Experts reveal leadership traits that a long-standing leader must possess

It took a week for the situation to be resolved but by the end the octogenarian Sharad Pawar had proven why he is one of the biggest names in Indiarsquos politics Having announced his resignation as chief of the Nationalist Congress Party NCP on May 2 Pawar rolled back the decision after it was rejected by the party panel on May 5ldquoConsidering the appeals made by all of you and honouring the decision of the committee constituted by the party I am withdrawing my decision to retirerdquo he said during his speech in MumbaiYet it is known that Pawar will set into motion a succession plan It marks a new stage for his career that has lasted over five decades In a volatile political corporate or social environment what goes into the making of a longstanding leaderBalancing the wavesProfessor Geetanjoy Sahu School of Habitat Studies at the Tata Institute of Social Sciences TISS remarks ldquoLeadership must have adaptability maintain a balance and cultivate a second rung of leadership based on performances and initiativesrdquoGeetanjoy SahuPointing to Pawarrsquos ability to keep everyone in line he says ldquoThey such leaders remain in power or relevance because of their ability to retain support from different quarters while understanding the shifts of powerrdquo Drawing a parallel to former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehrursquos popularity in a newly Independent India Sahu notes ldquoThe ability to keep all sections of the party functioning and maintaining a balance has been Pawarrsquos skillrdquoThis ability to adapt is pivotal says Rhea Punjabi corporate trainer and career coach ldquoGood leaders are not rigid They are adaptable They have strategies and vision in place but are flexible enough to change the path if need be for the betterment of the organisationrdquo she notesThis requires more than nous It needs a student mentality says Shweta Powar founder of the PR firm Aria Communication ldquoTo navigate the everincreasing uncertain nature of the corporate world a leader should change his mindset from a knowitall to learnitallrdquo she saysWeb of connectionsWhile adaptability has its advantages politics as well as business enterprises rely on public perception as well This comes down to the ability to persuade and understand people Sahu notes ldquoThere are always unlimited demands and limited resources but how a democratic leader accommodates and negotiates the interests of the weakest link defines themrdquo This is not just applicable to the case of politicians like Pawar but also in business Rich Dad Poor Dad author Robert Kiyosaki called this skill lsquothe key to successrsquoNarendra GoidaniNarendra Goidani founder and management coach at Life School says ldquoWithout a network longevity is impossible It comes through two facets mdash an outside network and a support system on the insiderdquo Noting Pawarrsquos ability to stitch together people with disparate ideologies Goidani says ldquoThe ability to persuade people to do something they might dislike is an extraordinary quality It is a product of both charisma and experiencerdquo This he says explains the ripples across the national stage caused by Pawarrsquos announcementKeep it steadyLongevity also has other advantages It ensures stability and continuation of plans says Powar ldquoLongevity does play an important role in leadership because the credibility and value has been built over time This creates faith amongst the people the team and stakeholdersrdquo No surprise then that it was the NCP cadre who led the protests to convince Pawar to revoke his sudden resignationRhea Punjabi and Shweta PowarThere are disadvantages too Punjabi notes that too long a tenure can make it difficult to dissociate the leader from the brand ldquoThe flipside is that it limits new ideas and changerdquo she says This is why mentoring new talent and ensuring a succession plan is important the experts believeTransition of powerThis transition depends on the support team within ldquoThey cannot be yes men They have the right to debate with the leader Allowing them that freedom is also an important quality of leadershiprdquoThis quality is often missing in Indian politics Sahu agrees saying ldquoWhether it is the fall of the AIADMK in Tamil Nadu post J Jayalalithaa or the stagnation of other regional parties few parties strike the right balance in allowing transition of power to a second rungrdquo Goidani says that we could learn from Francis Ford Coppolarsquos classic film series The Godfather ldquoIt is the perfect example of how a leader knows when to step back and nurture a new leaderrdquoIn the end it all comes down to contribution For Punjabi it is up to the leader to evaluate their role and value in the team ldquoIf they feel they are losing touch with trends they should think about a switchrdquo With a battlehardened veteran like Sharad Pawar one can never know when that moment is