealth that these two leaders have done. We may not have the resources to do so. However, we can indeed make a small difference by pooling our resources to do something for the society.
A few friends of mine, who work in the IT industry in New Delhi, quietly go to some neighborhood Government school, and conduct some free English classes for the poor children. They do this without much publicity. However, their bosses came to know of it, and not only praised them, but also requested others to chip in as well. What started in a very small way, is now a big exercise, with some fifty young men, spending as many as three hours on a Sunday, teaching children of different ages.
The parents of the children are so happy, and often invite the young men to their houses for a cup of tea, and even lunch. The simple effect has brought about a small transformation.
Another way of making others rally behind us, is to inspire others to perform at a very high level of performance. This might involve some hand holding and also some mentoring as well. There are fortunately some very good bosses in real life, in formal organizations, who literally do something extraordinary. They go all out of the way to help others by educating them, by nudging them for superior performance. They illustrate how superior performance can come about through some unique initiatives.
The Japanese have mastered the art of doing something like that, on shop floors. Called Kaizen, or continuous improvement, the operators are taught to do small improvements at work, and are empowered to even spend a little, without any formal authority, as far as raw materials are concerned.
Real improvements do occur, and often far outweigh the money spent in the process.
So, whatever we do, if we ask the question, "what can be done now?", and take some action, we can make people rally behind us, in whatever we do -- be it in formal organizations, or in the society.
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