@ASEI is a non-profit organization dedicated to creating a network for engineers of Indian/South Asian origin to drive increased collaboration across USA and India.
Leaders are made, they are not born. They are made by hard effort, which is the price which all of us must pay to achieve any goal that is worthwhile.
— Vince Lombardi
A great leader creates happier teams, drives increased productivity and is supportive of their team member’s growth. All this results in a thriving culture within any organization. The members at ASEI had the opportunity to hear from two shining examples in our community SomaSundaram (President and CEO, ChampionX) and K. Venkatesh Prasad (Ford) on Oct 24th as part of our #MentorConnect Initiative. They shared tips and insights on how to build your own leadership muscle and engaged in a conversation with ASEI members. Below are 5 key pillars and related practical tips from their experience.
Before jumping into the pillars, you must be committed to this journey of transforming from a good into a great leader. That requires a degree of self-awareness to drive a baseline and identify personality traits that drive strength and those that require change. Once you are committed to the driver’s seat on this journey, you realize that a few small changes made everyday create the right behavioral patterns in you and your team to drive a better culture for your organization.
Pillars of Leadership
1 Trust: Be authentic and show up that way so your team feels safe to show up likewise. This can easily be broken through a small incident but it takes time, dedication and effort to build.
2 Alignment: The power of a team or an organization is increased manifold once alignment is created around key values and goals
3. Values to Value Journey: While a ToDo list is important, equally important is a NotToDo list. Eliminate noise for your teams and ruthlessly prioritize.
4. Conflict Resolution & Innovation: Respecting alternative perspectives is a must but understand that disagreements will be resolved by aligning the values of the organization with your own. These usually result in innovation in processes and products.
5 Culture: Intentionally create an env that creates exposure to different experiences – > creates a belief system – > results in behavioral shifts
Our board at ASEI and their members share deep gratitude to these two leaders for sharing their time and valuable experience with our members.
Divya Ashok is a ASEI Lifemember and serves on the ASEI Silicon Valley Board in addition to her leadership role at Salesforce.com
