Displaying spirited leadership at work

Today, the global economy and workplace environment being what they are, widespread apprehensions have caused the collapse of many organisations. A situation like that generates stress among employees at all levels which in turn makes them adopt an indifferent approach towards their surroundings. Resultantly, you do not find them giving vent to their views solely because it is question of their survival. In the light of the foregoing, there is a need to have leadership that is bold, sprightly, confident and  decisive.

Men and women who have the courage to move forward, possess inbuilt initiatives and are willing to accept change are bound to emerge as successful. You need to be capable of manoeuvring through tough discussions, giving convincing answers even when supporting data is not available  and be in the forefront of new projects. It is only then that people will follow and model themselves on you. If you desire that your subordinates should be plucky like you, you will have to focus on developing and displaying the following qualities:

• Being face to face with reality:  You should disregard all tendencies to avoid commitment and self-revelation; instead be courageous enough to look all problems straight into their eyes. You will fail in motivating your team if you keep yourself all of from ground realities. Needless to say, you will then not be able to perform well.
• Accepting criticism in the right spirit:  Every person has strengths and vulnerabilities; the vulnerabilities have an impact on one’s interpersonal relations and ability to work well in a team. You should accept criticism in the correct spirit. It may not be easy to accept honest remarks, but they certainly can boost your capacity to anticipate and cope up with difficult situations.
• Being frank & forthright in your communications: If there is a clash of interest and viewpoints, candid expressions can cause avoidable discontent and confrontations. But the advantage in frank and forthright communications is that you can successfully get past ambiguities and issues of significance, even though they might not be appreciated. The channels available to you for communications should not be allowed to slump, even if you are unable to clarify doubts raised by others. Use of jargon in any form should be avoided. It should be your endeavour to pass down all information, but just in case you are unable to do so, you must admit to your act of omission.   
• Encouraging positive differences of opinion: Most leaders, irrespective of the number of people under them are expected to know everything and clarify every doubt and counter every opposition that could be raised. You should invariably welcome positive opposition; in doing so, you will increase your team’s potential to deliver as also tell the environment that all divergent views do not go unconsidered.
• Being unrelenting to act when productivity suffers: Several leaders have a tendency to overlook issues that concern a majority of people; defying them is a Herculean task for them. But when the situation is allowed to boil, a crisis situation develops and productivity takes a beating. Therefore, whenever any subordinate is unable to perform, he could well be shifted or in the worst case, asked to leave. Unrelenting actions in the wake of productivity plummeting will always be in organisational interests.
• Being resolute and maintaining transparency: In situations where the future appears uncertain, people generally tend to follow a zero error syndrome; the present is protected at all costs. You need to envision better ways and means and come up with greater determination to handle such tight-spots. The need will also be there to maintain transparency, with contingency planning being done to put things on course, should there be deviations. Many people feel insecure in voicing their views and action plans in difficult situations; and as a result thereof, fail to advance forward. Therefore, it will stand you in good stead if you remain in a dynamic mode at all times. Remember that liability always starts from the top and percolates down. Therefore, the need to be accountable in shaping the performance of others in tune with your beliefs needs no emphasis. You should not hesitate to acknowledge hard work being put in by others. If somebody performs well, his or her efforts should be appreciated. Remember that a proficient person is always inclined to take more blame than acclaim; the environment will know the truth, come what may.

A good leader is never on the lookout for compromises; he works hard to nurture them.  In the present day world, spirited leadership is all about camaraderie and collaboration. As an individual, you should try to be a yardstick of quality, more than anything else.