G. Balasubramanian | Chairperson, Board of Advisors, ICSL | Editor-in-Chief, The Progressive School
When one of your teammates introduces you to his or her friend as “a leader”, how do feel?
Elated
Shaky
Privileged
Well, most of us want to be described as icons of one kind or the other. But it is said “Deserve and Desire”.
Therefore, when somebody praises us next time, we need to ask ourselves a question – Do we really deserve that? If not, what steps should be taken to deserve that kind of a status?
Do we think on most occasions that the success we have achieved is not exclusively due to our efforts but because of the contribution of many others. Sir Issac Newton stated:
If I have seen further, it is by standing on the shoulders of giants.
We need to acknowledge the contribution of many others in our making. It is said that a leader doesn’t walk alone. He or she carries with him or her, a team of committed people who walk hand in hand for the set ideals and targets. They speak the language of their leader, they think the way the leader thinks, they work the way the leader wants them to work. But does the leader accord recognition to his followers for their commitment?
It is important that the members of the team are recognized. John Baldoni in his book, How great leaders get great results observes:
A vision may represent a kind of a promised land. But good visions take years to implement. Along the way, people need reinforcement and a reason to fulfill their mission. A way to reinforce this is by establishing milestones. ….Milestones also serves as moments of celebration. Recognition of success is essential. Stories about what people did to achieve the milestone are essential to the development of alignment. It bonds people to the enterprise.