A Study on Steps to Developing the Leader within You

Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the award of the degree of Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) Semester-III (Paper Code-BBA 211) To Guru Gobind Singh Indraprastha University, Delhi

Guide: Ms. Neha Gupta

Submitted By: Itiba Gandotra Roll No: 05090401709

Institute of Innovation in Technology & Management, New Delhi 110058 Batch (2009-2012)

Certificate

I, Ms Itiba Gandotra, Roll No. 05090401709 certify that the Minor Project Report (Paper Code BBA 211) entitled Personality Development and Communication Skills is completed by me by collecting the material from the referenced sources. The matter embodied in this has not been submitted earlier for the award of any degree or diploma to the best of my knowledge and belief. Signature of the Student Date: 1st November 2010

Certified that the Minor Project Report (Paper Code BBA 211) entitled Personality Development and Communication Skills done by Ms Itiba Gandotra, Roll No. 05090401709, is completed under my guidance.

Signature of the Guide Ms. Neha Gupta Designation: Assistant Professor Date: 1st November 2010

Countersigned

Director/Project Coordinator

Acknowledgement

This project comprises of the steps to develop a leader within you. I would like to thank lots of people for helping me in completing the project.

I would like to express my thanks which sincere gratitude to Dr. Vikas Mehra, the director for providing all the necessary facilities for completing the project and also for providing me with such an opportunity.

I would also like to thank Ms. Neha Gupta, Assistant Professor who guided, advised and stayed with me right till the end.

And lastly, the true power of MS Office for grammar checks and flow charts. Its true that without this software, this project would never been completed, so thanks a lot Mr. Bill Gates and Microsoft Corporation.

Itiba Gandotra

CONTENTS

Certificate Acknowledgement

Leadership Are leaders born or made Four Factors of Leadership Styles of Leadership Attributes of Leadership Seven Personal Qualities found in a Good Leader Four Traits of Effective Leadership Leadership Theories Ways to become a Leader Case Studies Conclusion Bibliography

5 6-8 9-10 11-13 14 15-16 17 18-22 23-35 36-42 43 44

WHO IS A LEADER?

A leader is someone who people choose to follow.

A leader influences others to do things that they may not otherwise do. Through the initiatives undertaken by the remarkable leaders recognized by this organization, those leaders improve the lives of the affiliated individuals and organizations.

Difference Between a leader and a Manager.

Manager They have their affairs managed

Leader

when they are managed they are told We follow a leader willingly by choice what to do Merely oversight People either abide by or rebel against someone they view as simply a boss A position of authority bestowed A position of respect earned by actions upon someone People follow their leader Decision making

ARE LEADERS BORN OR MADE?

For centuries people have debated whether leaders are born or made. Several decades ago researchers started trying to answer the question. The debate goes on, even though we know the answer. It turns out to be a little of both. Leaders are sort of born and they're always made. Leaders are Sort of Born It seems like there's only one thing that a person needs to actually be born with in order to be a leader later in life. That's intelligence. A leader needs to be smart enough. Effective leaders aren't necessarily the smartest people in the room or the company or even on the team. But they have to be smart enough to do the job they're assigned. What's more important is what kind of person the potential leader is when he or she becomes an adult. The person who emerges from adolescence into young adulthood has the psychological and character traits they'll demonstrate for the rest of their life. Some of those matter for leadership. By the time a person becomes an adult we can tell if they can help other people achieve results. That, after all, is what we expect leaders to do. We expect them to achieve success through a group. We expect them to help their subordinates grow and develop. By the time a person becomes an adult, we can tell if they want to achieve objectives or if they just want to go along and take it easy. We expect leaders to be responsible for achieving results. We can have a marvelous life without a results focus, but if were going to lead successfully we have to have the drive and willingness to be measured by the results of our leadership. By the time a person becomes an adult, we can tell if they are willing to make decisions or not. Lots of people wake up every day and let the world happen to them. But leaders must be able and willing to make decisions that affect themselves and others. By the time a person becomes an

adult we can tell if they have the basic qualities that we expect leaders to have. We can determine if they're smart enough to do the job. We can tell if they are willing to help others to achieve results as a group. And we can tell if they will make decisions. Those things are essential. People who have them can learn the multiple skills it takes for them to become effective leaders. No matter how they measure up on the key essentials, no one emerges from the womb or from adolescence with all the skills in place to be an effective leader. Everybody has to learn the job. That's why leaders are always made. Leaders are Always Made Leadership can be learned by anyone with the basics. But an awful lot of leadership cannot be taught. That's because leadership is an apprentice trade. Leaders learn about 80 percent of their craft on the job. They learn from watching other leaders and emulating their behavior. They choose role models and seek out mentors. They ask other leaders about how to handle situations. Leaders improve by getting feedback and using it. The best leaders seek feedback from their boss, their peers and their subordinates. Then they modify their behavior so that they get better results. Leaders learn by trying things out and then critiquing their performance. The only failure they recognize is the failure to learn from experience. In their book, Geeks and Geezers, Warren Bennis and Robert Thomas identify the special power of what they call "crucibles." These are trials which teach hard lessons that leaders use as the basis of their strength in later crises. Many of these events can be called "failures," but leaders turn the bad situation to good by learning from it. Effective leaders take control of their own development. They seek out training opportunities that will make a difference that will make a difference in their performance. Effective leaders look 7

for training programs that will help them develop specific skills that they can use on the job. Then, they when they return to work, they devote specific, deliberate effort to mastering in real life what they learned in the classroom. Marshall Goldsmith and Howard Morgan studied the progress of 88,000 managers who had been to leadership development training. The people who returned from the training, talked about it, and did deliberate work to apply their learning were judged as becoming more effective leaders. The ones who didn't showed no improvement. If we're responsible for leadership development for our company, we should structure our support for our leaders to recognize that most leadership learning happens on the job. Help people develop leadership development plans. Help them select specific skills training and then work on transferring skills from the training to the job. Help them find role models, mentors and peers to discuss leadership issues. Don't stop there. Make sure that we evaluate our leaders on their leadership work. Reward them and hold them accountable for accomplishing the mission through the group. And hold them accountable for caring for their people and helping them grow and develop.

FOUR FACTORS OF LEADERSHIP

Leader We must have an honest understanding of who we are, what we know, and what we can do. Also, note that it is the followers, not the leader or someone else who determines if the leader is successful. If they do not trust or lack confidence in their leader, then they will be uninspired. To be successful we have to convince our followers, not ourself or our superiors, that we are worthy of being followed. Followers Different people require different styles of leadership. For example, a new hire requires more supervision than an experienced employee. A person who lacks motivation requires a different approach than one with a high degree of motivation. We must know our people! The fundamental starting point is having a good understanding of human nature, such as needs, emotions, and motivation. We must come to know our employees' be, know, and do attributes. Communication We lead through two-way communication. Much of it is nonverbal. For instance, when we "set the example," that communicates to our people that you would not ask them to perform anything that we would not be willing to do. What and how we communicate either builds or harms the relationship between us and our employees. Situation All situations are different. What we do in one situation will not always work in another. We must use our judgment to decide the best course of action and the leadership style needed for each situation. For example, we may need to confront an employee for inappropriate behavior, 9

but if the confrontation is too late or too early, too harsh or too weak, then the results may prove ineffective.

STYLES OF LEADERSHIP
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Autocratic or authoritarian style Under the autocratic leadership style, all decision-making powers are centralized in the leader, as with dictator leaders. They do not entertain any suggestions or initiatives from subordinates. The autocratic management has been successful as it provides strong motivation to the manager. It permits quick decision-making, as only one person decides for the whole group and keeps each decision to himself until he feels it is needed to be shared with the rest of the group. Participative or democratic style The democratic leadership style favors decision-making by the group as shown, such as leader gives instruction after consulting the group. They can win the cooperation of their group and can motivate them effectively and positively. The decisions of the democratic leader are not unilateral as with the autocrat because they arise from consultation with the group members and participation by them. Laissez-faire or free rein style A free rein leader does not lead, but leaves the group entirely to itself as shown; such a leader allows maximum freedom to subordinates, i.e., they are given a free hand in deciding their own policies and methods.

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In an emergency when there is little time to converge on an agreement and where a designated authority has significantly more experience or expertise than the rest of the team, an autocratic leadership style may be most effective; however, in a highly motivated and aligned team with a homogeneous level of expertise, a more democratic or laissez-faire style may be more effective. The style adopted should be the one that most effectively achieves the objectives of the group while balancing the interests of its individual members. Positioning of a Leader Anyone who gets a leadership position has not made it. It is only the beginning. Being a leader doesn't make us one. After we get to be the leader of a group, we are going to have to do a lot to earn the acceptance of the group members and have an influence on their behavior. To be a leader we have to be first to get into the mind of the prospect and then follow the strategies to stay there. The essential ingredient in securing the leadership position is getting into the mind first. The essential ingredient in keeping that position is reinforcing the original concept. Leading People Is All About Perceptions Leadership setting goals, communicating, teamwork, influencing people, etc. is all about perceptions. The essence of leading is coming to grips with people's perceptions. Emotional Task of the Leader Research show that 67% of the essential competencies required for effective leadership today are emotional competencies. Great leaders move people they work through emotions. They have found effective ways to understand and improve the way they handle their own and their followers' emotions. As a leader, we should act as our group's emotional guide. When we drive emotions positively we bring out everyone's best. We ignite people's passion, inspire the best in them, and create resonance. The key to making this work lies in our competencies of emotional intelligence (EI): how we handle ourself and our relationships.

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Coaching a Vital Skill for Leaders The new breed of leaders recognizes that autocracy no longer works, yet that employee empowerment alone is not enough. The skills of coaching have lately been rediscovered by more effective organizations and teams. We cannot be a leader without a following, and we have to delegate appropriately. The leader is best placed to enhance the performance and learning abilities, on the job, of colleagues. Coaching aims to enhance these abilities.

ATTRIBUTES OF LEADERSHIP
To be a leader, there is a Leadership Framework to guide us.

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BE KNOW DO BE a professional. Examples: Be loyal to the organization, perform selfless service, take personal responsibility. BE a professional who possess good character traits. Examples: Honesty, competence, candor, commitment, integrity, courage, straightforwardness, imagination. KNOW the four factors of leadership follower, leader, communication, situation. KNOW yourself. Examples: strengths and weakness of our character, knowledge, and skills. KNOW human nature. Examples: Human needs, emotions, and how people respond to stress. KNOW your job. Examples: be proficient and be able to train others in their tasks. KNOW your organization. Examples: where to go for help, its climate and culture, who the unofficial leaders are. DO provide direction. Examples: goal setting, problem solving, decision making, planning. DO implement. Examples: communicating, coordinating, supervising, evaluating. DO motivate. Examples: develop morale and esprit de corps in the organization, train, coach, counsel.

SEVEN PERSONAL QUALITIES FOUND IN A GOOD LEADER

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1. A good leader has an exemplary character. It is of utmost importance that a leader is trustworthy to lead others. A leader needs to be trusted and be known to live their life with honestly and integrity. A good leader "walks the talk" and in doing so earns the right to have responsibility for others. True authority is born from respect for the good character and trustworthiness of the person who leads. 2. A good leader is enthusiastic about their work or cause and also about their role as leader. People will respond more openly to a person of passion and dedication. Leaders need to be able to be a source of inspiration, and be a motivator towards the required action or cause. Although the responsibilities and roles of a leader may be different, the leader needs to be seen to be part of the team working towards the goal. This kind of leader will not be afraid to roll up their sleeves and get dirty. 3. A good leader is confident. In order to lead and set direction a leader needs to appear confident as a person and in the leadership role. Such a person inspires confidence in others and draws out the trust and best efforts of the team to complete the task well. A leader who conveys confidence towards the proposed objective inspires the best effort from team members. 4. A leader also needs to function in an orderly and purposeful manner in situations of uncertainty. People look to the leader during times of uncertainty and unfamiliarity and find reassurance and security when the leader portrays confidence and a positive demeanor. 5. Good leaders are tolerant of ambiguity and remain calm, composed and steadfast to the main purpose. Storms, emotions, and crises come and go and a good leader takes these as part of the journey and keeps a cool head. 6. A good leader, as well as keeping the main goal in focus, is able to think analytically. Not only does a good leader view a situation as a whole, but is able to break it down into sub parts for

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closer inspection. While keeping the goal in view, a good leader can break it down into manageable steps and make progress towards it. 7. A good leader is committed to excellence. Second best does not lead to success. The good leader not only maintains high standards, but also is proactive in raising the bar in order to achieve excellence in all areas. These seven personal characteristics are foundational to good leadership. Some characteristics may be more naturally present in the personality of a leader. However, each of these characteristics can also be developed and strengthened. A good leader whether they naturally possess these qualities or not, will be diligent to consistently develop and strengthen them in their leadership role.

FOUR TRAITS OF EFFECTIVE LEADER

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A young officer in the Army discovered that he had no change when he tried to buy a soft drink from a vending machine. He flagged down a passing private and asked him, "Do you have change for a dollar?" The private said cheerfully, "I think so, let me take a look." The officer drew himself up stiffly and said, "Soldier that is no way to address a superior. Well start all over again. Do you have change for a dollar?" The private came to attention, saluted smartly, and said, "No, sir!" Each of us commands some authority. There are or will be those we guide, supervise, rear, mentor or lead. Some of us will be effective and others will feel like theyre running a cemetery: theyve got a lot of people under them and nobodys listening. The good leaders are: Listeners They take time to listen to the suggestions and concerns of those they endeavor to lead. Encouragers They dont try to do it all themselves. Neither do they motivate by force or guilt. They encourage others and help bring out their best. Assertive They say what needs to be said without being unkind. They tell the truth as they see it, openly and frankly. Decisive They know what needs to be done and they make timely, even difficult, decisions when necessary. But they can also take charge without running over the people in their lives.

LEADERSHIP THEORIES

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Environmental Leadership Theory The Environmental leadership model describes leadership from a Group dynamics perspective incorporating group psychology and self awareness to nurture "Environments" that promote self sustaining group leadership based on personal emotional gratification from the activities of the group. The Environmental Leader creates the psychological structure by which employees can find and attain this gratification through work or activity. It stems from the idea that each individual has various environments that bring out different facets from their own Identity, and each facet is driven by emotionally charged perceptions within each environment. The Environmental Leader creates a platform through education and awareness where individuals fill each others emotional needs and become more conscious of when and how they affect personal and team emotional gratifications. This is accomplished by knowing why people "react" to their environment instead of act intelligently. The role of an Environmental Leader is to instill passion and direction to a group and the dynamics of that group. This leader implements a psychological support system within a group that fills the emotional and developmental needs of the group. Functional Theory Functional leadership theory is a particularly useful theory for addressing specific leader behaviors expected to contribute to organizational or unit effectiveness. This theory argues that the leader's main job is to see that whatever is necessary to group needs is taken care of; thus, a leader can be said to have done their job well when they have contributed to group effectiveness and cohesion. While functional leadership theory has most often been applied to team leadership, it has also been effectively applied to broader organizational leadership as well. In summarizing literature on functional leadership observed five broad functions a leader performs when promoting organizations effectiveness. These functions include: (1) Environmental monitoring,

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(2) Organizing subordinate activities, (3) Teaching and coaching subordinates, (4) Motivating others, and (5) Intervening actively in the group's work. Trait Theory Leadership trait theory is the idea that people are born with certain character traits or qualities. Since certain traits are associated with proficient leadership, it assumes that if you could identify people with the correct traits, you will be able to identify leaders and people with leadership potential.

Most of the time the traits are considered to be naturally part of a persons personality from birth. From this standpoint, leadership trait theory tends to assume that people are born as leaders or not as leaders.

There is a lot of value in identifying the character traits associated with leadership. It is even more valuable to identify the character traits that followers look for in a leader. These traits would be the characteristics of an individual who is most likely to attract followers.

However, the idea that leadership traits are inborn and unchangeable appears to be incorrect. It is true that many of our dispositions and tendencies are influenced by our personalities and the way we are born. However, most people recognize that it is possible for someone to change their character traits for the worse. Someone who is known for being honest can learn to be deceitful. The whole idea of saying that someone was corrupted is based on the fact that people can learn bad character traits.

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If people can learn bad character traits and become different than the way they are naturally through conditioning, it logically follows that they can learn good character traits as well. A person who is prone to being dishonest can learn to be honest. A person who avoids risks can learn to take risks. It may not be easy, but it can be done.

Six Personality Traits of a Leader By Ram Charan

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Ambition: A desire to achieve something visible and noteworthy propels individual leaders and their companies to strive to reach their potential. Leaders need a healthy dose of it to push themselves and others. But ambition can be blind. Thats when we see leaders making flashy acquisitions that are financially unsound or setting attention-getting goals or taking on more priorities than the organization can handle out of a desire to do everything. Overambitiousness, combined with a lack of integrity, can lead to undesirable behavior and even corruption. Drive and Tenacity: Some leaders have an inner motor that pushes them to get to the heart of an issue and find solutions. They drill for specific answers and dont give up until they get them. Their high energy is infectious. They consistently drive their priorities through the organization. They search tenaciously for information theyre missing and keep tweaking their mental models until they arrive at a positioning that works. But drive and tenacity can cause a leader to stick to a plan that isnt working or to outdated assumptions or an investment that is no longer promising. Self-Confidence: We have to be able to listen to our own inner voice and endure the lonely moments when an important decision falls on our shoulders. We have to be able to speak our mind and act decisively, knowing that we can withstand the consequences. Its not a matter of acting tough. Its having a tough inner core, or what some refer to as emotional fortitude. Underlying fears and insecurities can be just as detrimental to our know-hows as can excessive self-confidence in the form of narcissism or arrogance. Some leaders have a need to be liked. They therefore tend to go easy on people. They have an especially hard time dismissing people who have been loyal to them. Such leaders often find their own progress slowed, because they promote people for the wrong reasons, tolerate non performers and allow the social system to corrode.

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A fear of response is also common. Such leaders tend to avoid conflicts and find it hard to challenge people on their performance or point of view. They back off when they should be giving brutally honest feedback and sometimes have a third party do that work for them. Leaders with a fear of failure are often indecisive, defensive and less likely to spot opportunities because theyre risk averse. They find it hard to select goals for fear of choosing the wrong ones and wait too long to connect the dots in the external environment or to reposition the business. Self-confidence also affects our use or abuse of power. Every leader has to use power from time to time in assigning tasks, allocating resources, selecting or promoting people, giving differentiated rewards or redirecting dialogue. An excessive fear of failure or fear of response can make a leader uncomfortable using power, and not using power appropriately actually erodes it. Failure to deal with a recalcitrant direct report, for instance, diminishes the leaders power. On the other hand, narcissistic leaders tend to abuse power, using it irrationally or against the interests of the organization. Psychological Openness: The willingness to allow ourself to be influenced by other people and to share our ideas openly enhances the know-hows, while being psychologically closed can cause problems. Leaders who are psychologically open seek diverse opinions, so they see and hear more and factor a wider range of information into their decisions. Their openness permeates the social system, enhancing candor and communication. Those who are psychologically closed are secretive and afraid to test their ideas, often cloaking that fear under the guise of confidentiality. Theyre distant from their direct reports and have no one outside to bounce ideas off or to provide information that counters their own beliefs. In the new environment of complexity, being psychologically closed makes it particularly difficult to reposition the business, because the leader lacks perspectives from diverse disciplines, functions and cultures. Realism: Realism is the mid-point between optimism and pessimism, and the degree to which we tend toward one or the other has a particularly powerful effect on our use of the know-hows. Optimism can lead, for example, to ambitious goals that outstrip the companys ability to

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accomplish them or can compromise our judgments of people: I know his ego has no bounds, but I can coach him to become a team player. But pessimists dont want to hear ambitious plans or bold initiatives and can find all the flaws and risks in pursuing them when they do. Theyre likely to miss opportunities. Only the realist wants to get unfiltered information that can be weighed, measured, evaluated and tested to determine what step to take next. He spends time interacting with customers, employees and suppliers, getting information and a feel from those constituencies about their thinking. Appetite for Learning: Know-hows improve with exposure to diverse situations with increasing levels of complexity, so an eagerness for new challenges is essential. Leaders who seek out new experiences and learn from them will build their know-hows faster than those who dont.

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WAYS TO BECOME A LEADER

1. Take Charge Become the sculptor of our own career and life not the sculpture. Leaders are authentic the authors of their own lives. Take responsibility for our professional development. No one has a greater investment in your success and satisfaction than us. Especially as a woman, we cannot depend upon the traditional management structure of our organization to put us on the path to achievement. It's up to us to direct and protect our career and to develop our own potential. We cannot afford to be passive or to accept roles assigned to us. Know what we want and why and be prepared to take action to make it happen. 2. Know Your Strengths Work is most meaningful and satisfying when it gives us an opportunity to use our strengths. Leadership is fundamentally about character. Knowing our character strengths enables us to find ways to select work environments and work assignments that allow us to express and develop them. For example, if one of our greatest strengths is loyalty and teamwork, we'll be most effective and satisfied working as a member of a team. If fairness is among your greatest strengths, we'll be frustrated and dissatisfied without an opportunity to work on issues of justice. If we're someone who loves to learn, we'll feel bored and frustrated unless we find ways to master new skills and bodies of knowledge. It's also important to keep track of your own accomplishments. Unfortunately, legal workplaces are notorious for focusing on mistakes and defeats rather than what people have done well. However, good leaders develop talent by matching peoples' strengths with work tasks. They recognize contributions and celebrate accomplishments.

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Start practicing good leadership by keeping a log of your successes. Record even small wins this is essential for building your own confidence as well as developing a crucial leadership competence. 3. Create Your Vision Leaders are vision directed. A leader creates a compelling vision, is committed to this vision, and inspires others to action by aligning their goals with this vision. Start developing this leadership competence by creating our own personal vision. Our vision statement is a picture of the future to which we can commit. It expresses our values, the contribution we want to make, and the way we want to live our life. Without a clear vision, it's easy to be led by the expectations of others. As a professional coach, we can attest to the unhappiness of lawyers who've allowed the demands and approval of others to become their compass. It is heartbreaking to look back on your life with regret. Our vision statement is our own personal "why." Knowing what we're working toward allows us to plan our professional development as well as to be resilient in the face of obstacles. 4. Choose a Workplace with Compatible Values One of the biggest mistakes many attorneys make is to accept a position in an organization with values contrary to their own. This situation leads to misery at worst, and job change at best. Furthermore, we are much less likely to achieve a position of leadership in an organization with values at odds with our own ethics than we would in an environment that echoed our principles. 5. Establish Your Own Personal Advisory Board Although the legal profession puts a premium on self-reliance, everyone needs guidance, role models and support. Old-style mentoring rarely exists in the 21st century legal workplace. Even if 25

we have an assigned mentor, such "arranged marriages" rarely meet our most important professional development needs. It's especially difficult for women and attorneys of color to find mentors who identify with them or to whom they can look for time-tested strategies that apply to their unique challenges. Establishing our own personal advisory board enables us to obtain assistance from several people. Each has a unique contribution to make to our career success. This approach also gives us an opportunity to seek needed assistance without over-burdening any one person. Here are a few important tips for developing our advisory board:

Select people whom we trust. Keep in mind that the alliances we form with our advisors are substantive, strategically important, and meaningful relationships.

Clarify each person's expectations for the relationship. Negotiate how long we expect the relationship to proceed in this form.

Understand what we mentor needs in order for the relationship to be mutually rewarding. For some advisors, helping another attorney succeed is sufficient. Others might feel rewarded by our offers to assist them in their own work.

6. Find a Champion It's essential to have someone who will be our champion in the organization. Most likely, this will be someone with whom we practice. The more value we add to the practice of a senior lawyer in your practice group, the more he or she will be invested in retaining us. People who like us, as well as our work, are more likely to be in our corner. It's also necessary that this person be in a secure position in the organization; someone in a tenuous spot is unlikely to feel able to go out on a limb for us.

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7. Work toward Excellence in Your Practice Excellent work performance is a necessary, although not sufficient condition for leadership. Stay on top of our professional development. Don't wait for our firm or organization to offer a seminar in the skills we want to learn seek out our own training opportunities. Keep in mind the difference between excellence and perfection. Maintaining high standards for our work reflects positive striving. On the other hand, being harshly self-critical for the smallest error will undermine our success. Perfectionism easily leads to micro-management and harsh criticism of others, neither of which are effective leadership behaviors. It's difficult to strive for excellence unless we're doing what we love. People who are committed to what they do who are strongly interested in their work are resilient in the face of challenges. Enthusiasm and passion motivate hard work. Genuine interest sustains focused attention. 8. Take Initiative Whatever we're trying to accomplish, we need to take control of our own destiny and act on our own convictions. To become a leader, we must first learn to lead self. Initiative is a fundamental leadership competence. Choose our work don't let it choose us. Seek out work we like or from which we can learn. If the work we really want isn't coming our way, make a plan to find it. Forge alliances with people both within and outside our organization who can help we work with the kinds of matters and clients we prefer. Avoid the "tyranny of the in-basket." we need to actively work on our career, not just on our work. Develop a career plan. Identify specific, measurable goals and routes for accomplishing them. Go beyond adapting to whatever comes our way. Proactively select and influence the

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situation in which we work rather than merely reacting to situations created by others. Work to change ourself and your circumstances for the better. Leaders create a vision, set goals that embody the vision, inspire action to accomplish the vision, and develop strategic plans which lead to their goals. Start on our path to leadership by leading ourself. 9. Take Risks Developing leadership skill requires getting out of our comfort zone. Set "stretch" goals that enable us to develop new skills. Join committees and take a leadership role. This is an opportunity to develop leadership competencies as well as increase our visibility. Many women lawyers have told me that they do their best to fly under the radar. They believe that this demonstrates that they are team players. I disagree. We stand to lose far more by being invisible than us do by taking risks. In order to break through the stereotypes that keep women from achieving positions of leadership, we'll need to appear confident. That means being willing to learn on the job instead of waiting until we know everything before we take on challenges. Ask our advisory board and network to help us fill in knowledge gaps. Present our ideas. Be decisive and to the point. Speak in a convincing manner and make our statements strong and powerful. Claim authorship of our ideas. Manage our emotions when we set limits and make requests. Avoid harsh criticism and always respect the dignity of others. Depersonalize our mistakes. Just because we failed at one thing doesn't make us a failure. View mistakes as learning opportunities. If we become so worried about how we're perceived after we make an error that we never try again, others will conclude that we always make mistakes. But if we attribute our error to insufficient information, we'll learn more and try again. Our track record of successes will outweigh the memory of our small errors. Taking risks builds resilience and self-confidence. The more we stretch ourself and succeed, the more confident we'll feel. This will empower us to strive toward a leadership position. 28

10. Be Optimistic As "purveyors of hope," leaders must be optimistic. Realistic optimists take control where they can and stop investing energy in things beyond their control. When faced with a setback, optimists don't succumb to feelings of helplessness. They maintain their focus on the larger purpose, finding ways to bounce back and pursue alternative routes to their goal. Optimists see mistakes as learning opportunities, not as catastrophes from which they'll never recover. This enables them to take the kinds of risks necessary for becoming a leader. Optimism is especially difficult for lawyers, since so much of legal work is about anticipating and preventing disaster. But even though pessimism may help us be more effective in practicing law, it will be an obstacle if we think this way about career planning or the rest of our life. We're probably used to thinking that optimism is just a personality characteristic and we either have it or we don't. But, the fact is that research has demonstrated that people can learn to think more optimistically and that these changes are enduring. 11. Become "UN-FUNGIBLE" Find a niche which our organization values and about which we can be passionate. Develop our expertise in this area. If we are the only expert, or one of a few experts in this area, we'll be of considerable value to our firm. This increases our power to lobby for flexibility in our scheduling and opportunities to take on leadership roles. 12. Make Our Career More Important Than Our Job Focusing on our long-term career goals enables us to minimize the power of any given employer. If our goals are incompatible with those of our organization, or if we can't get the support we need to make our vision a reality, look elsewhere. 13. Develop Our Social Intelligence 29

Effective leadership is fundamentally about how we relate to people. Social intelligence consists of several components:

Self-management People who cannot manage the expression of their own emotions are unlikely to effectively manage others. It's important to develop an awareness of our own feelings and make deliberate choices about how best to use them in any given situation. Managing our emotions keeps them from clouding our perceptions and judgments. Being able to influence how others perceive us and coming across to others in the way we intend require self-awareness and self-regulation. It's essential to have a deep understanding of our own values, motives, strengths and limitations. Though it's not always easy to be honest with ourself, we need to develop this kind of honesty if we want to be interpersonally effective. Realistically appraise ourself without being overly self-critical. Ask others for feedback. The knowledge of how others perceive us is a powerful tool. Monitor ourself; pay attention to our feelings, actions and intentions. Observe the impact of our actions on others. Self-awareness is also critical for empathy since we tend to perceive others through the filter of our own needs, fears, expectations and hopes. When we are aware of what we expect to hear or are afraid of hearing, we can get past the filter and hear what's really being communicated.

Social radar Effective leaders can read emotional signals and assess other's emotional states. Our ability to influence others depends upon your skill at sensing their reactions and adjusting our approach accordingly. Practice "active" listening listening not only to the other person's words but also their nonverbal expressions. Leaders are more persuasive when they can attune their message to their listeners.

Seek Win-Win Solutions to Problems Leaders elicit far more cooperation when they work toward equitable solutions, which all participants can embrace. Be flexibly open to others' points of view and demonstrate our understand of their perspectives. Always try to preserve the dignity of everyone involved in a problem or project. Leadership is about 30

building and empowering teams. Practice creating an atmosphere of collaboration and openness. 14. Be Our Own Advocate Many women attorneys who are excellent advocates for their clients are fearful of advocating for themselves. In our culture, women are socialized to believe that self-promotion is not only unbecoming and aggressive but will also damage their careers. But failing to advocate for ourself can have far-reaching consequences. In the short run, too much modesty feeds into the gender stereotype that women aren't "tough enough." Keep in mind that other people see only a small percentage of our actions. The missing information has to come from the actor herself. Share our knowledge by offering to help others. Broadcast our wins through in-house newsletters. Express our convictions. Self-advocacy is necessary for reaching positions of leadership. At the same time, make sure that we acknowledge and appreciate everyone who contributed to the group effort. Leaders are able to make their employees feel proud of their contributions. They don't need to steel the credit for themselves. 15. Break through Expectations Gender role stereotypes are an obstacle to women achieving leadership in the legal profession. But believing we'll never break the "glass ceiling" is sure to hold us back. Sometimes the only way to get past these stereotypes is to address them directly. Shining a light on unspoken assumptions can enable our listeners to hear and see beyond their expectations. By identifying these assumptions, we're conveying power and insight, which inspire trust. 16. Become an Excellent Communicator A leader must communicate her vision in a way that energizes people and galvanizes them toward action. The ability to gain the cooperation and support of others through negotiation, 31

persuasion and influence - depends upon communication skill, which in turn is essential for leadership. Be aware of gender differences in communication style. Essentially, we must take our listener's expectations into account in tailoring our communications. For women, it's especially important to give the other person a reason to listen by addressing a goal our listener wants to achieve. When people feel heard, they're more likely to hear us. When we understand their goals, we can articulate how their aspirations can be aligned with our vision. Although implicit gender role stereotypes foster the belief that mothers cannot be good leaders, the fact is that parenting is excellent training ground for leadership skills. As a parent we learn to plan strategically, negotiate, enlist cooperation and persuade all of which we can transfer to the workplace.

17. Show Concern for Others Research indicates that among the most important characteristics of effective leaders are compassion, nurturance, generosity, altruism and empathy. "Agreeableness" is a social trait and leadership takes place in a social context, so it's not surprising that these characteristics are so important for effective leadership. Women lawyers need to keep this in mind. All too often women are urged to "act like men" in working toward leadership positions. Be encouraged to learn that the most effective leaders demonstrate traits most often attributed to women. 18. Develop and Maintain a Support System Taking the time to maintain supportive and close connections with others is necessary to attain and sustain the energy and well-being we need to achieve career success. At home, we'll need a partner who will agree to negotiate and share family work with us. Be clear with our significant others that we need their help in order to reach our goals. Being overloaded with family responsibility is as much of an obstacle to women reaching positions of leadership as is the "glass ceiling" at work. We'll also need the support of people we supervise - our support staff, 32

paralegals, junior associates, etc. It's easier to recruit such support if we understand their needs and goals and treat them with compassion and respect. Compassion and encouragement motivate people much more than impatience and harshness. Learn to delegate well. Remember, leaders don't do all the work themselves: They effectively match people to tasks based on knowledge of their subordinates' strengths and aspirations. They are clear about their expectations when giving assignments. But don't allow perfectionism to derail good delegating. If we're not satisfied with the finished product, resist the urge to do it over ourself. Instead, return the work to the person who produced it and make sure that he or she understands our expectations. That way, we won't feel overburdened and we'll help the other person increase their own competence. 19. Maintain Integrity Integrity may be the single most important characteristic of competent leadership; it's the sine qua non of a trusted advisor and effective leader. People are willing to be led by someone who follows through someone they trust. Do what we say we will do. Don't promise to do what we can't. People without integrity may gain power, but they don't truly lead. 20. Persevere Persistence in the face of adversity is one of the cornerstones of resilience. Take responsibility for our own fate. Stay resolute in our values and goals and remain determined and self-disciplined in our efforts to achieve them. Persistence doesn't mean we never feel discouraged. Rather, it means maintaining our focus on the goal in spite of our feelings of discouragement. Like a marathon runner, we keep going because we believe in what we're doing. We simply will not give up. If our goal is to become a leader to help the legal profession become a truly diverse, welcoming and equitable profession, then don't give up.

21. Plans Things

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The core of leadership is being proactive rather than reactive. Sure, leaders are good in crises but that doesnt mean they sit around letting crises develop. Leadership involves identifying potential problems and solving them before they reach crisis proportions and the ability to identify and reap potential windfalls. So good leaders analyze and plan and adapt their plans to new circumstances and opportunities.

22. Creates Vision

Vision is essential to good leadership. Vision provides direction and without direction, theres not much point to all that planning; our small business will still flail about. So if we dont have one already, take our first step towards leadership by creating a Vision Statement for our business. Because it embodies our dreams and our passions, a vision statement will also serve as a leadership vision.

23. Shares Vision

Sharing our leadership vision helps our vision grows and our leadership develop. As we tell our leadership vision to others, we will strengthen our own belief in our vision and strengthen our determination to make our leadership vision become reality. And other people will start to see us as a person whos going places. Our leadership skills will grow as we and other people recognize us as a person with leadership potential.

24. Motivates Others Through Examples

In developing our own leadership skills, we have to act in ways that are fitting to our leadership vision and our self all the time. We can all name many actions of other people whom we admire, but what inspires us is the integrity that gives these actions meaning.

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Becoming a leader isnt easy because it takes a conscious commitment and consistent effort to develop ones leadership skills. But on the positive side, anyone who is willing to make the effort can become a good leader.

And as good leadership is critical to business success, our efforts to improve our leadership skills will be amply rewarded. By working on these five keys of leadership, we can become the leader our small business needs.

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CASE STUDIES

A true leader is one who leads by example and sacrifices more than anyone else, in his or her pursuit of excellence. - N. R. Narayana Murthy, Chairman, Infosys

INTRODUCTION In February 2001, Infosys Technologies Ltd. (Infosys) was voted as the Best Managed Company in Asia in the Information Technology sector, in leading financial magazine Euro moneys Fifth Annual Survey of Best Managed Companies in Asia. Infosys was started in 1981, by seven professional entrepreneurs led by Narayana Murthy, Chairman and CEO of Infosys with an equity capital of Rs.10,000. By 2000, Infosys market capitalization reached Rs.11 billion and by 2001, Infosys was one of the biggest exporters of software from India. Narayana Murthy had built an organization that was respected across the country, with very strong systems, high ethical values and a nurturing working atmosphere. With his sound management skills, Narayana Murthy seemed to have taken Infosys to the pinnacle of success in two decades. From a turnover of Rs.1.16 million 1981, Infosys had grown to Rs.19 billion company in 2001. In late 2000, Infosys became a total software services company. It had set up a software development centre at Toronto as part its globalization strategy. BACKGROUND NOTE 36

Narayana Murthy obtained his Bachelors degree in Electrical Engineering from University of Mysore in 1967 and his Masters degree in Technology from Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur in 1969. He started his career as head of the computer centre at IIM, Ahmedabad. In 1972 he went to Paris where he was part of the team that designed a 400-terminal, real-time operating system for handling air cargo for Charles De Gaulle airport. Narayana Murthy was a left-wing activist and mingled with French communists during his stay in Paris but his outlook changed while traveling around Europe. He believed that the only way to pull India out of poverty was to create more jobs, by setting up new companies. In 1975, he returned to India and joined Systems Research Institute, Pune, (Maharashtra). He then headed Patni Computer Systems Pvt. Ltd., Mumbai, (Maharashtra) before founding Infosys in 1981, along with six other professionals.

STRATEGIST From the beginning, Narayana Murthy focused on the worlds most challenging market - the US. He had two reasons for this. First, there was no market for software in India at the time. He believed that Indian software companies should export products in which they had a competitive advantage. In 1987, Infosys entered into a joint venture with Kurt Salmon Associates (KSA), a leading global management consultancy firm. KSA-Infosys was the first Indo-American joint venture in the US. In 1988-89, Infosys set up its first office in the US. Reebok of France was looking for a software system to handle its distribution management at the same time. Infosys bagged the contract and developed the Distribution Management Application Package (DMAP) for Reeboks French operations. Infosys decided to use this package to create a standard application package for similar operations of any company. In 1989, Infosys bagged another major contract from Digital Equipment. In the early 1990s, with the opening up of the Indian economy, many export-oriented software companies were set up in India that created the momentum: Infosys leveraged this very

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successfully. By mid-1990s, Infosys was competing not only with Indian software majors like Tata Consultancy Services, and Wipro, but also with overseas players like Cambridge Technology Partners and Sapinet, which offered software solutions. Narayana Murthy believed that Indian software professionals had the ability to deal with complex projects. Analysts felt that unlike elsewhere, Indias sharpest minds were heading for a career in software, and the best of these aspired to be at Infosys. Infosys also competed with consultancies as Anderson Consulting and Ernst & Young, which positioned themselves as information management specialists. In 1994, the joint venture with KSA was dissolved. In 1995, Narayana Murthy created Yantra Corp. in Acton, Mass. US. Around the same time, Infosys entered into a joint venture with Satyam Computers and DCM. During 1998-99, Narayana Murthy planned to position Infosys as a true global company global clients, global operations, global staff and a global brand image. In 1998, to support his global ambition, Narayana Murthy listed the shares of Infosys on Nasdaq through American Depository Receipts (ADR) issue worth US$75 million. With this, he took the Indian software industry global. Narayana Murthys global strategy comprised three features. The first one was the global delivery model. The model emphasized on producing where it is most cost effective to produce and selling where it is most profitable to sell. Cost effective production meant doing as much of the software development work in India and profitable selling meant focusing almost exclusively on foreign markets, particularly the US. The second feature of the strategy was moving up the value chain which meant getting involved in a software development project at the earliest stage of its life cycle. However, analysts felt that for this, Infosys would have to compete with big companies like Cambridge Technology Partners or even Andersen Consulting, and that could be tough. Agreed Narayana Murthy, Yes, it is not going to be easy. But we dont have to be unduly concerned about

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unmitigated success. We may succeed in some and not in others which is not to say that we will not succeed as consultants. The third feature was the PSPD. According to Narayana Murthy, there are four fundamental tenets of any well-run business. One: predictability of revenues; two: sustainability of the predictions; three: profitability of revenues; and four: a good de-risking model. De-risking meant that Infosys had put limits on its exposure to businesses of various kinds. For instance, it limited its exposure to Y2K projects to less than 25% of its total revenues because this was a business that could disappear overnight and Infosys didnt want to take the risk.

LEADERS IN THE MAKING In August 2001, Narayana Murthy set up a Leadership Institute in Mysore, India, to manage the future growth of Infosys. The institute aimed at preparing Infosys employees to face the complexities of a rapidly changing marketplace and to bring about a change in work culture by instilling leadership qualities. Commenting on the institute, Narayana Murthy said, It is our vision at Infosys, to create world- class leaders who will be at the forefront of business and technology in todays competitive marketplace.

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LEADERSHIP MUNNABHAI WAY

Why Gandhi-giri worked? Gandhism always existed! But it was Munnabhai the most unlikely protagonist who re-introduced Gandhi to us What was it about Munnabhai that endeared him to us?

Inspiring Leadership Was able to fully motivate Circuit... Could inspire him to deliver results! Inspired fierce loyalty too.

Willingness to learn Was willing to fully devote himself to learn all that was necessary for achieving his goal Though he had no prior knowledge or experience on the subject.. No Status hang -ups He was a Respected Bhai! But was willing to give up all comforts .for the sake of the cause!

Going beyond the call of Duty It wasnt his job! 40

But yet he was always there to help solve others problems . With a keen feeling of belongingness!

Perseverance & Conviction Did not give up despite all odds being against him! and people ridiculing what he believed was right

Deploying the Right - Fit Allocated the right job to the right person And kept each one happy !!

Being a Peoples Person He connected to people So simply!! Even to unknown people They trusted himAnd he never let them down.at any cost!!

Munnabhais Mantras. Inspiring Leadership No Status hang -ups Deploying the Right - Fit Willingness to learn Perseverance & Conviction Going beyond the call of Duty Being a Peoples Person If these simple principles brought amazing results for Munnabhai,

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They can sure help us address our challenges???

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CONCLUSION

Follow the below mentioned points to become a successful leader

Take Charge Known Your Strengths Create your Vision Choose a workplace with Compatible values Establish your own personal advisory board Find a champion Work toward excellence in your practice Make your career more important than your job Take initiative Be your own advocate Be optimistic Take Risks Be visionary Share Vision Motivate others Become Un-Fungible Develop your social intelligence Break through expectations Become an excellent communicator Show Concern Develop and Maintain a Support System Maintain integrity Persevere Plan things

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Website:

1. www.google.com, Accessed on 4th October 2010. 2. www.wikipedia.com, Accessed on 6th October 2010. 3. www.ask.com, Accessed on 12th October 2010. 4. www.indiatimes.com, Accessed on 13th October 2010.

Books:

1. Morgan and Kings, Introduction to Psychology, (1993), Tata McGraw- Hill Publishing
Company Limited.

2. Prasad L.M., Organisational Behaviour, (2008), Sultan Chand & Sons. 3. Gupta C.B., Business Studies, (2006), Tata McGraw- Hill Publishing Company Limited.

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