Absolute essentials for success - Part II

Ramani Kangaraarachchi

CEO Success Factory Dr. Niomal Balasuriya is a motivational speaker and a Corporate Trainer for top companies in Sri Lanka and Maldives.

He strongly believes that Sri Lankans could be world class not only in tea, cricket, ceramics, and garments but also in any sphere that they choose to be.

He commenced the first of his series of interviews with the Daily News Business last month and this week he discusses about the leaders and managers in organisations.

Q: Do Sri Lankan organisations need managers or leaders?

A: Both, because they both have to do different functions for an organisation. The leader function is to lead whereas the managers' function is to manage. The leader should know exactly where he or she wants to get to and must communicate that clearly to the managers.

The managers function is to take the organisation to its destination.

Q: Does this mean that a manager does not need to be a leader?

A: Certainly not. Every manager will have and must have a team. This means that every manager will have to lead his or her team and this means that every manager must possess if not develop great leadership qualities.

Q: How would you differentiate a manager from a leader?

A: Given Mc Kynsey's seven "S" framework, a leader will be more involved in developing a shared vision, developing his or her staff, developing their skills and the leader will do so in his or her own unique style. On the other hand, a manager would be more involved in how to achieve the leaders vision through strategy, structure and systems.

Q: As a corporate trainer, what in your opinion is the key ingredient of a good leader?

A: I believe the most important feature of a world class leader is to have a world class vision and to ensure that vision is shared with every stakeholder of that vision.

Q: How will a leader ensure that such a world class vision is achieved?

A: Once the leader has a world class vision he or she must convert it to a compelling cause, something worthwhile achieving. This compelling cause must then be communicated effectively to all stakeholders.

Here, the organisational vision must be aligned with the personal visions of every single employee, every single stakeholder.

Once this is achieved, then you have a shared vision, a vision that is shared by a vision community, and once you have a vision community, an organisation where every stakeholder knows where exactly they have to get to and have the passion to achieve it, then you have power!

Q: Can you give an example of a world class leader?

A: I suppose I would like to take Lee Kwan Yeu as an example because we Sri Lankans have a great lesson to learn from this example. I do so with all good intentions. See, Sri Lanka was one of the best countries to live in Asia during the nineteen sixties.

We were more developed than Singapore, India, Malaysia, Indonesia, Korea, etc..... At that time, we never exported our mothers to the Middle East as "house maids". Pardon me for saying this.

I say this with all sincerity because I love my country. Sri Lankans rarely went abroad to work. Foreigners came here to work. Even Sir Arthur C Clarke came to Sri Lanka to live, to die.

Those were the days that little pockets of shanties in Colombo were called "Koriyawa". Today, little pockets of shanties in Korea are apparently called ............. (silence). That was Sri Lanka in the sixties and about that time, Lee Kwan Yeu came up with a vision for Singapore: "To be like Sri Lanka in ten years time." He had a compelling cause which he communicated effectively to all stakeholders.

Q: Tell me frankly, do you think Sri Lankans can be world class leaders?

A: Yes, very definitely yes. Sri Lanka was the first country in Asia to have mobile phones thanks to the leadership of Aruna Siriwardane. We had hand phones even before Japan. We were the first country in Asia to have a private Jet, thanks to Upali Wijewardena.

Not even the Shieks of Arab had a private jets then. This clearly shows that Sri Lankans have what it takes to be World Class Leaders. Yes, Sri Lankans can be world class leaders if only they have the passion for it.

Q: Finally, What is the key message you will like to give our readers?

A: Either lead, or else follow or else please get out of the way.