People First : A Leadership Pholosophy

What is one word that describes you?

Yes I was always referred to as Peoples Man in my organisation.

In my corporate life of 42 years I have always followed the principle as People First. There is obvious way in corporate to blame person for any of the problems. I always professed the view that Focus on Issue and not the Person. Many leaders get stuck to person while resolving any issue instead of the real root cause.

In all my decisions I kept humanity as primary focus. This does not mean that I have kept the targets or results at the back burner. It is not so easy to balance between – Human & Results. Your team should enjoy working for you and not get stressed up with pressure. You need to include Fun N Joy in the work may be like Well Done cards or Birthday celebrations etc.

I am highly results oriented person. But I have consciously avoided to harass or torture people for the results. In fact you get better results when you treat people as human beings. No need to compromise on results. If you respect them as a human beings they will work more efficiently and with higher productivity.

Being in the leadership role, you are required to perform unpleasant tasks. Like giving critical feedback, yearly assessments and giving salary increments. It is essential skill for the leadership to make this happen in a positive manner. During such difficult situations it is very important to be a Good Listener. People have to say lot of things, they vent out their emotions and you have to lend your ear to them. Dont be judgemental or reactive during such discussions.

It was tested during Covid time. I was leading Crisis Management team and we made all out efforts to support people and keep their morale high during tough times.

So please treat your people as human beings and get better results.

Have a good day and keep smiling 😊