At some point in time, all of us started our careers as freshers. Even though we were overjoyed about our job, we were equally scared and worried about our performance in our work environments. We had no clue what we would be assigned to, whom we would be working with and so on. But we ended up putting on a brave face to manage it all in the best possible way we could.
Not all of us can handle things straight out of the box, some of us need a little handholding initially to help learn the ropes of the tasks. At the same time, not all of us had the luxury of having someone to help us during our crisis at work. When we understood no one was coming to the rescue, we took charge of the situation and learnt it ourselves. It was stressful, but we did it; we had to!!
Whichever place we work in, we always have people senior to us who have crossed all these and have come to their present position. Looking at them day-in and day-out makes us think about what they would have done during their time as freshers to get to this place now. We wish we had someone to guide us through!
Having someone who can show us the practicalities of the job and how to manoeuvre them is a great blessing. It would be nice when someone helps us through with our problems at work. As time goes by, we move on to the next phase, where we have the next batch coming in and we become seniors. By now, we know the what’s and how’s of the role at hand and we can do a decent job ourselves. Not to deny, self-learning helped a lot.
But now it's our turn to decide in which part of the crowd we would want to be in, be in the group where we can give guidance or with the group where we don't give it a dime. My two cents, the former, the better!!
The first thing about being a leader is being available and being present when in need. Being approachable and polite is cherry on top! When we know we can help, being non-judgemental also plays a major role too. If we have come to the place where we are now by crossing all the hurdles along the way and learning lessons on our own, then I personally think it's our responsibility to help someone else cross the path.
John C Maxwell quotes, “As a leader, the first person I need to lead is me. The first person I need to change is me.”
Of course, taking on the role of the leader is scary. We tend to ask ourselves a lot of what ifs that we don't want to lead. But if we take time to think of the moments when we were in need of a person to support and guide us, we would not be having second thoughts to help others. We should do it if we are in a position where we can!
As a saying goes, “Be the change you wish to see”, be the leader who can be counted on when the team is in need. Lead them in such a way that the team knows you have their backs no matter what. You need to guide them in a way that they are willing to learn with an open mind rather than being offended. Be willing to listen to their thoughts and give them space to open up, it will make you a great leader.
We definitely would have had amazing leaders at some point in time who were there for us, leading from the forefront, making way for us to follow. Remember them and not the ones who did not show up! Be that leader whom you looked up to. You will be surprised to know what a big difference it creates in the life of people who are under you if you are being present for them.
Titles and positions do not define a leader, but actions do! Show up for your team every moment possible, be their cheerleader and guide them to greatness. Trust them with the tasks assigned and make sure you tell them that you are confident of them finishing the same. Your actions might pave the way for others to become great leaders someday. Be the kind of leader that the team will follow voluntarily, even if you don't have any titles.
Yes, we have all been there, done that, so why not help someone else crossover as well! The world right now needs empathetic leaders, not task masters. Take a leap of faith and be the leader you wish you had!!
About the Author
Shalini Solomon comes with close to 15 years of industry experience in the Human Resources space. She is currently designated as Head - People and Values with Kazh Fintech Private Limited. She likes to interact with people and makes sure they have the space to grow and learn and are free to work without any pressure. People first is always her approach. She holds an Engineering degree in Computer Science.