LEADERSHIP

CHALLENGES

Presented By: Maj Gen D N Singh (Retd.)

Venue: NIPM Conference, UP Chapter, Lucknow

19th May 2017
WHY STUDY LEADERSHIP?
 To become leaders
 Understand how to motivate others

 Learn valuable characteristics

 Understand how the “system” works (Leadership

is in all parts of life)
MILITARY LEADERSHIP:
The process of influencing others
to accomplish the mission by
providing purpose, direction, and
motivation.
PROVIDING PURPOSE
 Purpose gives soldiers (subordinates, etc.) a
reason why they should do difficult things often
under dangerous or stressful conditions.
 Establish priorities

 Explain importance of task

PROVIDING DIRECTION
 Direction gives soldiers a set of tasks to
accomplish
 Set standards and expectations and enforce them

 Proper training will give them confidence (you

can’t expect workers or soldiers to complete tasks
they don’t know how to do.)
PROVIDING MOTIVATION
 Motivation gives soldiers the WILL to do
everything they are capable of to accomplish a
mission
 Causes soldiers to use initiative when they see a
need for action
PROVIDING MOTIVATION

Motivate soldiers by:

 Caring for their needs
 Challenging them
 Creating cohesive teams
 Rewarding success
 Giving them responsibility they
can handle
THE PRINCIPLES OF LEADERSHIP
 The principles of leadership are excellent
guidelines and provide a plan for action.
 Applying these principles tells you what you
should DO to BE a good leader.
THE PRINCIPLES OF LEADERSHIP
 Know Yourself and seek Self-Improvement
 Be technically and Tactically Proficient

 Seek Responsibility & Take responsibility for

your actions
 Make sound & timely decisions

 Set the example

 Know your soldiers (team) and look out for their

well-being
THE PRINCIPLES OF LEADERSHIP
 Keep your subordinates informed
 Develop a sense of responsibility in your
subordinates
 Ensure the task is understood, supervised, and
accomplished
 Build the team

 Employ your unit (team) in accordance with its

capabilities
LEADERSHIP LESSONS FROM THE
ARMY
 Get out into the dirt

 Play people to their strengths

 Don’t let Reality Get you Down

 Under a good leader there are no bad soldiers

 Never retreat but, occasionally, advance in

another direction
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LEADERSHIP TRAITS-MILITARY VS
CORPORATES
 Quick Decision Making
 Involves Life vs. Huge Monetary Resources

 Strong Will-power
 Unknown Terrains vs New Markets

 Team Orientation
 Camaraderie vs Team Work

 Adaptability
 Continuous Transfers vs Changing
Environment

 Discipline 12
DOES THE SKILLS CHANGE WITH
TIME?
Let’s go back 100 years and imagine this is
1917

 What skills do you think were needed to be a

leader in 1917?

 Have those skills changed after 100 years?

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HOW ARE MILLENNIALS CHANGING THE
WAY WE WORK

HOW ARE MILLENNIALS

CHANGING THE WAY WE WORK
(VIDEO)

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According to the U.S. Bureau of
Labor Statistics, as of April 2016
millennials held an average of 7.2
jobs from age 18 through age
28

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ADDRESS THE “CAREER IMPATIENCE”

 Important to channelize the energy of the

millennials to ensure fast closure on
projects

 Clear, Transparent career growth path

required to present a career elevator (not
just a growth path)

 Money and job safety is not what

motivates millennials
 They want to inspire
 They want to make a difference
 They like to be empowered
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INSPIRE & EMPOWER TO EXCEL

 Leave behind the “this is the way we’ve always done it”
mentality
 Millennials like to try new ways of doing things

 Empower the young talents- “they are more responsible

than you may think of them to be”

 Work-life balance is equally important for the young

managers
 Flexible work timings
 Don’t chain them to work-desk

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PAT ON THE BACK LEADERSHIP

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*Source- How to Recognize and Reward Millennial Employees- Jeremy Boudinet, Ambition Solutions Inc, USA
ONCE-A-WEEK OPEN HOUSE
SESSION
 Give everyone a Free Voice to voice out concerns/feedbacks

 A peon-to-CEO session with no designation boundaries

WHAT & HOW to do in an Open House

 Keep the town-hall meets concise

 Celebrate Small Milestones

 Follow-up on feedback and ensure transparency

 Seek Agenda for Next “Open House Sessions”

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SKIP THE ROUTINES

 Do a meeting when there’s a real need

rather than doing it as a part of a
routine

 Too many Rules kills the creativity

 Ensure regular evaluation, guidance

& feedback

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 “People don’t have a
motivation problem; they have
a dream problem.” – Tom
Ziglar

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