Taking A Call: The Way Forward For A True Leader!
EmPower Research
July 09, 2008
By Aparajita Purkayastha Dutta
How many times have you felt like the whole world was looking at you, waiting for you to take the call? How many times have you felt all eyes in the room boring into you, waiting for you to take the call? I have felt it a zillion times, and I am sure most of you would have too. This is the day and age of ´taking the call´. I recently completed my Executive MBA (i.e. MBA for working professionals), and if there is a big lesson I have learnt, it is to take the call.
So, what is ´taking the call´?
It means in this Information Age, when you are flooded with all the data and information from your team, it´s your turn to take a stand and make the choice. This choice could be right or wrong, but the point is you have to take a call. I have made mistakes; I have taken the wrong call and have borne the consequences for the same. That´s life, you learn from your experiences. And it is this experience which over the years has taught me to take the right call.
Any thoughts about hiding, so as to not take the call and thus shying away from responsibilities, would be wishful thinking. As you grow in life, both professionally and personally, you have to learn to accept the fact …boss you have to take the call.
So, is taking the call about giving the right answer?
No, not at all. There is no right answer out there. Rarely would you come across a situation where the circumstances are similar to what you have already experienced, and hence it is not just about replicating your earlier decision.
In most cases, you are faced with new complications and dilemmas. So in that case, there is no right answer. However, that does not mean that you follow your hunch and just take a stand without weighing the consequences. You have to weigh the consequences, and then you have to align yourself with the situation, and take a call.
But what is the big deal about taking a call?
The big deal is that once you have taken a call, you have to stand by it. You have to live by the decision you have taken and face the consequences. There would be challenges and questions at each and every step. If you have taken the call, you have to live with it. One has to understand that it is difficult to make everybody happy, and it´s foolish to try to even attempt it. You have to take a neutral stand, irrespective of what others might think, after analyzing the situation and then stick to it.
There are times when your heart is right, and there are times when your head gives you the right answer. You have to listen to both. Again, if you feel you would sleep better if you go by what your heart says, then by all means go by what your heart says. But, if you feel it´s your head which is giving you the right answer, even though your heart might not agree, then go by your head. But, at end of the day, stand by your call.
And that my friend is ´the path towards progress´ for a true leader.
A true leader will take a call keeping various parameters in mind. This ensures that the decision is right, and hence it becomes easy for the leader to stand by it.
In the end, I would urge people to learn to grow with time and experience. You have to learn to take decisions and stick to them. Learn to accept the fact that the buck stops at your end. This helps you to be much more confident of what you are, and it helps others to accept you as a leader. So, for those who are increasingly taking more responsibilities and are moving up the ladder, please hone the skill of taking a stand. It could be right or wrong, but you have to take a stand. Faced with various situations it is the experience of a leader which will determine what his call is going to be. Learn from your mistakes, and then there would be a day, when you would automatically be taking the right stand and feeling great about it.
How many times have you felt like the whole world was looking at you, waiting for you to take the call? How many times have you felt all eyes in the room boring into you, waiting for you to take the call? I have felt it a zillion times, and I am sure most of you would have too. This is the day and age of ´taking the call´. I recently completed my Executive MBA (i.e. MBA for working professionals), and if there is a big lesson I have learnt, it is to take the call.
So, what is ´taking the call´?
It means in this Information Age, when you are flooded with all the data and information from your team, it´s your turn to take a stand and make the choice. This choice could be right or wrong, but the point is you have to take a call. I have made mistakes; I have taken the wrong call and have borne the consequences for the same. That´s life, you learn from your experiences. And it is this experience which over the years has taught me to take the right call.
Any thoughts about hiding, so as to not take the call and thus shying away from responsibilities, would be wishful thinking. As you grow in life, both professionally and personally, you have to learn to accept the fact …boss you have to take the call.
So, is taking the call about giving the right answer?
No, not at all. There is no right answer out there. Rarely would you come across a situation where the circumstances are similar to what you have already experienced, and hence it is not just about replicating your earlier decision.
In most cases, you are faced with new complications and dilemmas. So in that case, there is no right answer. However, that does not mean that you follow your hunch and just take a stand without weighing the consequences. You have to weigh the consequences, and then you have to align yourself with the situation, and take a call.
But what is the big deal about taking a call?
The big deal is that once you have taken a call, you have to stand by it. You have to live by the decision you have taken and face the consequences. There would be challenges and questions at each and every step. If you have taken the call, you have to live with it. One has to understand that it is difficult to make everybody happy, and it´s foolish to try to even attempt it. You have to take a neutral stand, irrespective of what others might think, after analyzing the situation and then stick to it.
There are times when your heart is right, and there are times when your head gives you the right answer. You have to listen to both. Again, if you feel you would sleep better if you go by what your heart says, then by all means go by what your heart says. But, if you feel it´s your head which is giving you the right answer, even though your heart might not agree, then go by your head. But, at end of the day, stand by your call.
And that my friend is ´the path towards progress´ for a true leader.
A true leader will take a call keeping various parameters in mind. This ensures that the decision is right, and hence it becomes easy for the leader to stand by it.
In the end, I would urge people to learn to grow with time and experience. You have to learn to take decisions and stick to them. Learn to accept the fact that the buck stops at your end. This helps you to be much more confident of what you are, and it helps others to accept you as a leader. So, for those who are increasingly taking more responsibilities and are moving up the ladder, please hone the skill of taking a stand. It could be right or wrong, but you have to take a stand. Faced with various situations it is the experience of a leader which will determine what his call is going to be. Learn from your mistakes, and then there would be a day, when you would automatically be taking the right stand and feeling great about it.
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