Ravi Pratap Singh

Leading by Example

Ever had a boss who would wax eloquent on the virtues of punctuality, but would himself turn up late to office every other day? Ask you to never ever compromise on quality, but would be the first one to do so when faced with a looming delivery deadline? Forever chant the “Customer Is Always Right” mantra, but bemoan about a client’s stupidity to anyone who cared to listen?

If you have worked under such a leader, then you are likely to have experienced frequent bouts of disappointment, betrayal and disenchantment with your boss and your organization.

Leaders who practice the "Do as I say, not as I do" philosophy are the greatest “morale busters” an organization can have. They gradually destroy a team’s passion and enthusiasm, and spawn a culture of cynicism and distrust among the members.

Being a role model is the most important aspect of being a leader. A team always looks up to its leader for support, strength, guidance and motivation. So it becomes imperative for a leader to “walk the talk” and lead by example.

Several inspirational leaders from various spheres of life (corporate, political, religious, etc) have left their indelible footprints on the sands of time. Mahatma Gandhi was one such icon.

“My life is my message”, said Gandhi. And sure it was!

Born to the Diwan (Prime Minister) of Porbander, a small princely state in British India, Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi trained to be a barrister at the University College London. It was during his stint as a lawyer in South Africa that he pioneered Satyagraha (devotion to truth), or non-violent civil disobedience, to fight against racial discrimination and assist in the resident Indian community’s struggle for civil rights. After his return to India, Gandhi spearheaded several nationwide campaigns to reduce poverty, expand women's rights, build religious and ethnic harmony, eradicate untouchability, and improve economic self-reliance. Most importantly, he fought for Swaraj (complete individual, spiritual, political independence from foreign domination) and led India to Independence.

So what was it about Gandhi that motivated millions of people to take on the mighty British Empire not with weapons but with Ahimsa (non-violence) and Satya (truth)?

Very simple. Gandhi practiced what he preached. He led by example!

He lived by his principles of non-violence and truth. As an advocate for simple living, he renounced his western lifestyle and lived modestly in a self-sufficient residential community. He also gave up his western attire for the traditional Indian dhoti and shawl, woven with yarn he handspun on a charkha (spinning wheel). He ate simple vegetarian food, and undertook long fasts as a means of both social protest and self-purification.

Since Gandhi always did what he said and said what he did, he built a tremendous amount of trust, faith and loyalty among his followers. They knew that he would never ask them to do something which he would not do himself. Under his inspirational leadership, Gandhi managed to bring together Indians from across diverse segments of society and made them work unitedly towards a common goal. And succeeded in making the impossible possible… winning India's Independence without fighting a bloody war!

According to Gandhi, “An ounce of practice is worth more than tons of preaching”. There's no arguing with that one!

Reward Systems – Is “Kerr’s Folly” Alive?

Getting an organization to embrace e-learning as a medium to train its workforce, albeit very challenging, is only half the battle! The other (and often more difficult) half, is to get learners to start using the e-learning modules once the online infrastructure and course library are in place.

One of the more popular practices adopted by corporates to increase e-learning usage among employees is to offer incentives and promotions through “reward programs” to those who complete a stipulated number of online courses. However, if not carefully designed, such reward programs can go completely awry as the following story will testify.

A friend of mine employed with a leading technology company in the US recently shared his organization’s experiment with one such reward program. A couple of years ago, this organization launched it’s e-learning initiative amidst much pomp and fanfare. But even 6-7 months after the launch, the management was struggling to motivate it’s employees to sign up for the online courses. To add to the woes, the drop-out rate was extraordinarily high even among the abysmally few who did manage to enroll for the courses. Finally, the management devised an incentive program wherein employees could notch up reward points for courses completed and certifications achieved. At the end of each quarter, these reward points could be redeemed for goodies ranging from iPods and mobile phones to digital cameras and laptops.

What followed next was pandemonium! The minute the reward program was announced, every single employee signed up for every single course that he/she was eligible to take. Moreover, from that day onwards almost all employees spent a large percentage of their time in office diligently going through one e-learning course after another. Not surprisingly, discussions during lunch and coffee breaks hovered only around one topic… who ranked where on the rewards points table! The buzz that the management had hoped to create about the e-learning initiative had finally arrived, and how!!!

By the end of the third month, an overwhelming majority of employees had completed the maximum number of courses and certifications he/she was eligible to take in that quarter. More importantly, each of them also took home a cartload of dream gadgets. The reward program was a HUMUNGOUS success!!!

But... wait a minute! Was the program really a success???

In 1975, Professor Steven Kerr’s widely circulated article “On the folly of rewarding A, while hoping for B” appeared in the Academy of Management Journal. Professor Kerr observed, “Whether dealing with monkeys, rats, or human beings, it is hardly controversial to state that most organisms seek information concerning what activities are rewarded, and then seek to do (or at least pretend to do) those things, often to the virtual exclusion of activities not rewarded.”

This is exactly what happened in the above case. The reward program got the employees to focus all their energies and efforts towards the activity for which they were being rewarded… which was to complete the e-learning courses. In the bargain, they paid little or no attention to their other tasks and responsibilities. As a result, productivity of the organization suffered and the management was forced to hastily withdraw the reward program at the end of the first quarter itself.

Professor Kerr added, “Numerous examples exist of reward systems that are fouled up in that the types of behavior rewarded are those which the rewarder is trying to discourage, while the behavior desired is not being rewarded at all.”

Does that ring a bell? Ofcourse it does! Haven’t we come across managements talking about nurturing teamwork but actually rewarding best individual performers? Proclaiming commitment to quality but rewarding quantity? Stressing on developing attitudinal skills while rewarding technical accomplishments?

Only goes to show that more than three decades after it was first published, this paradox now known as "Kerr's Folly", is very much alive and kicking in today's organizations!

Positional Power and Personal Power

Abraham Lincoln famously said “…if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.”

I guess he was talking about Positional Power, which can be given as well as taken away. As the name suggests, Positional Power is the authority which comes from the office or position to which the leader is appointed or elected. Since it is derived from external sources, this type of power is not permanent and can be taken away or lost. Politics and military are lines of work where Positional Power plays a significant role in getting a job or task done.

Personal Power on the other hand comes from within an individual… it is the authority which comes from the personal traits of the leader - like character, knowledge, skill, eloquence and charisma. Since these attributes are internal to the person, this type of power cannot be taken away. Sportspersons and movie stars fall under the category of people who wield an enormous degree of Personal Power over their followers.

Neither type of power is “better” than the other… an effective leader uses both Positional Power and Personal Power judiciously and wisely to acquire and influence followers as well as earn their respect, admiration and loyalty.

Positional Power is used in situations where the leader does not want to encourage a discussion with the followers to arrive at a decision… they are simply “told” what needs to be done. No questions asked! On the other hand, there are also situations where followers have to be “sold” an idea… here the leader uses the charm of his/her Personal Power to accomplish the goal.

No wonder most successful leaders have the decisiveness of an army general as well as the magnetism of a rock star!