Leadership interview business paper - Essay Example

A lot of people in this world are thrown into serious challenges and are posed with several difficulties in their lives. Only a few of them are able to successful turn these difficulties into opportunities and pave a way for themselves to emerge successful and triumphant. Such was the story of my cousin Davis Boucher, the person I chose for this interview. Having being singlehandedly brought up by his mother with very little resources, he created a successful life for himself out of his own intelligence, hard work and sheer determination.

Since the age of 5, he had to start working in a small shoe factory to continue to pay for his education. He carried along on the same lines, often doing two jobs in a day to support his family and education. Davis graduated with a degree in electronics engineering and went ahead to do his MBA. Throughout his education, he was always working part-time to take care of his siblings and mother. Right now, he has his own small company which is growing at an enormous pace and is already perceived to become more successful.

With such great experience and personality aspects, I found him an ideal candidate for this interview. The questions I asked him were:1. What do you think really is a leader?2. How long have you been assuming the role of a leader?3. Are Leaders and Managers the same?4. Is it important to acquire training on becoming a successful leader, or can this trait occur naturally?5. Does a good leader always have to be strict and authoritative?6. What is the role of experience in making a successful leader?7. What are some of the traits and qualities that are common to all good leaders?8. How does a leader handle a pressure situation?

His answers to my questions were all very brief, yet highly powerful. All of his answers were supported from practical knowledge and exposure and had no text-book touch to them. According to him, a leader is somebody who is standing in front of his people and controlling and directing them. A leader cannot be a person who sits in isolation in a corner. He needs to be there among people all the time. This is highly essential in gaining popularity and trust with his people. Having been a leader of a successful organization since 8 years, he considers this to be the major difference between leaders and managers.

I learnt that leadership traits do not occur in a person by birth but are developed, since childhood, with the help of the environment around. If, at a very young age, a person is thrown up with difficult obstacles and told to cross them, this develops leadership skills in him. Moreover, when a person assumes responsibility of something, be it a house, younger siblings or a company, he automatically assumes the role of a leader. He believes training and education cannot make a successful leader, but can only polish the existing leadership skills in a person.

An important point I learnt was that a leader needs to be loved by his people. The love can only come when the people trust him, respect him and are fond of him. A strict and autocratic leader cannot be loved by his own people and can never last long in the post of a leader. Whatever your direction is, you need to communicate this to your entire followers and take them along.Almost all leaders are ‘people’s persons’. In simple terms, it means that a good leader is always someone who likes to be around people and can adjust well into any crowd of people.

Further, good leaders are visionary. This means that they think ahead into time and are able to determine the course of their actions and the directions they need to take. This also makes them far-sighted. Loyalty and faithfulness is also an essential trait in a successful leader.When faced with a pressure situation, a leader can never act emotionally. Emotional decisions most often backfire, where as rational thoughtful ones prove to be successful. Even in a very intense pressure situation, the leader should not compromise on the fundamental principles of the organization.

Staying calm is another thing most successful leaders do in a pressure situation.