Leadership Beyond Titles

What Truly Makes a Leader?

Everyone talks about leadership. But how many truly understand what it means to lead?

You can see many titled leaders in every part of life. Some might be wishful leaders, while others may be aggressive or impactful.

Recently, I was noticing how people in leadership roles work and coordinate with others.

Managing people is not an easy task. Everyone has different styles and approaches. Look around you, and you will see a lot of leadership advice, tips, strategies, and motivation.

I would like to reflect on this from my own experience.

I have been in leadership roles from a very young age, from Std 1 to 10, being a class leader to a school leader, and being part of various communities during my college days.

During my younger years, I was guided by my uncle, who reads a lot of books and shares summaries with me. To be honest, I was not even understanding everything completely. I trusted him, and in return, I started applying what I could.

I still remember he introduced me to Robin Sharma. I was curious, and slowly, I started reading the books he used to.

All of that gradually helped me in many ways, both personally and professionally. Later in my corporate journey, I met amazing team leaders who led people with actions rather than just words.

Anybody can give you tips, but only the real ones can guide you to become your best.

What is their true quality?

They put in consistent effort to balance introspection and retrospection.

They uplift their team by providing consistent support. They share tough feedback, but always privately with the individual.

You will feel real change in yourself once you start working under such a leader. They equip you to do the same.

What made me write this now?

Lately, I was noticing how hard it is for a person to share tough feedback, and also how hard it is to receive it in public.

Mentoring anyone is a huge effort. Both sides have to take responsibility.

So be kind, inside and out.

You cannot be a mentor if you are not ready to be patient and kind.
You cannot be a good mentee if you are not ready to accept tough feedback.

It is a two way process.

The best way to make this journey smooth is by putting effort into self awareness.

Most of the time, we fail to notice our own mistakes. Instead, we rush to find excuses.

This kills the opportunity to understand the real root cause, and we fall into a victim mentality.

If you are someone who feels unsafe taking ownership, that must change.

It is a long journey. It is not easy, but it will eventually get better. Practice makes humans better.

What about one bad incident?

Nobody is perfect. Not me, not you, not anyone.

Before jumping to the worst conclusion, ask:

What can I improve from my side?

Once you start improving, trust me, eventually you will end up with good people.

It is always a win.

I cannot end this without mentioning my husband, who consistently pushed me to be a better mentee. And in doing so, helped me understand what it truly means to grow.