CEOSPEAK ......................... A leader needs to listen to people around

A leader needs to listen to people around

VILAS PAWAR, CEO, Choice Hospitality India

THE BIGGEST LEADERSHIP CHALLENGE ONE FACES IS TO BE UNBIASED WITH THE TEAM MEMBERS... HAVE AN OPEN MIND, BE HUMBLE, LEAD BY EXAMPLE AND WORK HARD.

It is important for leaders to have an open mind and listen to people around, before taking a decision, says Vilas Pawar, CEO, Choice Hospitality India, part of Choice Hotels International with over 6,500 hotels across the globe. 

Pawar spoke to HT on several leadership issues. Excerpts.

How do you define a leader?

A leader is a person who can motivate people to share his or her own dreams and vision as theirs. A leader leads by example, as they have others who follow them.

What are the three most important traits of a leader?

Foresight, conviction and honesty. Leaders are unbiased in their approach and attitude towards the goal and the people sharing the goal.

As a leader of your group, how do you cultivate leaders?

We cultivate leaders by giving them a room of expression, thought and action. I believe in cultivating leaders by engaging, empowering, empathising and further enabling them.

What is the role of a professional leader in a promoter-driven company?

A professional leader in a promoter-driven company would need to keep the promoter’s interest in mind, while maintaining a professional work environment

within the organisation.

Since September 2008, the world has fallen into a maelstrom of serial crises. What is the role of a leader in these times?

The leader’s role in tough times is to ensure that the morale of the staff stays high and does not affect the long-term vision of the company. In such times, a true leader is expect to lead by example. He or she needs to have their finger on the pulse at all levels, to ensure they can react to situations as required in the interest of the organisation.

What has been the biggest leadership challenge you’ve faced?

The biggest leadership challenge one faces is to be unbiased with the team members. There are situations where one is tempted to rest more confidence and thereby give more empowerment to certain team members. Leader may feel that he or she share the goals with some more closely.

Do you think the role of business leaders has come under cloud — globally and domestically — of late?

Leaders face various challenges. Some are easier to resolve and some are difficult. They would not have been leaders in the first place, had they not been capable of being one. The very fact that they have risen to become leaders in their respective organisations, reflects on their capabilities. Good leaders maintains their ethics and are honest to themselves, their employees and their organisation at all times.

Leaders have to often carry the cross of other’s wrong doings and inefficiencies, the global banking sector today, for instance. What role can good leadership play to counter balance this image?

Leaders need to follow the principle of doing the right thing with humility and integrity, regardless of the situation and believe this would help address most situations.

What is your one-line leadership mantra? Who are the leaders that have inspired you?

Listen to all around you, have an open mind, be humble, be honest, lead by example and work hard. As cliché as it may sound, there never was and there never will be a easy road to success. The leaders that have inspired me so far have been PRS Oberoi, Ratan Tata and NR Narayana Murthy.

What is the best leadership decision you have taken?

To keep an open mind and listen to those around me, before taking a decision.

What is the worst leadership decision you have taken?

Whenever I have jumped to a conclusion without understanding the subject in question, it has resulted in a disaster. I learnt this very early in my career and always consciously never jump to conclusions.

HT