Leadership

First of all, managing people is the wrong way to look at it — the best way is to lead. A person with solutions always leads, irrespective of their designation. Leadership is not about managing people but about inspiring them to follow you. If you can win a person’s heart, their mind will work for you. A team follows the one they trust is working in their best interest. We as a society unite when we follow a common story, and a good team also unites around a common story that the leader has to ensure.

A leader is one under whom the team grows, and I have done it in the past. For example, I trained an intern to manage core MIS operations independently; within 6 months, they advanced directly to Senior Executive — reflecting my ability to transfer 5+ years of expertise and multiply team capability. Teaching the tools and skills to a novice is truly impactful leadership.

My approach is Focus → Delegate → Diversify. Focus on solving the problems, delegate to my subordinates, and diversify to solve bigger problems.

I follow the GRIT framework: (Growth + Recognition + Inspiration) × Trust. It is a bottom-up approach, not top-down. Managing often leads to manipulation, while true leadership uplifts and empowers others. Leadership that isn’t rooted in trust and respect is toxic.

I prefer intent over competence, because hard work beats talent when talent does not work hard. Leadership is about measuring and channelising resources for their best use — because “you can’t improve what you can’t measure.” A leader must master the art of human valuation, and philosophy is the metric of human valuation. A leader must also be a follower; one who cannot be a good follower cannot be a good leader. What matters is who you follow — choose your leader wisely.

A leader must stay away from undue influence to measure effectively. He should be isolated to remain objective. According to mimetic theory, if you are always around people, you will be biased by your surroundings. To truly evolve, you need objectivity. Managers often develop perceptions about their team members, but I don’t live in perception. Instead, I follow the rule of rethinking: reviewing a decision or conclusion to determine if it should be changed when new facts are presented.

We understand our own behaviour because we understand our intent, so we must be open to understanding others’ perspectives. Perception is dangerous because it hinders our ability to understand others. I believe judgment is lazy wisdom, and thinking is courageous insight — this is how I analyse subordinates.

If you want to lead, you must be committed to serving. Don’t expect magic from the team — the leader has to take responsibility themselves. A leader must be a generalist and aware of the work of all subordinates. One who knows nothing about the work but becomes the manager is the worst form of leadership. A leader must “know the way, go the way, and show the way.”

I build teams with diverse skills. A team with the same skill set leads to competition, while a team with different skill sets leads to collaboration and synergy. I hire people with skills I’m not an expert in, but am aware of, because what I know I can transfer easily. A leader should not be the brightest candle in the room, but should burn longer than anyone else.

I prefer wisdom over knowledge. Knowledge is just information, which is easily available, but wisdom is rare. The biggest skill today is not the volume of information you have, but the quality of the questions you ask. For me, the right metric asks the right questions. I want contrarian thinkers.

I hire people with achievements, as they are less prone to impostor syndrome. A good leader develops another good leader and becomes a multiplier. More importantly, I rank self-worth over achievements, because when self-worth meets recognition, it turns into achievement. Without achievements, leaders fall into impostor syndrome. Success leads to impostor syndrome if you don’t believe in yourself, and belief does not come from success but from overcoming failures.

The measure of a team’s success is not the position one has reached, but the obstacles overcome. Greatness does not come from intelligence — it comes from character. And character isn’t formed out of smart people; it is formed out of people who have suffered. Great people do wonders wherever they are present.