Want to be a leader? Tips from a young and “unapologetically ambitious” CEO

Instead of relying on our company or boss to wave a magic wand on our career, we need to take things into our own hands and be comfortable about being unapologetically ambitious.

• Leadership means moving out of our creative, comfortable zone and being ready to manage finance, large teams and many business needs.
• We don’t have to worry if we are not qualified enough or do not know the job roles like others do.
• We can win hearts and build trust by inspiring and empowering others, doing things in an informal, egoless manner.

The key to being a leader is to develop relationships and influence as many people as we can. Even if the person does not have any business dealing or commercial interest with us, we need to nurture and develop a good relationship and earn the trust of the person.

Leadership is about enabling and empowering others to do their best work and drive great results.

• It helps to do our existing job in the best way possible so that we earn credibility and trust.
• New opportunities do not sprout out of anywhere but from the soil of our existing work.
• Sharing feedback in a helpful way enables us to bring out the best in others.
• The skills that make us a leader are not the same skills that allow us to stay in that position, and we have to learn new skills for our new role.

• As a leader, we will confront all kinds of people, and have to try and surround ourselves with excellent peers who may even disagree with us.
• This provides us with new insights, ideas and experiences that broaden our mind. 
• We also have to make it easy for others to point out when we are wrong.

If our message is simple and easy to digest, while having the required substance, it can easily be etched in peoples minds with consistency and repetition. Your narrative and expectations should be crystal clear to your subordinates and peers.

It also helps to have the required information readily accessible for all using the various information portals.

• As leaders go up the hierarchy, they lose touch with ground realities, with multiple management layers in between.
• When the leader feels that people around them are not being completely honest, it is a red flag that needs to be addressed.

One needs to create a culture where people from any level can be brutally honest to us, and catch any blind spots, creating a transparent, trusting environment.