How to be a successful leader!

Leadership skills matter a lot in your everyday life. This is very crucial for your success. Be it a large organization, a small business or just your own family, a person with good leadership skills will change the course of the progress and elevate it to another level.

Let's start some personal attributes that a lot of successful leaders share.

1) Personal Integrity - Integrity is how you behave when no one is looking. It's derived from the math term "integer" which means a "complete entity". Leaders should lead by setting an example. If this is the case, a person automatically becomes a leader in the eyes of others because everyone would be watching. A team, colleagues, employees will naturally trust someone who has this. Integrity is extremely important. Ex - Warren Buffet

2) Listening Skills - Notice I've written listening as a skill. Not all of them have this. Everyone has a comment to make but the inability to patiently listen. A leader will look in the eye of the speaker using the best body language possible, like a nod to confirm the point spoken. Make sure you understand what is being said even if you don't agree with it. Ex - Ratan Tata

3) Communication Skills - Use your tongue wisely. Don't clutter your announcements. Say what you want to say in a few words effectively. Avoiding uncertainty is very important. This does not mean that it should be dictatorial. Just be clear. Back it up with concrete data, examples whenever necessary. It's necessary to inform decisions with confidence and clarity. Ex - Bill Gates

4) Courage - Courage is often misunderstood in our culture. Courage is not overlooking danger. Courage is knowing the danger or shortcomings and acting the right way in spite of it. Courage fulfills your hunger. Courage allows you to look beyond what stops you from getting there. No leader would've been successful without the courage. Courage is the fuel to your journey ahead.
Ex- Nelson Mandela

Here's what I think is constantly in the mind of a leader :

COLLECTING INFORMATION AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, I think it's in the DNA of a leader to gather the maximum information on his domain as quickly as possible. When talking about this to  his colleagues, friends, it makes them think. Brings them to the same page. ANALYSE THE INFORMATION COLLECTED once the information is gathered, the next thing any leader would do subconsciously would be to analyze the information, sometimes the same is shared with a focus group to gather as much information as possible. This is where for some experience counts and for some the gut feeling. Leaders keeps their personal feelings aside and treat every decision like how they treated their first one, only with a lot less commotion. THE WHAT NEXT question always boggles a leader. While it's necessary to complete a task effectively and efficiently to the fullest, it's also necessary to have the what next factor to edge out a potential competition. Have a clear path, be ambitious but not greedy. Do not fear. No one has survived without doing a mistake, constant and repeated mistakes should be avoided. TAKE A STAND, there may be cases where a leader has to make a tough decision. Don't fall back, this is what defines a leader. Once a decision is made, communicate it with confidence and clarity. Do not be consumed with the big picture, minute details and executing it effectively is crucial for your success.

Leadership is a learned skill. 

Everyone can become a Leader.

Find that LEADER in you!

Together as one again

This is just my thought and something that was engraved in me real hard yesterday.

No matter how difficult the going gets, no matter how bad things were - it can always change.

We get so carried away in ego and in anger that we forget the basic essence of life. The bond once formed can never break. You may drift apart and there may be that gap. But the thought of the person and the memories will always remain. Good or bad, they've touched your soul. If a person you loved had drifted apart, how ever hard it gets give them some time. If they've loved you the same way, there can not been a sudden replacement of you. This is of course only to the souls who are as true as you are. Trust your bond. You may feel hell insecure, but stick around. You may feel like giving up, jusy don't! This may well be a lesson in life. It sure is, but at the same time you don't want to lose the person you dearly love. You may not be able to speak all that you want, it's still fine. Bite your teeth and show what you're made of. This may be the lowest of your low but the urge to get back truly will keep you alive and running.

Giving up is simply not an option and settling for less is also not an option. True love should never fade or die. Never take the easy way out. You want to mend things and be like before, even if seems impossible, it's doable.

Point is - Don't give up. Don't lose heart. Things may be tougher than you can handle. Vengeance is not an choice. With goodness in your heart, try to get back step by step!

I myself am waiting for my revival. It's harsh and hard. But if you believe in it and if your conscious is clear, life and realization will make you one again.

Never give up. Get hit, get up and love freely.

I'm not giving up for sure!

*The other person should also somewhere feel the same about you.

The Journey that never ends.

Having multiple partners in crime is definitely a kill! This time around was joined by 2 of my closest friends. The day started at 4 30 for me, woke up washed my bike and set out with my bike and camera. Goutham (Gautam) woke up at 5 and gave me a buzz while I was washing my bike. It was decided that the meeting point was at his place. Khadir was surprisingly on time today, bike rides perhaps are the only thing that makes him punctual! I reached 10mins late and were treated to yummy "Obattu" by Gouti's mum! We left soon after that by 6 15 we were on the road to "Manchanbele"

Khadir (Left) and Gautam (right) on Royal Enfields

The Ride

An awesome bike ride, cold wind hitting your arms, the biking passion driving you, the thump of the bike and the unforgettable beauty of nature just makes you realize life is one heck of a ride!

  

The Road Ahead

As Valentino Rossi said "Riding a bike is an Art - a thing you do because you feel something inside" , I felt that every second I rode the bike. The morning ride to "Jayanagar" 

gave me enough time to reflect back, to think, my regrets, my past and visualize how I foresee my future.

We reached the "Dodda Allada Mara" aka "The Big Banyan Tree" by 7. The early morning ride through the narrow village streets, the folks there looking at you as you ride is simply a flattering feeling.

Had this craving for "Rice Bath" for months  now. I had long missed the taste of the small  time rice bath center very near my  Engineering  college in Kanakapura Road. We stopped at a  shop near The Big Banyan tree and ate "Bisi  Bisi Thatte Idly" and I long quenched my  craving for Rice Bath. After a long time did I enjoy rice bath to its fullest. The quantity of rice couldn't have made me any happier. I seldom eat rice these days, but didn't care a bit and all of us hogged till our tummies were full (always pray the one who puts food on your plate to live long - with so much quantity, I'd say extra long). Had a nice laugh, ended the breakfast with tea (Didn't get pictures of those), the journey resumed.

One of my favorite pictures of these two.

 Soon we were at the sight of the magnificent Manchanbele.....

Magnificent Manchanbele

We stopped there and the bikes had their photo-shoot done.

Post the photo session we continued on our journey having a few laughs. We were soon told that the entry to the Manchanbele lake was now restricted and that special permission was required to get in. We were disappointed but the ride kept our spirits up. As we rode we came across an old forbidden temple. We decided that we'll get in and have a check. Surprisingly the temple, although painted recently inside was shut in the wee hours of the day. If you knew Khadir, you wouldn't take long to know what he was thinking, Yes! our man wanted a photo-shoot (Still remember how he cursed me and Gouti during our Kharagpur trip). Did a few shots -

After the shoot, we went a certain distance en-route Savandurga and headed back home. Goutham had to leave to Chennai.

In a lot of ways, this trip was one that I'll cherish. It was the first time I wore a Jacket that I bought 4 years back thanks to Goutham and Soumya (My Best Friend / Reason for what I am today). Was also the first time I wore the scarf that Aravind Srivatsav bought for me.

Jacket and Skull Scarf

Route map to Manchanbele

Biking is so much fun. It takes away your pain, shows you the world, brings you closer to the people.
Like they say "The world is a book and the ones who do not ride read only a page"

Here's to another day. Another ride and Unlimited passion.

Alone in the end

We're born because of two
Learn to act, talk, walk and speak from a few
Laugh, cry, frown and smile with folks, dear
Until we realize life is nothing but a fluke.

We love many
Marry one (some are lucky)
A soul to ride with
Till the very end.

When its all over
When its curtain call
When we actually realize what life is
The bell rings, we die alone.

Why is it that we have company throughout our lives,
And let to die alone?
Realization, a joke?