Let’s talk about… Selfless Leadership

The following are excerpts from a conversation with my brother, on teams and selfless leaders…. read on.

“How do you come to grips with the down and dirty side of the team culture? How does one deal with selfishness, favoritisms, incompetencies and discrimination in a team? Rather than changing or attempting to change the environment, do we complain and wait for an opportunity to take off to another role… to escape? How do you cope in such an environment?

Is the leader to blame? Is the department head to blame for choosing or hiring the wrong person to lead the team? The leader in this case is seen to focus only on the results and not on the unhappy employees in the team. He/She does not realize that unhappy people weakens the team and in the long run, weakens the organization.”

“For a leader, building a ‘strong’ team should be as important as getting the next project. The growth and satisfaction of the team should be always on his/her radar. The performance of a leader must be measured by the success of the team. A leader must spend time & energy with each team member and work towards building their careers and earning their trust – not by being the nice guy or the buddy BUT by being fair to oneself, to the team and to the project.

We need a leader who will stand up for the team, who will put energy and time in grooming them, and who will kick them in the butt when they do something wrong. In the end the success of the team is the leader’s biggest achievement. Instead, when the leader puts his/her own interests and agendas first, the team will fall apart and the project will fail.”

This was the first post of the new “Let’s Talk” series where I talk to some very interesting people and pick their brain on a specific topic. Then I share it with you. I hope you found this conversation interesting and thought provoking. Thank you for tuning in. Let’s talk again soon.

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