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A leader should walk selflessly along the path of virtue (View Comments)
Ramiya Bhas
Posted On Monday, June 22, 2009 at 12:01:05 PM
Manas Fuloria, co founder & EVP, Corporate Development and Strategy, Nagarro Software Pvt Ltd discusses some of the characteristics of great leaders
1) What are some of the characteristics of great leaders?
While one may or may not agree with Gandhiji's ways entirely, he embodies many of the noble characteristics of great leadership. A leader's goal should be lofty and "clean", and the leader should walk along the path of virtue selflessly, there should be a delicate balance of supreme confidence and self-examination, and people should be inspired to follow his example and learn from him.
2) How do you strive to renew your passion for your work on a daily basis?
I have set myself a life goal – to have a huge positive impact on India through my life. The goal is so ambitious as to be virtually unattainable, which is good! It keeps me motivated. And in recent times, I am trying more and more to direct each day's efforts consciously towards this goal.
3) What are your personal team management principles? In one word, how would you describe yourself as a boss?
I like to think of myself as a facilitator and not as a boss. My job is to facilitate the work getting done and to facilitate the growth of the people who work with me.
In general, I do not believe managers should exercise arbitrary authority simply because of their place in an organisation chart. Instead, managers should only intervene to the extent that they can a) help coordinate within their teams, b) align their teams to larger goals that the members might otherwise not be aware of, and c) bring specialised knowledge or superior experience to their teams. Even in these three areas, the manager should always be trying to create systems and processes and trainings that make her redundant so that she can grow and the company can grow to new levels.
4) Who do you consider the best people management guru of our times?
Jim Collins, for one, has tremendous insights. In his book ‘Good to Great’ he stresses the "First Who Then What" philosophy of having "the right people on the bus" even before you start the journey towards excellence, as well as the importance of what he calls "Level 5 Leadership". The best part of the book is that each claim is supported by statistics and analysis that seems careful and unbiased.
5) What kind of qualities do you look for in the people you hire (apart from technical/hard skills)?
I am biased towards vision. When people have a grand but reasonably realistic vision for what they want to do with their lives, I am very impressed. It is even all right if they may not have their own vision but are open to being inspired. For me, all endeavour should begin with vision and inspiration.
The next more important attribute for me is a positive and responsible attitude. It's good to be around people who are pleasant and optimistic, and not just superficially but in a way that translates into how they work. A close third is sheer intelligence. Intelligent people are stimulating (but not if they have bad attitude!)
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