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Speaker: Shibani Belwalkar

Speak the names of those whose lives were lost, not of the man who took them. He may be
seeking notoriety, but we will give him nothing, not even his name - Jacinda Ardern in the aftermath
of the Christchurch shootings.

In fact, she is acclaimed as one of the most emotionally intelligent leaders, one who listens in
today's world.

What I want to highlight here in this segment, is the role of listening with empathy and compassion.
There's a difference between listening and hearing. When one listens, one understands what's
being said.

There was a research done by Harvard Business review. A number of senior executives were
surveyed, to understand what they thought of listening as part of their roles. The top three answers
were actually quite amazing.

The first feedback that was summarised from the executives was most of them were surprised that
listening was a topic that needed discussion or even attention. In fact, they mentioned, that it was a
realisation, an epiphany, that 85% of their jobs actually mandated listening - Listening to someone
or someone else listening to them.

The second response was even more interesting. The executive mentioned that a lot of the
disasters that had happened in their organisations were on account of faulty listening. Somebody
did not understand the instructions or misinterpreted or misunderstood them.

And number three was a confession. A lot of these leaders said that there was not due attention
being paid to listening skills, even though they had robust programs on communication and
communication development in the organization.

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There's a funny statement I’d like to share with you here again: Listening is akin to moving an entire
Cathedral across the seven seas from say England all the way to the US and rebuilding it exactly to
become the identical replica of the one that it earlier was. It' that Herculean a task.

So how does one build good listening skills, particularly with empathy and compassion? Well, Auto
Shamma has a way forward for us.

When we listen, we need to learn to listen - without the voice of judgment, without the voice of fear
and without the voice of cynicism. These are the three ways in which we cultivate empathetic
listening and listening with compassion.

We spoke about empathy at length in our earlier segment. When a leader listens with empathy, he
or she is listening for that which is also not being said. The ability to process information, reflect on
it and then action it out.

The ability to listen to a diverse set of views, some of which might actually be in contrarian opinion
to what you believe is right and wrong, but yet to listen, to process, to acknowledge and then to act.

I mentioned earlier, compassion is a need of the hour. When we can look at listening and the ability
to be kind to others, we demonstrate compassion. It's important also to realize over here, that as I
mentioned earlier, reading the air is an important trait for leaders to develop.

Body language, non-verbal cues, reading between the lines, that which may not be necessarily said.
Sometimes even smaller cues such as shrugging of shoulders, a social smile or raising of the
eyebrows, all are indicative of some message that the team member or individual wants to convey
to the leader, but may not necessarily speak it out in words.

An old wife’s tale, to sum it all up. A grandmother was addressing her grandson's executive team
and she ended by saying: Children, remember, the Lord has graced us with two ears and one
mouth, so use it in proportion, that means - Listen more, speak less.

Speaker: Shibani Belwalkar

After discussing empathy, listening skills, compassion, information, innovation, intellect, let's talk
about relationship management and networking.

Networking unfortunately, is probably one of the weakest skills focused on by leaders.

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Herminia Ibarra and Hunter layout in their research, that leaders ought to spend time very decisively
on networking, the ability to interact and mingle with a diverse set of individuals. They believe very
clearly, that networking can actually make a difference in a leader's success.

Well, what are the three kinds of networks which they believe are important for a leader, to maintain
and to enhance? The three categories are as follows:

Number one, an operational network. A leader needs to focus and build relationships with
individuals who are going to contribute to the success of the task or project on hand, that means
those stakeholders who have a role to play in your operations or in your goals.

Generally, these individuals are from within the organization, within teams, departments or across
the firm who have a say or a role or an influence in your outcome.

The second category of network is my favourite, the emotional network. Like-minded, kindred
spirits, you want to associate with, sometimes individuals who’re vested in your growth and
development. These people are the ones you bond with emotionally, often your friends in your
social circle, your family.

The third category is a strategic network, one that is often neglected and probably one of the most
important. It's about our future possibilities. Individuals who might impact us as we grow and
develop in our roles and our careers. Sometimes joining associations or organizations where
individuals were acclaimed in their fields, who role models, idols, participate in, can become a
critical way in which you generate a strategic network.

After all, it's all about whose shoulder to tap on when you need to. Understanding that you need to
have more and more people, step into your circle of influence, is what networking is about.

Here is a four-step model I can offer you, to network better. Begins with number one, mind your
mindset. I mentioned earlier that leaders look upon networking very disdainfully. Well, that's not the
truth, because most successful leaders are those who've honed one or the other of their networks.

Maybe not all equally, but certainly spend time in networking.

Number two, allocate time for networking. It's not a task that is done only when you have the time
or you have spare time, make networking part of your role, your career and your daily routine.

The third one and my favourite, is work from outside-in. Figure out what your interests are, maybe
beyond your workspace and join associations and groups, where acclaimed people are part of.

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The commonality in your interests will actually give you an opportunity to network with people, and
eventually a bond will develop. So rather than looking at your job conversation, to start a
conversation or a network with an individual, look at something outside of work, a common interest.

Fourth, and not the least, ask and you shall receive, which essentially means that use your networks
vividly, vibrantly, consistently and continuously to give and to take. Don't just wait for that point in
time when you have to necessarily reach out to someone, because you have to or it's impossible to
continue without it.

Instead find ways and means in which you can connect people in your networks. Offer favours to
people, that way you're constantly building and using the network in a way, where people will also
relate to you more and more.

For example, if an individual has XYZ set of skills and you know a business leader who's looking for
a person like him, introduce the two. In this way, you're ensuring that you're increasing your impact
on both individuals and that's one way in which you enhance your networking skills.

Speaker: Shibani Belwalkar

We looked at networking earlier. Let's talk about succession planning, which involves coaching,
nurturing, mentoring talent and ensuring that you have a pipeline for the future.

A leader has a huge role in coaching and mentoring, the second in line, to ensure continuity and
succession of the organisation.

Remember, Binny Bansal, stepping down from Flipkart or even for that matter, unfortunately when
Dhirubhai Ambani passed away in 2002 and the mess that evolved as a result of the two brothers
fighting as two sons.

That's the importance of having a clear identified individual, who's going to take on the role, once
you decide to step down, retire, or for some unforeseen circumstances, need to exit the
organisation.

A leader needs to learn how to coach. It's primarily a continuum, with one end of the spectrum
being that of counselling, where erratic or erroneous behaviour is corrected, and the other end that
of being of coaching, where you're invested in the growth and development of the individual you're
coaching.

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In between somewhere is mentoring. Mentoring, of course, is where you're teaching skills,
competencies, and making the individual grow better and better at their job.

A leader needs to focus on coaching, that's a skill set that starts distinguishing a leader and a
manager as well.

A leader who's invested in not just talking about processes or policies or ways and techniques, but
truly talks about the mentee or the coachee, evolving into a better individual has understood what
coaching is.

It's not about drawing attention to what should be or what can be, it's about aspiring to see the
individual in a better light.

Eventually, here's a framework we can offer leaders, who need to coach their team members.
Number one, listen. We've highlighted listening skills through our entire segment. Well, listening is a
cornerstone of coaching and a leader in particular, who wants to become a coach needs to listen,
listen with empathy and compassion.

Number two, don't necessarily look at the premise, look for the promise. Nelson Mandela once said:
Well, it's impossible until it becomes possible. So rather than focusing on what is happening right
now, see the determination of the individual to want to change circumstances, the desire and the
interest in improving, the feeling or the vision of wanting to be better than what is.

It's not about drawing attention to the present, but it's about drawing attention to the future as well.

Coaching can be absolutely instrumental for an organization succession plan. If a leader takes
interest in coaching team members, you will have a pool of resources, which is ready to take on the
challenge.

Speaker: Shibani Belwalkar

Srikanth Bolla, born 1992, a young man with disabilities. He was visually impaired, unfortunately,
ostracised by schools and colleges, even by society. In 2012, he went on to set up Bollant
Industries.

So how does a young man like Srikanth Bolla, influence so many people across the country to back
him up for a vision or a dream that is his?

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Leadership is influence, it's not about power or coercion or forcing people to fall in line with you,
rather, it's about them witnessing your commitment, your values, your integrity and being influenced
in a way that they want to contribute to that.

Influence is a subtle art of convincing people to give their buy-in into your thoughts and processes
and eventually impacting their behaviour and actions.

Interestingly, there's a very fine line between influence and manipulation. Manipulation has a
different intent. Influence is a positive word, primarily when you believe that the individual will
voluntarily start supporting what you want from them.

Let’s take a pause over here and understand what is a key ingredient of influence. It's about trust
and credibility. Unless the followers have an immense sense of trust, believe in the integrity and
credibility of the leader, they will not be influenced.

So, what a leader says, does, if there is synergy in the two, the followers will be convinced and
influenced. There are several different styles of influencing, even the leader has different styles.

We can see what style of influence a leader has when we judge them in situations. Certain
situations, you'll see a leader demonstrate a very different influencing style. Let’s take a look at what
these styles are.

Bridging style: Basically, uses the comfort of drawing on connections between friends and
colleagues, bringing people together and inviting stakeholders into conversations for consensus.

Rationalising and analytical influencer: Using facts and figures and data to support the point of view.
An asserter influence, is one who's a straight shooter, using confidence and a little bit of aggression
to influence others to act.

An inspiring influencer: A compelling speaker who uses stories and metaphors to help people
understand complex ideas, to offer encouragement and generate emotion.

Or, a negotiating influencer: Basically, one who's a strong collaborator, who's proactively seeking
different ways to satisfy different stakeholders and have a balance of interest.

Gone are the days, when leadership was considered to be an individual heroic act, it’s now very
clearly a team sport. Also, in the same breath, a team is a shadow or a reflection of the leader right.

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So, if a leader chooses to believe that the team is incapable or not performing or if a team is great
and performs well, it's eventually a reflection of the leadership skills.

I usually refer to the Ronald Heifetz model of adaptive leadership. 30 years of research and he
describes adaptive leadership as the capacity of a leader to understand, when to get onto the
dance floor and when to stand up on the balcony.

I think this is simply magical, very beautifully summarises the role of adaptive leadership. What he
means when he says getting onto the dance floor, is the ability of a leader to get into the thick and
thin of things, lead from the front, participate, guide, demonstrate, even reskill individuals, drag
those in who are not dancing on the dance floor, observe those who are dancing extremely close to
the music centre.

All the observations come from first-hand information and experience. What he also says is a leader
also needs to understand when to back off, delegate, trust team members, know that they can
manage themselves, standing on the balcony.

Here's a picture I’d like to share with you. I was fairly mesmerized when I looked at this image.
Queen Abbakka of the Chowta dynasty, 16th-century queen, who single-handedly for 40 years
warded off the Portuguese invasion in Karnataka.

What this picture tells us, is that see the way she's leading the army, charging from the front, when
she knew she had to be there, her participation, her leadership was mandatory, it was pertinent for
winning the battle and see her on the balcony, that's when she's rest assured that her commanders
and generals know what they're doing, she's probably given the directions, given the instructions,
they all have a common vision and she's fairly confident they know how to execute it.

A leader learns from the team's experiences. So, let's look at what are the traits of a good adaptive
leader who can learn from the team's experiences.

As you can see on screen, an adaptive leader first and foremost, needs to develop the ability to link
org change to the primary values and abilities of every stakeholder involved, that means shared
values.

Number two, the capacity to create an environment that embraces diversity, diversity of views and
opinions and takes advantage of collective knowledge. Number three, a leader who understands
that change can be painful, yet doesn't shy away from it.

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Number four, an understanding that large scale change is a gradual process. Number five, an
adaptive leader understands proactiveness to constantly look for opportunities, to invest necessary
resources and go after them.

Number six, a leader who can admit when they make a mistake. Number seven, a leader who's
open to experimentation and risk taking. And finally, one who likes and encourages innovation
amongst employees.

When you master adaptive leadership, you truly understand what it means to be right in the
forefront, directing your teams, being part of their experiences and knowing when to step back and
allowing them to experience it for themselves and retell it to you.

There’s a scene in a movie that I like to speak about very often, in the context of adaptive
leadership. Well, in fact, it's the final scene in the movie 300. What I love about that scene, is a
leader at that point in time, King Leonidas sends back one of his commanders who's got the art of
storytelling, to head back and retell the entire episode and craft out the story of success of warriors
and of bravery, that the 300 soldiers demonstrated in that battle.

Here what he's clearly doing, King Leonidas, is he's there fighting the battle right in the forefront,
but he's also appointed an individual who can stand back on the balcony, observe and go back and
tell the story to everybody else so that their name goes down in history.

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