11 Essential Traits to become a Great Leader
“Leadership” is described as a necessary trait in various job positions like CEO, Director, Project Manager, Software Architect, Resource Manager, Technical Manager, Test Lead, and so on... People have different ways of describing a leader they want for a particular job.
I started reading a lot of books, listened to a number of podcasts, observed how manager’s work/interact with people at different workplaces. I was a mentee to a number of managers and was also managing/coaching/mentoring/leading a number of people from teams of 6 people to 50 people. During these experiences, I started seeing common patterns in terms of how some basic set of characteristics can make a person a great leader. This was the inspiration for me to write this post. It covers various things I tried; experimented with and adapted to different teams I have worked with or currently working. This has helped me become a trusted leader/friend to my peers, colleagues and team members.
The goal of this post is NOT to be a blueprint for any leader or manager to blindly follow, rather I highlight different patterns and experiences that helped me become an effective leader and some of this may be relevant to you and your current workplace. This post was written to spark inspiration in people and give them ideas to help them become effective leaders.
So here are the things based on my experience, that makes a person a GREAT LEADER
1. Validated Learning-
A number of books, podcasts and blogs talk about validated learning. It has become so obvious to use this method to get quick feedback on what is working/what is not. But quite often, we fail do this because of multiple factors like peer pressure, company bureaucracy, ego or just straight up laziness.
When I say “Validate Learning”, what I mean is that, to find out if something is going to work or not; we need to experiment with something on a smaller scale, then learn from it and then pivot our approach based on the learning and then try a variation of our initial implementation again and the cycle continues. I learnt this concept from the The Lean Startup book by Eric Ries. Just doing this, helped me to bring positive changes in the workplace
(Image taken from the book)
For Example- I was leading a software testing team in a company where we were trying to figure out a good document repository system. The goal was to have a system that would work seamlessly between different devices and would be easy to collaborate and share things within the team and outside the team. For this, we had various ideas like using Google Drive, One Drive, Sharepoint, Dropbox, Shared folders and so on... No one including me knew what would be a good solution for the context of my team.
So, we did a brainstorming session with the team on the merits/de-merits of each of these tools. Once we compiled the Pros/Cons list of each tool, we picked 2 tools based on a voting system within the team. In this case, we picked Google Drive and Dropbox. Then, we split the team into 2 teams.
Team A- Used Google Drive for 1 week
Team B- Used Dropbox for 1 week.
After Week 1,
Team A and B learnt a lot about the tool in terms of what were its strengths/weaknesses, what things were time consuming and what things were super easy using the tool. We did a retrospective session on things that worked and that did not wok, for both the tools. Based on the learning, we tweaked some of the approaches we were following and did another iteration of using the tool.
In Week 2,
Team A still used Google Drive and Team B still used Dropbox but with tweaked approaches to make the use of the tool more effective. We were able to do this from the initial learning of using the tool in Week 1.
End of Week 2,
We had another retrospective session on what worked/what did not. At this point, we could start seeing patterns of which tool is starting to prove more beneficial than the other based on the learning. Here, I decided to do a change, where I switched Team A to use Dropbox and Team B to use Google Drive. Also, the team collectively came up with standard processes they want to follow using both the tools for easy comparisons and learning.
In Week 3, we switched applications between the teams
Team A - used Dropbox (Switched from Week 1 and 2)
Team B - used Google Drive (Switched from Week 1 and 2)
Both the teams switched tools and followed the same standards we collectively came up with as a team. When I say standards, what I mean is, things like “naming convention for documents”, “Having different folder structures”, “Sharing files/folders with only a certain group of people” etc.
In the end of Week 3,
We did another retrospective and finally started seeing which tool would be more helpful for the team on the long run, based on our context on how our team works.
Summary:
The tool we finally chose to work with is a different conversation but the thing I wanted to emphasize here is that, this constant cycle of experimenting->learning and collecting data->Discussing the learning as a team-> Pivoting based on the learning and starting the experiment again, helped us come up with a long term solution that was tested rigorously by actual people who are going to use the tool.
I have been following this approach of “validated learning” in all the teams I work with and it has proved to be really helpful.
2. Being a good listener
As simple as this may sound, being a good listener takes a lot of dedication and practice. I remember the days when I first started as a Software Engineer and was eager to prove myself. This eagerness led me in the path of; trying to take up as much work as possible, trying to over optimize things, trying to start something immediately without paying attention to feedback my peers/mentors were giving me, trying to constantly keep talking in group meetings to prove I am smart enough to have my current job and finally constantly interrupting people when they were trying to help me out by giving me alternate and easier solutions to problems that I was trying to over complicate.
During all these situations just talking to people who have already done these kinds of tasks and listening to them could have saved me so much time, effort and embarrassment (Hey! In my defense I was still a rookie back then :-)).
Over the years, I was fortunate enough to work with great leaders and managers who were patient enough to work with me and help me learn the art of being a good listener. In my last few jobs they used to call me “The Therapist” because over the years I have learnt to be empathetic and listen to what people are saying when they have concerns, providing solutions to problems, brainstorming ideas or flat out just want to vent out as they are in a really bad place and would feel better talking to someone. I have been really fortunate and in a way proud that people trust me and share things with me. Sometimes people just want you to listen and they do not expect you to respond at all. This is fine too.
I love this quote which I read from source a while ago and it has been my inspiration to always be a good listener. It goes like this,
“It is better to be silent and be called a fool, than opening your mouth and leaving no doubt about it”
So, next time you want to talk out of turn or want to interrupt people think about this quote.
3. Mentoring/Coaching
Everyone needs mentoring or some sort of coaching. If you want to excel in something you do not have much experience with; we have to seek out other people with more experience in that particular domain. I continue to have mentors in my life and I am currently coaching/mentoring other people inside and outside my workplace. Remember everyone has something to offer. It is left to you to choose the right mentor for you and seek out an expert/trusted resource in that particular field accordingly.
When it comes to mentoring, I learnt a simple and effective way of doing this from the book – First Break All The Rules... There are 4 steps in mentoring a person
Select a person
Set expectations
Motivate the person
Develop the person
The above steps are self-explanatory so I am not going to go into a lot of detail about it.
4. Training and empowering the team
Each person in the team has different skillsets. In order for them to grow and focus on their strengths, we need to provide a conducive environment for learning and empowering the team. This is where giving your resources the necessary training to excel in their job proves to be a really important factor.
There are various ways we can empower the team that I have personally tried and found successful. Some of them are-
Have an anonymous survey within the team and ask them what training they think would be beneficial for them and the team
During your 1:1 conversation with different team members ask them what type of training they may need to improve/sharpen their skillset
Have the team host “meetup” events or attend meetup groups to know what is happening outside the company. This encourages more networking and learning
Send people to different conferences (including you) focused on their strengths. Trust me, I would not have become who I am today if not for attending/speaking at conferences
Encourage peer coaching. Have each team member coach other team members in certain skills. This gives everyone the feeling of empowerment and also helps to build a feeling of trust and camaraderie, as each person is learning from each other
Have weekly meetings/bi-weekly meetings to encourage people to share interesting things they are learning outside the company with the team.
Identify people who are interested in leadership opportunities. Give them tasks, and let them lead the effort with you behind them in the shadows. Let them take all the credit and portray them as a leader to the team, with you just mentoring them behind the scenes. This helps the individual earn respect from the team and also motivates the person
Have inspirational videos and watch it as a team. This helps to bring out the leaders, coaches and mentors inside your team members and inspires them to start making effective contributions
This quote inspires and reminds me to follow this rule -
"Tell me and I forget, teach me and I remember, involve me and I learn"
5. Respect yours and other people's schedule and time
There is only so much time in this world. This is especially true if you have say a 9-5 job and about 4 hours goes in meetings and only have 4 hours or less to do some productive work which is focused on accomplishing your tasks. A recent study conducted by Pay scale states - on an average people waste 2.09 hours on non-productive tasks or tasks not related to their goals.
This being the case, be really cognizant of the following things-
DO NOT attend unnecessary meetings and DO NOT invite people not directly related to discussions to your meetings. You are not the only person who is busy; the truth is EVERYONE is busy. So respect each other’s time
Block time in calendar to do productive work. This is to prevent other people from scheduling you to meetings just because you are available during that time. Something which I constantly do is, before I sign out for the day, I look at my calendar for the next day, I block chunks of time (usually in the mornings where I am more productive) where I can do work related to my goals and set reminders/deadlines for myself for different tasks. This makes me personally accountable for things and gives me enough buffer time to review things before the deadline. I borrowed some of these concepts from my experiments with Deep Work
Whenever you schedule a meeting have
Clear objectives and agenda for the meeting. Make sure to add this to meeting invites, so other people know what to expect and come prepared for it
Add links to documents and other resources that people would need to look at before the meeting
ALWAYS come out of the meeting with action items, next steps and follow-ups. I personally hate meetings where people just keep talking and no one comes to any decision. So, we end up scheduling another meeting and discussing the same thing again
ALWAYS document at least on a high level, what was decided in the meeting and let people who attended the meeting know about it. Again, what is NOT DOCUMENTED is NEVER done. Always documents things
DO NOT write long e-mail chains that suck the life out of people when trying to read through it. I follow 2 simple rules for this
E-mail should MOSTLY be in 3-4 bullet points, highlighting the key things you want to convey. If there is more information to convey you are better off talking to person directly or calling over the phone
E-mail with more than 2 e-mail threads is an immediate RED FLAG; it should be stopped then and there. It is like a Virus, which is going to start spreading and affecting everyone's productivity and time. This is a sign that the people involved need to talk directly or in the worst case scenario have a short meeting ONLY with the people necessary, to get clarity on things.
6. Never make decisions in an emotional state
You may not know this but I am an emotional guy. I went through a lot of personal grief and experiences over the past few years and found it hard to keep it from interfering with my work life. Everyone talks about having “work vs. life balance” but no one talks about “work vs. emotional” balance.
Based on my personal experience never do the following things when emotional-
Writing E-mails
It is a REALLY bad idea to compose/reply to e-mails when you are emotional due to various reasons. When you are emotional, the rational mind stops working temporarily and you start thinking and writing things which you would never imagine writing. Once you click on the SEND button the damage is already done.
Having difficult conversations
Having difficult conversations is part of normal life. This is especially true in your work environments where you spend majority of your life. When a colleague tries to hurt you, the first instinct is to retaliate and hurt them in exchange. This cycle continues and then everyone is frustrated and damage is done.
Instead, when you need to confront someone on what they said or have a sensitive issue you need to discuss with someone, do it on an individual basis. Usually a closed room conversation works great in these situations, as each one gets a chance to express their opinions without an unnecessary audience.
7. Socialize with Team Inside/Outside work
Getting to know your team on a personal level helps in bringing down barriers in communication, work and behavioral patterns within the team. One of my strengths which I can proudly say here is, most of my team members love to work with me as I try to get to know them on a personal level and try to help them to be more personable and outgoing too.
There are various ways you can do this-
Have team potlucks, where you encourage each team member who may belong to various regions of the world to bring some ethnic/dish local to them, to share with other people. This not only helps in team building but also encourages people to communicate with each other in a more friendly setting. (Who does not like good food right?)
Have regular team outings where there are some group activities that encourage people to work and have fun together. Some of my favorite types of outings are-
Escape Rooms
Bowling
Sporting events – I usually like Baseball as the environment is calmer and encourages more walking and drinking compared to other sports
Brewery Tours (For all the beer lovers in your team and at the same time have non-alcoholic beverages for people who do not participate in this awesome social activity :-) )
Team Picnics (More like potlucks but in an outdoor park with games like Corn-hole, frisbees, catching footballs, flying kites etc)
Do volunteering work involving the whole team once every quarter. The benefit of doing this is two folds. For one, the whole team is forced to work together and help each other out in different tasks and most importantly you are giving back to the community by volunteering to help out different charities and organizations.
8. Pay attention to remote employees, Do NOT alienate them
It is the 21st century and working remotely is a normal thing. In this era where there are so many great talents and companies fighting for them, it is really important to keep the remote employees happy to prevent large turnovers. Over the past several years, I have worked with many individuals, teams, and companies and have been in different work environments. One thing that still surprises me is that, remote employees ARE MOSTLY neglected. There are various reasons this can happen and there are things you can do to prevent problems like the ones described below
Problem:
When we have team meeting/other meetings in the company, we often fail to think about the remote employee in terms of
Not announcing who is in the meeting room
Not paying attention to food chomping, coffee slurping and sounds generated by putting your laptop, notepad or coffee mug on the table. This may seem like a trivial/normal thing for people in the room but for the person joining in remotely, this sounds like a loud noise going right through your ear buds, especially when wearing noise cancelling headphones. I have been there and done that
Not sharing screens when going over presentations or taking about something he/she is projecting on the screen. The remote employee is left to tap into his visualization techniques to make assumption about what the presenter is showing and create his own interpretation of things. This is really useful technique for meditation but not so much for work meetings
Finally, the thing that annoys me the MOST is, a lot of little conversations happening throughout the room during the meeting and it sounds like the remote employee is in the fish market and has no clue of what is happening
Solution:
So, how to avoid these problems?
Be cognizant of the fact that there are remote employees/attendees to meeting
Ensure you announce the people who are present in the room
The facilitator should ensure there is a web-cam so that the attendees of the meeting can see each other and this gives a feeling of inclusion. Ensure there is only one conversation-taking place at any point of time during the meeting. Also, ensure we check in periodically with remote attendees in case they have any questions or things they want to add to the current conversation
Try to use remote collaboration tools like Google Hangouts, Skype and other software that helps to bring everyone together and encourages more collaboration
Act like an adult and stop putting things on the table really hard, banging on the table or chomping on food near the speakerphone. No one needs to know that you are trying to shove a salad down your throat
9. You NEED Coaching too. Select Mentors/Coaches to help you grow
Just because you are a Manager/Lead/Director/CEO does not mean that you are perfect. There is always scope for improvement and there should be a continuous cycle of feedback to help you grow. This being said, keep your “Ego” aside and identify Mentors inside/outside the company who can help you work on different initiatives, be a source of motivation/inspiration and help you brainstorm things which could steer the way your team/organization works within the company.
Currently, I have mentors inside and outside the company with whom I talk to on a regular basis via Skype, Hangouts or in person. These are people who I can trust with sensitive information and they could help me brainstorm ideas. Again, this is totally different from the normal feedback requests and quarterly/ annual performance reviews which happen in the company. This is more about helping you figure out the right path for your team and career in the long term. This is about helping you make strategic and important decisions that could in some cases make/break your team and the company.
So, don't hesitate to ask for help and forming your own mastermind group. No one is perfect in this world and everyone can use some help.
10. ALWAYS work on high priority stuff
People talk about time management but no one talks about “Self Management”.You cannot manage time but you can manage the way YOU work and prioritize tasks at a given time. Not everything is important.
The above being said how do we ensure we always work on the highest priority stuff at any point of time?
I read this book -”Procrastinate on Purpose” and it really changed the way I do things in the past couple of years. In this book, the author talks about the focus funnel. I have since tried to use as my guideline to work on tasks
(Image taken from the book)
In a nutshell this how it works, say you have a task – TASK A. This is how you decide whether you can work on TASK A by putting it through the focus funnel.
Step 1: Can TASK A be eliminated?
Step 2: If NO, Can TASK A be automated?
Step 3: If NO, Can TASK A be delegated?
Step 4: If NO, Can TASK A can be delayed further by Procrastinating on purpose?
Step 5: If NO, then you work on TASK A by Concentrating on it
Priority Dilution is, when you delay the most important tasks by allowing your attention to focus on less important but maybe urgent tasks
Priority Concentrate is, when you concentrate on the most important tasks and that is your priority NOW
You can find more information from the book, but I have used the ideas in this book to help in my decision making process.
So remember Your Time is Your Baby, Your Prized Possession, Your way to put more time now so that you can save more time in the future. Handle with CARE just like how you respect other people's time and schedule.
11. You are NOT the person who needs to change EVERYTHING
Lets get real here; you could be a manager/leader/mentor/coach and no matter what, your job is to LEAD and make a POSITIVE IMPACT to the team and organization. Your job is NOT to change everything because the actual truth is, some things are fine the way it already is and does not need your time and energy invested in it.
This is one of the common causes of failure, especially for new people who join a company or a team. When brought in as a senior member to make effective changes, we often mistake this as an opportunity/need to change everything. This is a BAD IDEA for various reasons-
Change is a slow/gradual process especially in big teams/organizations. People are used to the way things are for a certain period of time. So if we are going to change everything at once, people are going to get confused and scared. Their first reaction is, “Who is this guy/girl who just came in and trying to tell us what to do?”
There are some things that are already effective and working seamlessly with less supervision. Why would you change that?
There are only so many things you can do as an individual. Why waste time in things that may be of lesser priority and less impact?
For God Sake, you just joined. Instead of getting to know the team, you are already waiving your imaginary magic wand at people thinking you can magically change things?
As a leader, it is important to
First of all, do YOUR RESEARCH on what is working and what is not. Why something has been implemented in the way it is currently implemented
Interview different team members and find out what are their real problems
Learn about the product, the team goals, the company goals, and the plan for the next 6 months/year
Identify things that are causing wastage of time and resources to the organization
Come up with a list of things you think will be beneficial
Pick a few groups of like-minded people and come up with a prioritized list
Set a timeline for each task in the list
Delegate things that can be delegated, as it also empowers the team and helps to build trust
Make the list visible to everyone and talk about it on a regular basis. This makes everyone accountable for their actions and brings a team approach to problems
So there you go these are my real life experiences and my point of view. Hope this helps to inspire other people and give new ideas. Remember this,
“Leadership is about making others better as a result of your presence and making sure the impact lasts in your absence”
If you have similar kind of experiences or other techniques that helped you become an effective leader please share them here and let other people know about it.