Leadership Excellence: Unleashing Potential and Realizing Performance - Bhuwan Raj Chataut*

Leadership Excellence: Unleashing Potential and Realizing Performance

- Bhuwan Raj Chataut*

One day Alice came to a junction in the road and saw a cat named Cheshire in a tree.

Alice asked to the cat, “Which road do I take?”

Cheshire responded, “Where do you want to go?”

Alice replied, “I don’t know.”

Cheshire said, “Then, it doesn’t matter whichever you take.”

-Lewis Carroll, Alice in Wonderland

The lines are more significant and relevant in today’s business world. The destination must be clearly defined, what the organization aspires and how to attain. This article intends to explore the contributing factors on leadership excellence, the attributes and characters that lead to non-leaders and issues in Nepal Telecom. And author has recommended the practical aspects that may be beneficial for those who are not only in the position to lead but also have a choice for leadership.

Defining Non-leaders

If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.

– John Quincy Adams

I would like to present and define the major ineffectiveness that modifies the leaders into non-leaders. As we know, leaders are simply the individual who can influence the behavior of people in order to achieve the performance; they possess attributes such as ambition and energy, desire to lead, honesty and integrity, self-confidence, intelligence and job relevant knowledge. Now, in defining non-leaders or ineffective leaders, Zenger & Folkman (2012) have identified the ten fatal flaws that contribute to a leader’s failure; here is the list in order:

• Failure to inspire, owing to a lack of energy and enthusiasm
• Acceptance of mediocre performance in place of excellent results
•  A lack of clear vision and direction
• An inability to collaborate and be a team player
• Failure to walk the talk
• Failure to improve and learn from mistakes
• An inability to lead change or innovate owing to a resistance to new ideas
• A failure to develop others
• Inept interpersonal skills
• Displays of bad judgment that leads to poor decisions

Management versus Leadership

Management is doing the things right; leadership is doing the right things. –Peter F Drucker

Bennis (1994) states, “Management is getting people to do what needs to be done. Leadership is getting people to want to do what needs to be done. Managers command. Leaders communicate.” 

Covey (2004) argues, “You can’t lead inventories and cash flow and costs. You have to manage them. Why? Because things don’t have the power and freedom to choose. Only people do. So you lead (empower) people.”

Perhaps, a clear line can be drawn between the management and leadership; they both are vital and inevitable – and that in absence of another, the other remains incomplete. It can be seen crystal clear that organizations are over-managed and under-led, hence, they need a right balance and the ‘people’ aspect must be considered first.

Leaders Are Born or Made

Leadership is not a one day thing. It is a constant commitment to excellence, a habit, a daily practice.

Researchers in this field have accepted 90% learning comes from ambience around and rest 10% comes from heredity. The traits come from heredity is very liquid and can be given any direction. While performing any job, activity or assignment; body, brain and emotions are involved. Body comes from genealogy and heredity whereas initial capabilities of brain come from heredity but thought process plays the significant role that gets developed outside.

The leadership and its sustainability rely upon the continuous striving towards the excellence. Hence, the leaders are neither born nor made – rather they are self-made through self-assessment, dedication, discipline and the choice.

Issues in NTC and effective leading

There are three essentials to leadership: humility, clarity and courage. – Fuchan Yuan

NTC has created an almost hundred year’s successful history as it started its journey with a single line telephone in Kathmandu since 1913 AD. With time NTC has established the several milestones. It is dedicated to serve its customers and nations.

Now, the scenario has been drastically changed as it converted into public limited by floating near 3% to general public and 5% to its employees. Till this date, there are six service providers vying in this industry including sister-concern of world ranking company – TeliaSonera.

Let us discuss the main issues and challenges regarding the effective leading in NTC:

§  The Board of Directors: The board of directors needs to be involved in management to the extent that it carries out the three tasks of monitoring, evaluating and influencing, and initiating and determining. NTC is in high need of active, aware and responsive board. The bureaucratic style of board has marred the speed and value of overall organization.

§  Shared Vision, Mission and Goals: Everyone should be sharply aware what the NTC aspires, the reasons to exist and the courses of action predetermined to remain in the market, however, the people are not well informed about-

-          Do people know why their organization stands for?

-          What are the end results of the planned activity?

§  Core Values and Strategy: NTC lacks the core values that describe the philosophy of delivering results to customers and other stakeholders. More or less, strategies are in existence, but without the core values, sound SWOT analysis and effective execution - are simply fruitless or unproductive.

§  Culture: Culture generally reflects the values of the founders and mission of the company. In strong culture, the people are hardworking and responsible, shows consistent behavior and commitment towards the customers. We are more or less indulged in bureaucratic model; we focus more on legal compliance and slow process rather than customer satisfaction.

§  Organization Structure, restructuring and reengineering: The dynamism in technology, globalization, worldwide liberalization, workforce diversity, change in management styles, change in perspective towards the customers and others factors made a lot changes in business. In spite of these changes and tenfold increment in subscriber base, we are bound to remain in the same organization structure. Certainly, it has brought ineffectiveness and inefficiency in serving quality and prompt service to valued customers.  NTC should decide to go for massive and comprehensive change programs involving all aspects of organization design, technology, and people.

§  Human Resource Management: We are lacking effective HRM as there is no specific philosophy, policies, procedures, practices and systems regarding HR.  Even, there is no link with the corporate strategy.

§  Performance Management: What cannot be measured cannot be improved. No stars, high performers, average and low performers are identified; mere formalities are done in the name of performance appraisal. Generally the training, transfer, promotion and career planning are identified on the basis of hunches.

§  Marketing and Customer Care: No sufficient efforts are given for customer care and we lack specific marketing strategy. The strategy to be executed successfully, it needs understanding, committed and competent workforce.

§  Labor Relations and Discipline: LR and discipline is one of the major issues to be addressed by the leadership excellence. The leadership in true sense should identify the collective bargaining agent – CBA union and find the environment where people perform with the best at workplace.

§  Professionalism, Team Spirit and Ownership: Bureaucratic structure and style, processes and practices, and the mind set should be dismantled by world best practices in management and technology.  To ensure the speed and quality service to customers, to retain the existing customers and attracting the new customers professionalism has become the challenging issue what we lack.

Four Intelligences for Leadership Excellence

yatra yogeshwarah Krishno Yatra partho dhanurdharah |

yatra shirirvijayo bhutihdhruva nitir matir mama ||18.78||

-Srimad Bhagvad Gita

[Meaning: Where there is Krishna, the master of Yoga, and Aurjana, the wielder of bow, there (in that society and state) shall be found wealth, victory, general welfare, and unwavering justice and ethical sense – this is my conviction.]

Professor Dr. Covey, author of The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, has always appreciated those spiritual literatures and his way of study the individual consists of not only body and mind – but also heart and spirit. Similarly, the intelligences for leadership excellence are physical intelligence, mental intelligence, emotional intelligence and spiritual intelligence.

Physical intelligence is related with body. Swami Anand Arun - the ardent disciple of Osho, spiritual master and the author of Nepali bestseller Sant Darshan, has argued mainly three disciplines for physical intelligence, they are Right food, Right labor, and Right sleep. The person should take easily digestible and healthy food in right time and right amount. Whole grains, green and leafy vegetables, fruits and lower-fat protein are good that gives adequate energy and also necessary flexibility and dynamism. Right water (10 to 15 glasses a day in intervals) and liquid is important, however, alcoholic liquors harm the body systems, thought process and emotions and should be avoided. Regular exercises, yoga or morning walk are of much value for physical fitness and balance the physical and mental work at sedentary work. Finally, right sleep indicates the 6-8 hours sound and intense sleep and right relaxation at the certain points over the day. Right breathing – the diaphragmatic breathing – a long, deep and mindful breathing produces the miraculous effect and is unique to reduce stress and for relaxation.

Mental intelligence is developing the mental capacity; it is all about training the mind. Continuous learning, right study and education, cultivation of right habit, self-assessment and self-awareness are the components that support the mind and give the proper direction.

Emotional intelligence is the ability to identify, use, understand, and manage emotions in positive ways to communicate effectively, empathize with others, overcome challenges, and defuse conflict. There are five main components of emotional intelligence; they are self-awareness, self-management, social awareness and relationship management.

Spiritual intelligence is developing the innermost core – the spirit. Covey (2004) suggests three ways to develop spiritual intelligence: first, integrity – being true to one’s highest values, convictions and conscience, and having a connection with the Infinite; second, meaning – having a sense of contribution to people and to causes; and third, voice – aligning our work with our unique talents of gifts, our sense of calling.

Summary

The difference between what we are doing and what we are capable of doing would solve most of the world’s problems. –Mahatma Gandhi

The effective and efficient management of all resources including the living resources, structure and design, and technology is the responsibility of top management and the board while the people should subordinate.  The top management possesses the authority; however, influencing people is the enabling art, it is not postion-based rather it is a choice. NTC in the changing scenario waiting for the leadership excellence that could foster the strong culture and communicates the shared vision, mission and goals to every stakeholders; that ensures the effective HRM, professionalism, team spirit and  ownership; that energizes the people so that they engage in  workplace with commitment and loyalty; that ensures quality at people, process and product. Finally, we require enough strength so that our weaknesses remain irrelevant.

*(Author is also faculty at Shanker Dev Campus, TU and involved in Research & Teaching since 2003.)

References

Bennis, W.G. (1994). “Leading Change: The Leader as Transformation Officer.” In J. Research (Ed.), Leadership in a New Era: Visionary Approaches to the Biggest Crisis of Our Time (pp. 102-110). San Franscisco: New Leaders Press.

Chataut, B.R. (2010). “Continuous Learning: A Choiceless Alternative”. Journal of The Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nepal, 13(1), 46-48. Kathmandu: ICAN

Covey, S.R. (2004). The 8^th HABIT: From Effectiveness to Greatness. New York: Free Press.

Covey, S.R. (1992). Principle-Centered Leadership. London: Simon & Schuster UK Ltd.

Griffin, R.W. (2000). Management. Delhi: A.I.T.B.S. Publishers & Distributors.

Hunger, J.D. & Wheelen, T.L. (2002) Essentials of Strategic Management. New Delhi: Prentice-Hall of India

Osho (1965). Dhyan Sutra. Pune: OSHO Media International.

Pant, P.R. (2010). Business Environment in Nepal. Kathmandu: Buddha Academic Enterprises.

Zenger, J. & Folkman, J. (2012). “Are You Sure You’re Not a Bad Boss?”. HBR Blog Network.

Retrived Dec 26, 2012 from  <http://blogs.hbr.org/cs/2012/08/are_you_sure_youre_not_a_bad_b.html>

(This article was published in Nepal Telecom (Nepal Doorsanchar Company Limited): 9th Anniversary Souvenir, 9(1), 132 -134. Kathmandu: Nepal Telecom.)