I recently found myself reminiscing about a moment that completely shifted my perspective on leadership. Allow me to share this story with you.
Years back, I was leading the EMEA telesales team, and a new opportunity arose—I was promoted to lead the UK telesales team. Despite the change in responsibilities, I maintained the habit of visiting the EMEA team about twice a week, visits cleared with their new leadership. It was during one of these visits that the essence of leadership became crystal clear to me.
On this particular day, I was greeted by the familiar faces of the EMEA team and I playfully engaged with them, asking about their progress against targets for that day, telling them they are great and sharing a few laughs. After spending a few energetic minutes catching up, I had to head back to my team.
Later that day, to my surprise, a colleague from the head office who was sitting next to the EMEA team approached me with feedback. I braced myself, expecting the typical constructive criticism that comes with leadership roles. To my surprise, she shared something that profoundly impacted me. She expressed how it had been a long time since she had seen a leader who could boost the team’s energy, provide motivation, offer gentle guidance and make them want to perform.
In that moment, it hit me.
True leadership isn’t confined to a title or a specific team. It’s about influence, inspiration, and the ability to uplift others regardless of the circumstances. It’s about creating an environment where everyone feels valued and motivated to give their best. And this, even years later, remained my MO – it isn’t about reports, about people who like other people, or performing management tasks on time. It is about serving the team, about the in-depth understanting that performance is only achieved by people who feel appreciated, it is about making a positive impact, fostering a supportive culture and leaving a lasting impression on the people you work with. As leaders, our influence extends beyond the teams we officially lead—it’s about the collective success and well-being of everyone in the workplace.
This experience taught me that genuine leadership transcends formal roles, so here’s to those “Aha” moments that redefine our understanding of leadership and inspire us to be better leaders every day.
And I shall leave you with Maya Angelou’s quote: ” People will forget what you said. People will forget what you did. But people will never forget how you made them feel.”
If you find that it inspired you, drop me a line and let’s discuss how we can transform your business.