In organizations today, employer branding is often misunderstood as employee communication. Typically, the communication department defines a message to be disseminated to prospective target employees on their employer brand and this is broadcasted through different mediums like print and digital media.

But is this effective? Not entirely as it may be limited in its purpose of reaching out to the right audience.

exercise and defining an employer value proposition- EVP could be far more integrated and scientific. The first step in an employer branding exercise and defining an EVP is building a suitable business case. The Business Case is linked to the challenges in the short-medium and long term that the company wishes to address through defining the EVP of the organization. This exercise is normally done internally by an employer branding core committee which would also define the metrics to measure the success of the employer branding exercise.

People Business has supported several organizations to define their EVP.

Given below are examples of some business cases for employer branding for different organizations

Change Image from a slow, steady group to a more aggressive, high-growth organization image

 Biggest win was changing the DNA, Culture, and infrastructure to being more youthful, forward-looking, and aggressive business.

: Improving the ability to retain people especially in the frontline

Improved retention levels by 40% in an 18-month period, with key initiatives in structure, rewards &amp; incentivization of store staff

 Attracting the right target profile especially in technology and ensuring high levels of retention

Key Outcome: Performance conversations consistently across levels implemented and streamlining of the recruitment process to ensure hiring of the right target profile

4. Top 3 Financial Services Firms Globally:

 To rebrand the Indian operations against their core business image

: Brought a balance in attracting talent with a long-term view vs. the millennial expectation of quicker gratification

Business Case for Employer Branding

In this edition of the 'CEO Insights,' we have Edlabadkar, Vice President, Chennai Site Leader at Genesys Telecom Labs India Pvt. Ltd. In his conversation with Mr. Rahul Mahajan, Country-Lead of Great Manager Awards, he shares with us his approach and vision he looks forward to as a leader.

: What is your leadership style? And what are some of the do's and don'ts when it comes to working with you?

 My leadership style is a combination of various things and whatever works in a particular situation. To share an example – During our team growth in India when we reached a stage where we had the critical mass, we felt the need to establish employee led forums to drive engagement and CSR activities and I ensured that I am present and supported all those initiatives and events. One can say that this is leading by example, an attribute of servant leadership style.

Another aspect of my style is Coaching – helping or guiding the people closely working with me. This involves connecting with people not only at a professional level but at the personnel level and this interpersonal relationship helps both ways. 

If you were to go back ten years, what would be some of the 

 Ten years back, I was playing the role of senior manager leading a team of software developers. Back then Genesys was a 45-member business unit part of Alcatel-Lucent and focus was on delivering software. Looking back, I can say I had narrow focus. I could have definitely thought about developing leadership skills that would have shaped my career much earlier. We should have thought about getting a technical edge and the scale to take the team to new heights.

What is something you have learned about leadership in the last year, a time of crisis?

: When the Corona pandemic started spreading in India in March 2020, the first action was to move everyone to work from home. To be honest before March 2020, myself as well as anyone from our India Leadership team wouldn’t have thought that all of us can work from home. So, the first learning was that most of the things which we think are not possible can be done if there is willingness and trigger for it.

The second learning is that the pandemic situation has made all of us more empathetic towards each other and this helped us understand that the situation is different for different people and support each other’s needs.

Some people are able to do things on a normal working schedule of 9:30 - 6, while some people have chosen different timings, depending on their activities or whatever fits them.'

Finally, the current situation provides an opportunity to learn something new or do something different by taking advantage of the time saved in commuting. I have started doing meditation and walking regularly.

How do you go about defining your vision and cascading the same down to all your employees?

It is clear to me and other leaders in Genesys India that we need to go beyond just being delivery or operations or technology center and focus on the value we can deliver from India. The cost arbitrage is definitely an advantage for India but that is not something that we want to talk about or harp on rather we want to establish center of excellence delivering end-to-end by taking advantage of co-location of multiple functions under one roof.'That is the first and foremost objective, to go beyond the goal of being a delivery, operations, or a technology center and build an organization which delivers value to the corporate.

While we are a self-contained team in India, the aspiration is also to go beyond India and do things that affect the global business. We are looking to hire or develop people for global roles.

We would like to contribute to business in India and develop solutions that cater to local or regional needs. The fact that India development center has presence of multiple functions and close to 15% of total company strength out of which 50% comes from R&amp;D gives us the leverage to build that story and that is what we are looking for.

 What are some of the qualities or X-factors that you look to develop at the leadership level?

 The first and foremost quality that I stress upon in every new employee orientation program in Genesys is “Effective Communication”. Irrespective of the role for which someone is hired, I value this the most and look for people who are good in communicating with others and articulating their thoughts.

I would put Innovation as second most important as we need to look for the future while working on the current set of activities.

'It is important that the innovation that we bring into our day-to-day work, and I'm not talking about disruptive innovation. I'm talking more about incremental innovation in terms of process or product innovation.'

The third quality is being tech savvy, and this is applicable for any role and any function. The fourth one for a leadership role is to be organization savvy. The individual has to know how the organization works, what the processes and policies are and how you maneuver to get things done and how you can influence. IMO a combination of all these things is what I consider important to look for in a leader.

 If you're in an interview with limited time, and you can ask just one question to a candidate and basis that question, decide whether that candidate is the right fit. What would that question be?

 I would ask him about his success and his failures in his career. Through this question, I'm trying to gauge the experience that he has, which will be brought out as an answer to the same, and the successes will tell me to what extent he was able to deliver and what he has delivered, whereas the failures will definitely give us insights into what he has tried and was not able to accomplish.

 What are the most critical or crucial competencies for a Great Manager?

 The first and foremost competency, as I mentioned earlier as well, is interpersonal communication. It is important for a manager to interact well with team members, share updates and prepare the team.

The second important competency is providing actionable feedback and developing the team members. Many times, I have seen that one-to-one discussions revolve around discussion of tasks only. The discussion should be about challenges team members facing and what support they require, their development plan etc.

The third would be to definitely be a subject matter expert, as a manager; you need to know the ins and outs of the function, the project, or the product that you are working on. Only then will the team members respect you or even listen to you and also be able to guide them.

 Rahul is the Country Lead of Great Manager Awards and has played a pivotal role in strengthening the Great Manager Awards program in partnership with The Economic Times over the last 6 years in India. Rahul closely works with Business &amp; HR leaders to help them identify and develop successors for their organization.

Effective Communication & Actionable Feedback: Cracking the Managerial Code

Leadership gaps rarely appear without warning. Operational signals surface first. Decision delays, rising conflicts, and unclear ownership expose deeper leadership strain. Systems show repeated rework. Teams wait for approvals. Managers avoid responsibility. These signals reveal misaligned leadership behaviors, not talent shortages. When these patterns persist, organizations face stalled momentum and rising frustration. This is where 

 becomes necessary as a system correction.

Leadership Transformation as an Organizational System Shift

Leadership change is not about replacing individuals. It reshapes how authority, influence, and accountability function. A true shift changes decision habits, communication patterns, and role clarity. Without system-level change, new leaders repeat old behaviors. A structured leadership development strategy connects personal growth with shared leadership norms. This ensures leaders act with consistency under pressure.

Transformation succeeds when leadership behavior changes become visible and repeatable.

Aligning Leadership Direction With Business Intent

Leadership must translate strategy into daily behavior. When leaders lack clarity, teams drift or compete for direction. Alignment means leaders model priorities through actions, not messages. Strategic intent must guide how leaders allocate time, attention, and resources. This alignment anchors leadership transformation in business reality rather than abstract vision. 

Alignment strengthens when organizations:

When leadership direction matches business intent, execution becomes faster and more focused.

Developing Self-Aware and Accountable Leaders

Self-awareness allows leaders to adjust behavior before damage occurs. Leaders who understand their impact build trust faster. Accountability ensures leaders follow through, even under stress. A strong leadership development strategy builds both through structured feedback and reflection. Leaders learn how their decisions affect morale, pace, and results.

Self-aware leaders correct courses early. Accountable leaders sustain progress.

Embedding Leadership Learning Into Daily Work

Leadership growth fails when learning stays separate from work. Real change happens during real decisions. Leaders must practice new behaviors while managing projects, conflicts, and priorities. Learning embedded in work ensures relevance and retention. This approach keeps leadership transformation grounded and visible.

Daily practice turns leadership development into habit, not effort.

Creating Cultural Support for Leadership Growth

Culture determines how leaders behave under pressure. Supportive cultures encourage openness, learning, and shared responsibility. Restrictive cultures reinforce fear and silence. Leadership growth accelerates when people feel safe to admit mistakes and test new approaches. Cultural support strengthens any leadership development strategy by removing hidden resistance.

Culture either supports leadership change or quietly blocks it.

Measuring Leadership Progress With Purpose

Measurement guides focus but should not control behavior. Too many metrics distract leaders from real improvement. Clear indicators help leaders understand progress and gaps. Balanced tracking supports leadership transformation without reducing leadership to scores.

Purposeful measurement keeps leadership development practical and human.

Leadership change must survive transitions, pressure, and growth. Without continuity, progress resets with every role change. Clear leadership standards and succession planning protect momentum. Shared expectations allow new leaders to step in without confusion. Long-term thinking ensures leadership transformation delivers value beyond individuals.

Sustained leadership change becomes part of how the organization operates.

The Value of External Perspective in Leadership Change

Internal teams often share blind spots. External perspective challenges assumptions and adds clarity. Structured guidance brings pace and discipline. It helps leaders step back and see patterns clearly. This perspective supports focus and accountability throughout transformation efforts.

Outside perspective strengthens internal commitment.

People Business’s Leadership-Focused Approach

At People Business, we see leadership as a connected system of behavior, culture, and intent. We work closely with leaders to build clarity, confidence, and consistency. Our approach supports sustainable leadership transformation rooted in real work situations and human understanding.

Our work strengthens leadership development strategy through disciplined practice and trusted partnership.

Begin Your Leadership Transformation Journey

Leadership shapes every outcome. Visit our official website to explore how we support leaders through structured growth and reflection. Learn how we help organizations build trust, clarity, and accountability. Partner with us to move your leadership forward with confidence and purpose.

How Organizations Can Drive Effective Leadership Transformation

In today’s competitive and fast-changing business environment, leadership is no longer defined only by authority or experience. Organisations that grow consistently are those that invest in building capable leaders at every level. Leadership development is not a one-time training activity, it is a continuous process that shapes behaviour, strengthens 

At People Business, leadership development is viewed as a strategic lever for sustainable growth. By nurturing leadership capability across the organisation, businesses can respond better to change, build high-performing teams, and create a strong future-ready culture.

 refers to a structured approach to enhancing the skills, behaviours, and mindset required to lead effectively. It focuses on developing self-awareness, communication, strategic thinking, and the ability to inspire others.

Unlike traditional management training, leadership development is holistic. It considers not just what leaders do, but how they think, behave, and influence others. Organisations that adopt a Leadership development journey ensure that leadership capability evolves alongside business needs rather than remaining static.

Why Leadership Development Matters for Business Growth

Leadership directly impacts how people perform, collaborate, and adapt. Strong leadership creates clarity, trust, and alignment, which are essential for achieving business objectives.

1. Strengthens Organisational Performance

Effective leaders set clear direction, make informed decisions, and motivate teams to deliver results. When leadership capability improves, productivity and efficiency follow.

Leadership development prepares employees for higher responsibilities. It reduces dependency on external hiring and ensures continuity through internal succession.

3. Drives Employee Engagement and Retention

People are more likely to stay with organisations where they see growth opportunities. A well-defined 

In times of change, strong leaders help teams navigate uncertainty, maintain morale, and stay focused on goals.

5. Creates a Culture of Accountability and Trust

Leadership behaviours shape culture. When leaders act with integrity and consistency, trust strengthens across the organisation.

Leaders Developing Leaders: A Powerful Growth Model

One of the most impactful approaches to leadership development is 

. This model focuses on experienced leaders actively mentoring, coaching, and guiding emerging talent.

When leaders take responsibility for developing others, leadership becomes embedded in the organisation rather than limited to formal roles. This creates a multiplier effect, capability spreads faster, learning becomes continuous, and leadership standards remain consistent.

 benefit from stronger collaboration, faster readiness for leadership roles, and a shared sense of ownership for talent development.

Key Elements of an Effective Leadership Development Approach

To drive business growth, leadership development must be intentional and aligned with organisational strategy. Successful programmes typically include:

Helping leaders understand their strengths, gaps, and impact on others.

Focusing on communication, decision-making, emotional intelligence, and influence.

Learning through real business challenges, stretch assignments, and role transitions.

Providing ongoing support to reinforce learning and behaviour change.

Ensuring leadership growth translates into performance improvement.

How Leadership Development Impacts Organisational Culture

Leadership behaviour sets the tone for how work gets done. When leaders model learning, accountability, and collaboration, these behaviours become part of the culture.

A strong leadership culture encourages open communication, innovation, and continuous improvement. Employees feel supported and empowered, which directly influences engagement, performance, and business outcomes.

Over time, leadership development strengthens the organisation’s ability to grow sustainably, regardless of market conditions or internal changes.

How People Business Enables Leadership Development

People Business partners with organisations to design leadership development solutions that are practical, personalised, and aligned with business goals. With deep expertise in people and organisation consulting, People Business helps leaders grow in ways that deliver measurable impact.

Our approach integrates assessments, coaching, structured learning journeys, and real-world application. By focusing on both individual capability and organisational alignment, People Business ensures leadership development supports long-term business growth rather than isolated learning initiatives.

Leadership development is a structured process that helps individuals build the skills, mindset, and behaviours needed to lead effectively and support organisational goals.

2. How does leadership development support business growth?

Strong leadership improves performance, engagement, decision-making, and adaptability, key drivers of long-term business success.

3. Is leadership development only for senior leaders?

No. Leadership development is valuable at all levels, from emerging leaders to senior executives, ensuring continuity and growth across the organisation.

4. How long does a leadership development journey take?

Leadership development is ongoing. While programmes may run for months, continuous learning and practice ensure sustained growth over time.

5. How does People Business help organisations develop leaders?

People Business offers customized leadership development solutions using assessments, coaching, and structured learning journeys to deliver measurable impact.

What is Leadership Development and Its Role in Business Growth

In the rapidly evolving global economy, the caliber of an organization’s leadership is often the primary differentiator between sustained excellence and stagnation. As industries face unprecedented disruptions, ranging from digital transformation and the integration of artificial intelligence to shifts in workforce expectations, the need for a robust 

It involves the ability to inspire teams, manage complex changes, and make strategic decisions that safeguard the future of the enterprise.

Dive through this guide to explore the multifaceted nature of leadership development and how structured leadership programmes serve as the engine for sustainable growth.

The Imperative of Leadership Development for Sustainability

Long-term success is not a destination but a continuous journey of adaptation. For an organization to thrive over decades, it must cultivate a leadership pipeline that is both deep and versatile. 

Without formal development, leaders often default to historical methods that may no longer be effective in a remote or hybrid work environment.

Therefore, investing in professional leadership programmes is an investment in the organization’s cultural and operational longevity.

Core Competencies in Modern Leadership Programmes

To build skills for long-term success, leadership training must go beyond basic management tasks. It must focus on high-impact competencies that drive performance and innovation.

1. Strategic Thinking and Visionary Execution

A leadership development program teaches individuals how to translate a broad corporate vision into actionable departmental goals. This ensures that every team member understands their role in the company’s long-term trajectory.

2. Emotional Intelligence (EQ) and Empathy

In a world of increasing automation, the human element of leadership becomes more valuable. Leadership programmes that emphasize EQ help managers build trust, resolve conflicts, and foster a psychological safety net where innovation can flourish.

Stability is a rarity in the modern business world. Leaders must be "change-ready." This involves not only managing the logistics of change but also leading people through the emotional transitions that accompany organizational shifts.

As highlighted by modern curricula, leading in the age of AI requires a new set of skills. Leaders do not need to be coders, but they must understand how technology can be leveraged to drive efficiency. 

The Architecture of an Effective Leadership Development Program

Creating a lasting impact requires more than a one-off workshop. The most successful 

 are designed as journeys rather than events. 

The first step in any developmental journey is understanding the baseline. Tools like 360-degree feedback, personality assessments, and leadership audits help individuals identify their strengths and blind spots. 

Adult learning is most effective when it is varied. Modern 

 should never exist in a vacuum. It must be tightly coupled with the organization’s people strategy and business objectives.

Long-term success requires leadership excellence at every level of the hierarchy, from first-time managers to the C-suite.

Measuring the Impact of Leadership Programmes

To justify the investment and ensure continuous improvement, organizations must measure the effectiveness of their 

The Role of External Expertise in Leadership Excellence

While internal training has its place, partnering with specialized consultants brings a wealth of cross-industry knowledge and objective perspectives. 

Programs such as the Strategic Leadership Development Programme (SLDP) or the Accelerated Leadership Programme (ALP) are examples of how structured, multi-month journeys can fundamentally reshape a leader's approach to strategy and people management. These initiatives ensure that leaders are not just managing the present but are actively architecting the future.

Leadership development is the engine of long-term organizational success. Whether through enhancing emotional intelligence or mastering the strategic use of AI, the goal remains the same: to build leaders who can inspire greatness and deliver sustainable results.

For organizations looking to elevate their leadership capabilities, 

 offers a comprehensive suite of solutions. From our signature leadership to specialized certifications in partnership with IIM Bangalore and IIM Indore, People Business integrates people strategy with business strategy to drive real impact. 

1. What are the key components of a successful leadership development program?

A successful program includes comprehensive assessments, a blend of theoretical and experiential learning, and a strong alignment with the organization’s long-term business goals.

2. Can leadership skills be taught, or are they innate?

While some individuals may have natural predispositions toward certain leadership traits, the interested one could be taught strategically.

3. How does a leadership development program help with employee retention?

Strong leaders create a positive work environment, offer better growth opportunities for their teams, and communicate more effectively. When employees feel well-managed and supported by competent leaders, they are significantly more likely to stay with the organization.

4. Why should an organization choose external leadership over in-house training?

External providers like People Business bring specialized expertise, access to certifications. This helps in benchmarking internal talent against industry standards and introduces fresh, innovative leadership frameworks.

Leadership Development: Building Skills for Long-Term Success

Assessment Centres have become an integral part of talent assessment and development in several organizations. Organizations choose them for many reasons. A few could be listed here.

However,  here are the tips from People Business’s decades of experience in conducting development assessment centers both virtual and in-person.

Whether you are doing a Virtual Assessment Center or an in-person assessment center, what matters is sticking to the basic principles mentioned above.

Key Considerations in an Assessment Center

The paradigm shift brought upon by Covid-19 has shaken every system in every industry across the globe to its very core. Companies and businesses are now scrambling to realign themselves to this massive shift. This is a first of a series of articles which will dive into the aspects of Performance Management in the Covid-19 era. In this article, we have tried to understand what this paradigm shift is and how working from home is impacting the 

Covid-19 has impacted both organizations and employees in different ways and it is imperative how both adjust to these changes and display their resilience. Organizations are now facing a new reality. They need to have perspectives on how business will be during post Covid times and need to learn to coexist with Covid, if that is required. Economy and business models need to be redefined as customer behavior has changed. Companies that can run their businesses with local elements will thrive. There is also a need to be able to visualize the big picture and keep an eye out for the next big business idea or the next set of disruptions.

When it comes to employees, they also need to reinvent themselves according to these paradigm shifts and quickly adapt themselves. A sense of fear and insecurity is bound to strike employees and their mental health and well being becomes very important. At the workplace, productivity has been redefined with aspects like digital maturity, agility, change management becoming crucial competencies for employees. The way productivity would be measured is also changing. New metrics and parameters will be tracked to measure productivity, and this will affect the way performance is managed. Employees must learn, unlearn and relearn skills and understand how the workplace/supply chain has changed.

As traditional face to face contact is disrupted, people have been moved to a virtual setup. This poses many challenges/questions:

Earlier the conversation around performance management used to be the movement from annual appraisals to regular check ins but now, virtual performance management has become the major concern. In the subsequent articles we will delve deeper into virtual performance management and its aspects and try to analyse how companies can be more effective in this process

Performance Management in the Covid-19 Era

Human Capital Management is often ranked lowest in Management’s list of priorities in most organizations. Across industries, especially in SMEs and mid-market enterprises, initiatives that involve investing in or upskilling employees are more of a ‘good-to-have’ and not really a business mandate; and it’s not a surprise that these are the first ones to be axed when budget cuts are needed. Sometimes they may find their way back on Management’s list of to-do’s, not because they are considered valuable but more like a checkmark to demonstrate all-round growth of the organization.

But the world has its own ways of setting things right. We are now faced with a situation never seen before in collective public memory. The pandemic has not just impacted our private and social lives; it has changed the way we work, communicate with colleagues, partners, and our customers. Industry observers predict that this has led to a new normal, where companies discover better, safer, and more cost-effective and coherent ways of working and staying more productive, which were never tried earlier.

While working remotely has led to a sense of companies going overboard to focus on productivity citing ‘survival-of-the-fittest’ as their success mantra, this is also a time when most organizations are covertly considering cutting down on ‘excess baggage’. While ‘excess baggage’ may be measured against performance metrics before management takes a call; what are the measures that organizations can take to ensure that they motivate those at the higher end of the performance curve? How can high-performers be made to stay back and stay productive after the pandemic ends?

According to McKinsey research, companies that invest in developing people's capabilities during ‘significant transformations’, ‘are 2.4 times more likely to hit their performance targets’ – and now is indeed a time of transformation for the world. Continuing investment in development programs will ensure that the organization not just retains its employees, but also takes steps to prepare them for possible ambiguous roles in the VUCA world. Organizations that offer “comprehensive training programs” reportedly have, on average, 218% higher income per employee and 24% higher profit margins.

As per the World Economic Forum’s 2018 Future of Jobs’ report, an employee would need 101 days of retraining and up-skilling in the period up to 2022. Further, any emerging skills gaps — both among individual workers and among companies’ senior leadership — may significantly hinder the organization’s 

. Employee capability development thus has its impact from a mere empowerment tool to be one of the key determinants of organizational success.

Opportunities for development serve as an important source of motivation for employees during these challenging times. How do we identify the right set of people for development programs in a sizable, multi-functional, multi-tiered yet equal opportunity enterprise?

There are two things to be kept in mind here – how do we create the candidate pipeline for specific

, and how do we know that the team selected to go through a specific learning program is best suited to benefit themselves, and the organization, through the same? The first answer is often provided by the enterprises themselves, and rightly so. Organizations screen all high performers who did consistently well year-on-year to be classed in the ‘high potential’ or ‘HiPo’ bracket. These are the employees who need to be retained and identified for development programs that can take them to the next level in their careers. The second answer comes from an assessment of this talent- that would give the HR insight into high-potentials and their plan for development.

How Development Centres can help Organisations select and develop the ‘best’ talent

The current VUCA environment demands securing, stabilizing, and future-proofing your business. HiPo employees are considered exceptional contributors to the future growth of a business. Likewise, leaders are the backbone of any organization. Hence, it is essential for an organization to be future-ready and have a systematically identified talent pipeline to take up more demanding roles in the future.

Development Centres help in profiling an individual through a series of simulations to identify the right development programs for each ‘HiPo’ employee.

If, for instance, your organization is looking to measure innovation to address current business challenges in a HiPo employee, a combination of a personality profiler, an ability test, and case study simulation can easily help you evaluate this competency.

A physical Development Centre is ruled out as a possibility in near future due to restrictions on public contact and safe distancing norms in place. However, a HiPo program implemented through a comprehensive online Development Centre can help businesses identify future leaders as part of efficient succession planning. A Virtual Development Centre offers all assessment simulations online while giving a realistic experience to users. Furthermore, there is a definite cost advantage in terms of significantly lower overhead expenses in running these centers.

Well-developed Virtual Development Centres can also provide as close an experience as Physical / In-person Development Centres – while giving the participants comfort of their homes/ offices, the flexibility of appearing for the assessments.

Every crisis comes with a silver lining and presents a hidden opportunity. Thus, every employer in current times has an opportunity to create a value proposition based on how valued they make their employees feel. With technology being both a disruptor and an enabler, a comprehensive approach to talent strategy and talent insights will be the key to positive and proactive management of employees’ aspirations and development.

Doing Away with Your Talent Management Initiatives? Think Again…

Strategic vision and laser-focused execution go hand in hand

In this‘CEO Insights’session, as part of the ‘Great Manager Awards’, Cisco President APJ Service Provider Business, 

 discussed the evolving role of leadership with 

 What are the qualities that you look for in a leader?

I believe that every individual has more potential than what they think they have.

If you take a professional and put him on a pie chart, you will there are 3 sections – the arena, the greyscale, and the blind spot

The arena is what you know others know as well about your strengths. The grey area is the potential you have that you are unaware of. And the blind spot, which you think you’re good at, others see as the opposite of that.

So, for me, leadership is about understanding your own strengths and weaknesses, because a good leader always surrounds himself with people that complement him.

If you want to reach the moon, aim for the sun. It creates a bit of a surplus. But when you’re in that situation, innovation kicks in. You start looking to the left and the right of your responsibility, and it forces you to go beyond your arena into the grey area. And that’s where net news gets discovered. When you motivate someone to move into their grey area, you are helping them discover their unknown potential and when they put that into an execution motion, they end up doing more. And that’s the recipe for executing beyond what you think is possible.

The next most important quality is the ability of a leader to understand how people are reacting to them, whether it creates a positive or a negative impact.

To be a leader, you have to be a self-leader first

I’m a virtual leader. I have teams in Japan, New Zealand, Australia, India, ASEAN and Korea. As a leader, you should have a set of values and a moral compass. Cisco has a set of core values, and as an individual leader, I subscribe to those and they reflect in my every action.

The last one is the ability to be vulnerable. In an environment where you’re leading people digitally, your ability to say, ‘I screwed up’ or ‘I’m terrible at this’ and be comfortable with revealing something that you’re uncomfortable with, is very important. Because once you do that, you create an atmosphere of trust.

According to recent research done by Hopkins Medicine, 26% of American ages between 18 and older suffer from some sort of mental health issue

What are the things leaders need to know?

I call them 4C’s of leadership. The first one being an effective communicator, being able to translate your vision and strategy into tangible actions that make people believe Oh, I can get there’ is key to being a successful leader.

The second one is critical thinking, which is all about thoughts and innovations and coming up with new ideas, connecting the dots. You need to devote time to thinking. I put at least 2-3 hrs a week in my calendar. It’s called MWMS – ‘Meeting with Myself’, and I force myself to do it. The third one and an important one, is collaboration.

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