Leader works beyond the system and fixes problems and not people-Tony Hunt

Mr. Tony Hunt, a motivational guru and a member of Knowledge Brokers, a Dubai based consultancy firm, said that the differentiator between a manager and a leader is that the former works within the system and the latter looks beyond the system to nurture talents.

While addressing a meeting at the PHD Chamber yesterday in the evening, Mr. Hunt said that India is now widely recognized as a growing hub of talents. Return of many Indians who were settled abroad for a long time to start enterprises of their own was a welcome change. Given the potential of the country to emerge as an economic powerhouse, every effort has to be made to attract the management coaches, who go beyond the conventional wisdom of training. Such coaches are not imbued with insecurity of their positions once the talents groom up. “They also do not have the inhibition that I should know more than the people who are working under me. They do not use power and authority to make people obey but set role models of leadership that combine vision with practical wisdom.

Mr. Hunt opined that a true leader sets the vision of the organization not in hyperbola but on simple and communicative language that inspire people around him. He eschews the practice of performance appraisals of individuals and suggests group performance a true barometer of success. The best form of appraisal should be through feedbacks from the person/s who is being assessed and the effort should be to fix the problem and not the individuals.

Mentioning that people want the leaders to be credible and objective, Mr. Hunt said that they should demonstrate the qualities of courage and integrity. Their commitment should be visible, consistent and their criticism should be constructive. The approach should not be to run down on people. “A leader always says that you can do it and he creates the ambiance for the creative expression of the people either through deeds or words. He need not be more educated than the people whom he motivates but will have the charisma to transform the mindset of the people, whom he is interfacing with.

Empirically, Mr. Hunt said that in the US, corporations which are gifted with a strong leadership, have grown 32 times more than the GDP over a period of time. Leaders share their objectives and experience with the people around them to build team spirit so that people work smarter and not necessarily longer.