Be a game-changing leader with a balanced life

It is truly said 'with great role comes greater responsibilities', managing those responsibilities takes supreme efforts and consumes a lot of time. It is crucial to maintain a balance between the professional and personal life as both roles are equally important and an unskippable part of life (Vrutika Dawda)

A leader is responsible for his/her team. Everyone can become a leader but emerging as a game-changing leader needs some extra efforts. This doesn't mean to have extensive theoretical knowledge or enormous qualifications but a simple sense of sensitivity towards others. Once a leader acts responsible, accountable, gives preference to his/her team members, develops good listening capabilities, respects other's opinions, accepts suggestions/feedbacks, creates a sense of belongingness, they tend to be in the league of great leaders!

Vrutika Dawda, Director, IdeateLabs says, "It is of utmost importance to have the basics in place if one aims to become a game-changing leader. Adding a human touch to every conversation they make, irrespective of who they are interacting with, creates a distinguishing aura of the leader. The key behind becoming an exceptional leader is to keep their team motivated and align them with their set of roles and responsibilities. The team must have answers to the 5 W's & 1 H – What are they responsible for? Why are they a part of the troop? When to act? Where to take the lead? Which is the better way to enact? And, how to go ahead with the execution."

"If the team is in sync and has answers to these questions, the end objectives can be achieved efficiently at the targeted timeline ensuring better productivity. Though it takes time to build trust and rapport with the team, once it is attained, it can make wonders happen," says Vrutika.

A great leader dares to take bold decisions. Leadership is greatly about decision making by balancing emotions and rational thinking. "This not only involves performance-driven results but also challenging the status quo. Many situations arise in a leader's path wherein they need to take bolder decisions by keeping aside personal relationships and emotional bonding with their teammates," she adds.

It is truly said 'with great role comes greater responsibilities', managing those responsibilities takes supreme efforts and consumes a lot of time. It is crucial to maintain a balance between the professional and personal life as both roles are equally important and an unskippable part of life. There are no thumb rules to follow to have a perfect balance, but simple do's and don'ts can help a leader cope-up with the issues. Here are some tips given by Vrutika.

Plan

It is a smart way to start work by creating a day plan segregating tasks based on priorities and apt allocation of work to resources. It smoothens the job, keeps the leaders aware and helps them avoid panic situations. Better planning and enacting in the planned direction enables completion of tasks on time allowing the leaders to wrap up their day spending quality time with their friends and family.

Patience

Staying calm and having patience is must for a leader. Each day brings new challenges in a leader's life. It is vital to first understand the entire situation and then act on resolving the issue. Seeing a problem from a 360-degree perspective always helps a leader take decisions that are wiser and more beneficial. Taking hasty decisions on the fly will directly affect productivity and moral of the team.

Schedule vacation

Taking a break is the most important step to ensure better productivity. It rejuvenates mind and brings an individual back to work with ample positivity and fresher ideas. Vacationing with friends and family allows a leader to have a healthy and balanced personal life and strengthen relationships. Taking 'me-time' gives the leader a chance to discover their hobbies apart from the professional work and find the much-needed balance.