What it takes to be a Team.......

Time and Again I come across people with a notion that a leader is someone with MORE\EXTRA\SPECIAL features\ abilities\ knowledge than himself\herself………..

I have been a part of a work shop some time back this was as old as 2006 and we have seen many of the participants including myself shared similar perception and views about a leader……….

If I were to pictorial represent the perception that commonly prevailed in that workshop until the person who conducted the workshop helped us break the perception

I would let the following picture narrate the story

The Person who conducted the workshop then explained us
that Leader is not someone who is BIG,he or she is as
small/big as we all are

It’s been a while since I attended this workshop and recently I happened to see this picture again which reminded me of this particular episode of that work shop

Well today I thought of sharing my thoughts on what it takes to be a leader and what it takes to follow a leader and conclude with What the team gets when it has a great leader….

I am sure most of you would have seen this picture if not many
times at least once in your life time all I am trying to do is
to empower your visions with a untouched/unexplored dimension
of this picture

Well that’s what I call as a team, the leader is hiding somewhere inside the team without making much noise subtly but certainly enjoying the success of his team and feeling the pride to have lead this team to this successful accomplishment

That’s all what it takes to be a Leader just look at the thread that runs through all these flowers to bind them together this thread rips each of the flowers through its hearts but still keeps them alive, fresh and fragrant let the leader rip through the hearts of his team to win their hearts and motivate them to be Bang on Target…

Unless you keenly observe the thread its difficult to realise whats the thread has achieved it has not just united the flowers but it has made a beautiful garland out of these flowers by running through them in that sequence that gives beauty to the garland likewise a Leader is a person who knows “ Who should be Delegated what responsibilities and extract these tasks from his team by structuring the work items”

While a garland is formed successfully the flowers spread the fragrance around and are visible to everyone at the very first glance what if the garland breaks……

The only thing anyone gets to see at the first glance would be the thread that has been binding these flowers while each of these flowers slip aside it’s the bare thread that remains out to be visible to the world…….Now that’s what it takes to be a leader.

Give the credit of Success to your team and own the Failure boldly it is he who can produce Synergy from a group of individuals and drives them towards a common goal by converging the personal and organizational objectives who will be accepted as Leader…..

Well that’s one side of the coin let us now focus on the other side of it what takes to be a team player……

Well each of us would have certainly experienced this during some phase of our lives an so would definitely be able to correlate to this situation. However, purpose of this analogy is beyond correlation it is to imbibe this behavior to grow as a team player….

As a kid I fail to remember even one such month when I didn’t hurt at least of my legs but I still remember there was not a single instance where the other leg rejected to take the load of my body “I know it was painful, I know it was tiring but I will never gave up till my counterpart is bouncing back”, if I were to hear what my soul says this is what the leg that’s doing well speaks to itself during this turmoil but never will it dream of asking the question “Why the hell on earth am I taking the extra load to make this body walk?”

That’s precisely what it takes to be a Team player to be admired by your team well the leg here demonstrates beyond the willingness to help his counterpart, its showcasing the caliber to outperform unaided in a turmoil that’s the secret of Individual growth by delivering as a Team Player

Well now what is it that a Team gains when it accepts someone as its Leader and works with him\her???

• Will it gain Laurels?
• Will it gain Success?
• Will it gain Knowledge?

Not really all the above are vital and key contributors for a successful professional however no leader leaves these traits to their team……

A leader transforms a bunch of people into a group of passionate souls who are undeterred to pursue their aspirations….

On that note before i conclude it would be prety unfair if i dont thank my leaders who have moulded me to what ever I am today....

Thanks you KP, Nalini and Gauri you all have been instrumental in my growth as a professional.

Pavan.

My Reccomendations to KP, Nalini and Gauri on Linked in
KP:
KP is one of the finest boss one can ever get, he keeps his cool in the toughest of situations and motivates the team to go the extra mile....

He is one of the pioneers for the innovative thinking in our group and always shared the tit-bits from his IIM classes which spur introspection
in the team and instilled the zeal to know & learn more….

He is the toughest guy when it comes to observing processes and policies devised, I owe all my learning on process front to KP, overall one of the best Project Managers an organization can ever gift a team would be KP
Nalini:
Nalini has been my best coach who derived extra value out of me at work without making me sprint, he is a manager who can make his team work smart.

I am proud to be the flag bearer for Team Nalini at Wipro which had and in fact still has the distinction of being a fantastic team known for its: Dynamism, Proactive Participation, Team Culture, Commit To Deliver attitude.

Nalini is a master of building relationships which would be crucial for building accounts and startups to nullify the initial friction that might arouse out of diverse interest of teams within an organization.

I see Nalini as not just a manager but a Leader who has the knack to build the second layer of delegators in a team not just to handle routines but also to handle crisis and containment in turbulence.

I would cherish each moment we worked together which were all tough but had highest value proposition in my career, thanks for all the guidance Kumar Sir(As you would love to be called), all the very best for your future endeavors given a chance I would love to work with you again

Gauri:

Gauri is a person who is always enthusiast to lend a ear to detail of any topic, his correlation and forecast capabilities are beyond anybody's imagination which earns him a distinction over his counterparts to be the spearhead of any team that he becomes a part of.

5 Years of my association with Gauri would put me at an advantage to realize the fact that his correlation and forecasts are fueled by his untiring market analysis that he engages himself in, day-in and day-out.

He is a brilliant people manager, he owns people, process and product responsibility and invests macho confidence into his team that instills a sense of responsibility into team which drives them an extra mile of commitment to deliver.

While my inability to articulate limits me to share a few of the umpteen qualities of Gauri, thanks a jillion to all the experiences I had under his leadership which in their immaculate condition today guide me at all major junctures of decision making

It’s always been fun to work with him, wishing him all the very best in future assignments...