Leadership lessons from the Family

A few weeks back I was having a conversation with Dav Whatmore, the legendary coach credited with turning around the national cricket teams of Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Dav has had a multicultural experience; he played international cricket for Australia and he coached the subcontinent teams. So what are the differences that Dav has noticed, and what are the leadership lessons that he can offer us, especially during these times of turmoil?

According to Dav, the greatest difference is that while, leaders in the western world are allowed to maintain ruthless professionalism, in the subcontinent they are expected to embrace more of a caring, parent approach. In the West, people are more tolerant towards harsh business decisions like retrenchment or realignment , since they perceive professionalism to be a two way street – just as people can be hired and fired, employees also have the freedom to be opportunistic in their own ways.

But in the subcontinent, rules are more subtle, and more based on values like trust and goodwill – the same values that define our families . We are willing to go an extra mile for our bosses and our peers, even if that does not translate into extra payment. So it is natural for us to expect gentler treatment, compared to our western counter parts. Here are couple of quick rules, specifically helpful during tough times.

Behave like a family:
A family could go through tough times, but at the same time, rules are clear - you cannot fire your children , or their mother. The only options left with you are sitting down with them, making them understand, or even demanding that they pull up their socks or tighten their belts to help the family tide over the crisis. In the subcontinent, where most of us do not separate our personal and professional lives, we expect almost the same treatment from our bosses. We expect to be reassured, and expect to be asked for help, if neededeven if that means taking a pay cut. But we don’t expect to be dealt harshly with, say, retrenchment.

Be the First to Sacrifice:
In a family situation, parents just don’t sit there preaching about the need for tightened purse strings, but they go ahead and practice it first. They are always the first ones to make the sacrifice. When the going gets tough, we expect our leaders to lead the way— to be an example in cutting costs, to be the first one to take salary reductions. However, if the leader is all mouth and no trousers, we get upset. Rightly so.

Leadership Takeaway:
Rules of leadership in the subcontinent are very different from that of the western part of the world. So do not blindly copy those for our organisations and systems.

Courtesy- sangeethv@leadcap.org

http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/Features/Corporate_Dossier/Leadership_lessons_from_the_Family/articleshow/3767485.cms