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A Leader’s Journey

What does management actually mean? Does it automatically make you a good leader? I mean just because you are gifted at what you do, doesn’t mean you will be able to step into your boss’s shoes, does it?

“Congratulations, you are hired!” …words we all long to hear when we take a chance and apply for a job, that we are confident we are skilled at. 

We work so hard to become great at a skill or an ability that makes us invaluable to others.  

For many of us, our growth goals are synonymous with getting some form of promotion and a dream would be just becoming part of the coveted management team, which often means higher bonuses, company shares, maybe an office and ultimately a better connection with fellow C-Suite. 

But what does management actually mean? Does it automatically make you a good leader? I mean just because you are gifted at what you do, doesn’t mean you will be able to step into your boss’s shoes, does it? 

The part most fail to realize, in their leadership dream, is that becoming part of management doesn’t translate to you being a great leader, but it’s something you work at and learn over time in steering the course of an organization and its people.  

Managing a team, whether big or small requires the ability to be able to step back and let others take the lead in their tasks, see the big picture, and, most importantly, become the coach and mentor on a regular basis for those who now look to you.   

More often than not, many newly appointed leaders often end up more insecure and frustrated because of the spotlight on them from both above and their direct reports below. It’s so important to recognize that it takes time to develop your own leadership style and it will not be the same as someone else.  

As you transition into a leadership role, you have to shift your focus from doing the job to coaching others to do the job, from looking up to others to being looked up to. The reason you are now leading a team is because of your expertise and how you chose to transfer your knowledge is what can define your leadership style

In my experience, there are a few important factors that any leader must always remember.

✔️ Trust in your team’s ability to do their job, until they prove you otherwise. 

I have come across many leaders who either can’t let go or just feel they can do a better job. What they don’t realize is that this undermines their staff and destroys confidence, which is a basic need for any individual. Stepping back to allow another to shine and recognizing their achievement has a lot more mileage than just taking over.

✔️ Seek opportunities to coach your team as often as possible

Both positive and negative experiences are great opportunities to reinforce the business strategy and goals. Frequent team meetings or just checking in with individuals is a proactive approach to make sure the ship is on course.

✔️ Make sure you adhere to and continuously evaluate your processes, as they are your checks and balances. 

The appropriate controls in place give your team the autonomy to operate within their boundaries. Your team should always be clear on when to escalate or communicate potential situations, good or bad. As a leader, your role involves recognizing industry trends, evaluating strategy and seeking new opportunities to ensure your organization continues to grow, rather than micromanaging day to day activities. The right checks and balances is a combination of clear processes and procedures, coupled with regular evaluation and communication.

✔️ Recognize effort and forgive blunders. 

Now the latter is very situation-specific, as some costly mistakes have no recourse but regardless of the result, use the situation as an opportunity to coach your team to prevent re-occurrence.


I have worked in many environments where extreme or negative reactions have become a part of the culture and a poor reflection on the organization as a whole. Good or bad situations happen all the time, the key to handling it is our reaction. As a leader, a negative reaction and resulting actions can prove more costly than the blunder itself. Not only are your direct reports watching you but so are your peers and other leaders. To me, a good leader is a combination of expertise, ability and being a good coach. A leader should always be open to seeking coaching and mentoring themselves and recognize when they need to brush up on their own skills.  

Submitted By:

Ritu Kohli-Sethi, Managing Director at Greater Toronto Executive Centre. Ritu has over two decades of experience in operations, marketing, and business development. Married and a proud mama of two, Ritu enjoys writing about her professional and personal life experiences. For more articles by Ritu you may visit her blog.

“Forget race, forget gender, forget religion, and become a human my friend. Become a human above everything else, and all great things shall follow.” Abhijit Naskar

I Am Woman: A Distinctive Identity

a distinctive identity

A Distinctive Identity

It may be a part of UN’s agenda to bring equality to gender, and that is a worthy cause. However, equality is not what defines a woman’s identity.  Yes, it will guarantee rights for women in countries that have deprived women their rights, but a woman is beyond just rights. A woman has a distinctive identity.

Who is a woman?

A woman is a MOTHER:  An influencer that shapes characters and personalities of presidents and kings. A care giver that nourishes the soul and the foundation that carries households.

A woman is a DAUGHTER: A joy giver that can melt the heart of a parent and overflow it with love and delight.

A woman is a WIFE: The stabilizer upon which her husband rests, the confident that allows him room to recharge and the lover that completes his journey.

A woman is a FRIEND: She Provides wise advice that is rooted in love, compassion and grace.

A woman is a PROFESSIONAL:  An initiator, a front-runner, an organizer, a decision maker, a loyal employee, an innovator, an inventor, an intuitive forecaster, creative, smart and eloquent.

A woman is a LEADER:  A driving force to a vision, the livewire to a team, an articulate negotiator and an ambassador for peace.

A woman is a COMMUNITY ACTIVIST: A strong believer in humanity, an advocate for the needy and the voice of the oppressed

A woman is AUTHORITY:  She has the ability to destroy or build, the power to influence for positive change or inflict destruction upon her surroundings.

A woman is BLESSED: She is created in God’s image to spread love and compassion.  Her body was built to carry the creation and delivery of humans. She has the ability to be a hand to the broken and a light in the darkness of misery.  Her weakness and power lie in how deeply connected she is with her creator, herself and with the world around her.  Her attitude determines her charm and her heart establishes her desirability.

A woman’s strength

Voice is not the only element that determines her strength, it’s rather the bridge that she can creatively build between the heart and the mind that makes her strong.

I am a woman and I am blessed.

Happy International Women’s Day

CREATIVITY: IS IT CRUCIAL OR JUST A DIVIDEND

creative leader

Is creativity crucial to small business success? Is it enough to hire creative workforce to design, plan, strategize and implement? What about businesses that adopt the traditional business approach? Do innovative business strategies define the success of a business?

Yes, in order for a small business to stand out in this competitive world of business it requires creativity and innovation. Whether a small business can hire inventive staff or not, creativity has to start in Leadership. When a business owner is not creative, the business becomes very habitual and resistant to change. In a world where change is happening every day, a business that lacks creativity will eventually expire.

Here are 3 goals to drive the creative business owner:

Be a leader in your industry

Competition is on the rise and business owners have to work hard to make their business stand out from other competitors. They find themselves working with an innovative mind rather than moving forward the traditional way. Any small business seeking to become leaders in their own industry finds it fundamental to be creative in their business approach.

Think outside the box

As a business owner myself, I found that anytime I confine myself to one business approach and restrict myself to that school of thought, my success curve will eventually decline. Business owners: stay up-to-date with the latest business trends and feed on the creativity that is presented by the different business experts.

Make creativity your business mark

Competitors are watching the progress of others in their industry; make creativity your mark. When that happens they will find themselves copying your ideas and business strategies and you automatically become the leader in that business trade.