Adil Malia talks about the top 6 skills for phenomenal leadership – In Conversation with Richa Shah
We generally think of companies competing by means of their products or services, but they probably compete more by means of their leaders. Able and effective leadership regulates the behavior of the employees in alignment to the strategic vision and organizational culture, resulting in targeted outcomes.Good leaders eventually develop better employees and the two together develop better products & services.This makes identification of potential leaders an essential and crucial task for human resource leaders of organizations.
Adil talks about the following top 6 characteristics that one should possess to demonstrate phenomenal leadership; the ones he looks for, while identifying potential leaders at the $40 bn conglomerate, Essar Group:
1. Value Creation Journey:
Value Creation is the primary aim of every business that insures the organization’s future by enhancing long-term competitiveness and sustainable growth.
A leader should have proper understanding of the sources and drivers of value creation within the organization, Industry and marketplace. He should have remarkable value creation journey to share that demonstrates his contribution to the alignment of skills, systems and processes of the organization for achieving tangible outcomes.
2. Commercial Awareness and expertise in Customer Engagement:
It is when you engage with customers, you draw them closer to your business and organization brand. That is when the magic starts happening on the commercial front of the organization. So, one important skill that Adil describes a leader to have is expertise of achieving customer engagement and ability to draw it towards commercial benefits.
3. Emotional Equanimity:
Emotional Equanimity refers to the evenness and steadiness of the emotions and the mind in the time of stress. A good leader is expected to show the power of observation and inner emotional balance to stand amongst the winds of conflict or crisis.
Apart from nurturing his own emotional equanimity, he is expected to encourage and nurture the same in his team by being mindful of motivating and driving passionate performances.
MALIA – Most Admired Leaders Inspire Action.
4. Self-Disciplined Personal Values System:
Personal values are an unconscious and invisible force that impact the leaders’ behaviours, shape their decisions and fuel the selection of value creation methods. This value system forms the leaders’ Spiritual Quotient that flows downwards in his followers throughout the organization. While generating commercial value for the business, a leader should therefore adhere to his own personal value system which is his ethical licence to exist in the business world and act as a compass for his follower’s actions & decisions.
5. High Adversity Quotient:
To maintain composure in adverse situations is an emerging determinant of a leader’s success and performance. High adversity quotient reflects a leader’s ability to influence organization’s future that is envisaged by having more control over the adverse events and thriving in the extremely VUCA world.
6. Knack of nurturing Leadership:
Adil is a strong believer of Tom Peter’s quote – “A leader doesn’t create followers, he creates more leaders”. He emphasizes that leadership is much beyond than being in charge of and managing people. One should have the intent and be able to create more leaders. He should have the knack of identifying future leaders, should give them special projects & more responsibilities, test their performance in small doses and lead them to leadership levels by effective coaching.
Leadership is the proportionate amalgamation of all the above traits concludes Adil Malia.