MODULE: 1 Leadership skills

Leadership is a set of behaviors used to help people align their collective

direction, to execute strategic plans, and to continually renew an
organization. Leadership skills are the strengths and abilities individuals
demonstrate that help to oversee processes, guide initiatives and steer
their employees toward the achievement of goals
They are important skills to have because a good leader is able to bring out
the best abilities in his/her team members and motivate them to work
together in achieving a shared goal. A good leader is also organized and
keeps the team on track and focused to avoid delays.

Leadership is the accomplishment of a goal through the direction of human

assistants. The man who successfully marshals his human collaborators to
achieve particular ends is a leader. A great leader is one who can do so
day after day, and year after year, in a wide variety of circumstances.

He may not possess or display power; force or the threat of harm may
never enter into his dealings. He may not be popular; his followers may
never do what he wishes out of love or admiration for him. He may not ever
be a colorful person; he may never use memorable devices to dramatize
the purposes of his group or to focus attention on his leadership. As for the
important matter of setting goals, he may actually be a man of little
influence, or even of little skill; as a leader he may merely carry out the
plans of others.
His unique achievement is a human and social one which stems from his
understanding of his fellow workers and the relationship of their individual
goals to the group goal that he must carry out.
Top 15 leadership skills that make a good leader
To be an effective leader, a person should possess certain skills that can
steer and motivate the team members toward success.

The following list examines 15 important leadership skills:

1.​ Open communication. A good leader keeps an open line of
communication with team members and can succinctly explain
organizational goals and tasks using different types of communication
channels, such as one-on-one sessions, email, video, chat, phone calls
and social media. An effective leader also shares clear messages and
makes complex ideas easy to understand for everyone.
2.​ Empathy. Empathetic leadership focuses on identifying with others and
understanding their perspective. Leaders who show empathy are
successful because they can better understand how the employees feel
about their work environment. This enables the leaders to bring positive
changes to the workforce.
3.​ Strategic thinking. Leaders need strategic and critical thinking skills, as
they are tasked with challenging decision-making. A strong leader makes
well-researched and objectively scrutinized decisions that can lead an
organization toward achieving its goals.
4.​ Creativity. A creative leader can brainstorm new ideas and inspire
others toward creativity and innovation. For example, a successful leader
will always recognize and reward employees for their creative input.
5.​ Positivity. A great leader brings positivity into the work environment,
which in turn uplifts the employees and encourages them to perform
better. Positivity can be cultivated by showing care, respect, diplomacy
and empathy toward the team.
6.​ Flexibility. The best leaders get out of their comfort zones and quickly
adapt to changing work conditions. They wear multiple hats and can
problem solve and improvise on the fly. A successful leader also
promotes employee engagement and is willing to accept constructive
feedback from the team.
7.​ Conflict resolution. A great leader not only knows how to avoid conflicts
in the workplace but can also resolve them in an efficient and timely
manner. While resolving conflicts, the leader stays level-headed and
decides analytically.
8.​ Time management. This is an essential skill for leaders, as they need to
delegate tasks, prioritize commitments, set attainable goals and
multitask. Successful leaders practice time management skills by
setting SMART goals for themselves and their team members.
9.​ Reliability. A strong leader is dependable and one that people can count
on for fulfilling commitments and meeting deadlines. This encourages the
team to appreciate the leader's decisions and follow in their footsteps.
10.​ Mentorship. Great leaders are always ready to mentor and teach to
bring out the best in their employees. They put in a lot of effort to make
the team successful by using positive reinforcement, clarity, motivation
and by rewarding achievements.
11.​ Recognizing potential. Great leaders have a keen eye for
recognizing potential talent and competencies in the workplace. They
also don't shy away from acknowledging the abilities and achievements
of their employees.
12.​ Responsibility. The success and failure of a team ride on the
shoulders of a leader. Therefore, leaders should be accountable for their
actions and willing to take the blame when mishaps happen. Great
leaders take responsibility and devise strategies for improvement instead
of pointing fingers and blaming others.
13.​ Organization. Leadership positions depend heavily on organizational
skills. A successful leader can handle a variety of different projects,
spend ample time on each, prioritize and ensure that all project
deadlines are met.
14.​ Delegation. Sometimes, it's difficult for leaders to let go of the
projects they're passionate about. However, a great leader knows the
strengths and key skills of each employee and delegates accordingly
based on the project requirements. This also helps with relationship
building within the team as employees feel valued, respected and
trusted.
15.​ Feedback. Effective leaders never miss an opportunity to provide
constructive feedback to team members regarding their performance.
Without feedback, employees can't gauge where they stand and which
areas they need to improve on.

MODULE 2 Managerial Skills

A list of attributes or abilities that an executive should possess in order to
fulfill specific tasks in an organization.
What are Management Skills?
Management skills can be defined as certain attributes or abilities that an
executive should possess in order to fulfill specific tasks in an organization.
They include the capacity to perform executive duties in
an organization while avoiding crisis situations and promptly solving
problems when they occur.
Management skills can be developed through learning and practical
experience as a manager. The skills help the manager to relate with their
fellow co-workers and know how to deal well with their subordinates, which
allows for the easy flow of activities in the organization.
Good management skills are vital for any organization to succeed and
achieve its goals and objectives. A manager who fosters good
management skills is able to propel the company’s mission and vision or
business goals forward with fewer hurdles and objections from internal and
external sources.
Management and leadership skills are often used interchangeably as they
both involve planning, decision-making, problem-solving, communication,
delegation, and time management. Good managers are almost always
good leaders as well.
In addition to leading, a critical role of a manager is to also ensure that all
parts of the organization are functioning cohesively. Without such
integration, several issues can arise and failure is bound to happen.
Management skills are crucial for various positions and at different levels of
a company, from top leadership to intermediate supervisors to first-level
managers.
Types of Management Skills
According to American social and organizational psychologist Robert Katz,
the three basic types of management skills include:
1. Technical Skills
Technical skills involve skills that give the managers the ability and the
knowledge to use a variety of techniques to achieve their objectives. These
skills not only involve operating machines and software, production tools,
and pieces of equipment but also the skills needed to boost sales, design
different types of products and services, and market the services and the
products.
2. Conceptual Skills
These involve the skills managers present i in terms of the knowledge and
ability for abstract thinking and formulating ideas. The manager is able to
see an entire concept, analyze and diagnose a problem, and find creative
solutions. This helps the manager to effectively predict hurdles their
department or the business as a whole may face.
3. Human or Interpersonal Skills
The human or the interpersonal skills are the skills that present the
managers’ ability to interact, work or relate effectively with people. These
skills enable the managers to make use of human potential in the company
and motivate the employees for better results.
Examples of Management Skills
There is a wide range of skills that management should possess to run an
organization effectively and efficiently. The following are six essential
management skills that any manager ought to possess for them to perform
their duties:
1. Planning
Planning is a vital aspect within an organization. It refers to one’s ability to
organize activities in line with set guidelines while still remaining within the
limits of the available resources such as time, money, and labor. It is also
the process of formulating a set of actions or one or more strategies to
pursue and achieve certain goals or objectives with the available
resources.
The planning process includes identifying and setting achievable goals,
developing necessary strategies, and outlining the tasks and schedules on
how to achieve the set goals. Without a good plan, little can be achieved.
2. Communication
Possessing great communication skills is crucial for a manager. It can
determine how well information is shared throughout a team, ensuring that
the group acts as a unified workforce. How well a manager communicates
with the rest of his/her team also determines how well outlined procedures
can be followed, how well the tasks and activities can be completed, and
thus, how successful an organization will be.
Communication involves the flow of information within the organization,
whether formal or informal, verbal or written, vertical or horizontal, and it
facilitates the smooth functioning of the organization. Clearly established
communication channels in an organization allow the manager to
collaborate with the team, prevent conflicts, and resolve issues as they
arise. A manager with good communication skills can relate well with the
employees and, thus, be able to achieve the company’s set goals and
objectives easily.
3. Decision-making
Another vital management skill is decision-making. Managers make
numerous decisions, whether knowingly or not, and making decisions is a
key component in a manager’s success. Making proper and right decisions
results in the success of the organization, while poor or bad decisions may
lead to failure or poor performance.
For the organization to run effectively and smoothly, clear and right
decisions should be made. A manager must be accountable for every
decision that they make and also be willing to take responsibility for the
results of their decisions. A good manager needs to possess great
decision-making skills, as it often dictates his/her success in achieving
organizational objectives.
4. Delegation
Delegation is another key management skill. Delegation is the act of
passing on work-related tasks and/or authorities to other employees or
subordinates. It involves the process of allowing your tasks or those of your
employees to be reassigned or reallocated to other employees depending
on current workloads. A manager with good delegation skills is able to
effectively and efficiently reassign tasks and give authority to the right
employees. When delegation is carried out effectively, it helps
facilitate efficient task completion.
Delegation helps the manager to avoid wastage of time, optimizes
productivity, and ensures responsibility and accountability on the part of
employees. Every manager must have good delegation abilities to achieve
optimal results and accomplish the required productivity results.
5. Problem-solving
Problem-solving is another essential skill. A good manager must have the
ability to tackle and solve the frequent problems that can arise in a typical
workday. Problem-solving in management involves identifying a certain
problem or situation and then finding the best way to handle the problem
and get the best solution. It is the ability to sort things out even when the
prevailing conditions are not right. When it is clear that a manager has
great problem-solving skills, it differentiates him/her from the rest of the
team and gives subordinates confidence in his/her managerial skills.
6. Motivating
The ability to motivate is another important skill in an organization.
Motivation helps bring forth a desired behavior or response from the
employees or certain stakeholders. There are numerous motivation tactics
that managers can use, and choosing the right ones can depend on
characteristics such as company and team culture, team personalities, and
more. There are two primary types of motivation that a manager can use.
These are intrinsic and extrinsic motivation.
Bottom Line
Management skills are a collection of abilities that include things such as
business planning, decision-making, problem-solving, communication,
delegation, and time management. While different roles and organizations
require the use of various skill sets, management skills help a professional
stand out and excel no matter what their level. In top management, these
skills are essential to run an organization well and achieve desired
business objectives.
MODULE 3 Entrepreneurship
What is entrepreneurship?
At its most basic level, entrepreneurship refers to an individual or a small
group of partners who strike out on an original path to create a new
business. An aspiring entrepreneur actively seeks a particular business
venture and it is the entrepreneur who assumes the greatest amount of risk
associated with the project. As such, this person also stands to benefit
most if the project is a success.
Entrepreneurial pursuits often involve innovation. Large enterprises may
seek to emulate this element by cultivating what’s known as
“intrapreneurship.” Employees are encouraged to think like entrepreneurs,
cultivating an original perspective that may result in a new idea for the
company. These workers may be given extra latitude, but the enterprise still
holds authority over the project and absorbs any risk associated with it.
Entrepreneurs benefit every sector, from large corporations to small
businesses.
What industries do small business entrepreneurs work in?
A recent small business owner survey from Guidant Financial found that
the top three industries for small business startups are:

●​ Food and restaurant operations

●​ Retail
●​ Business services

Other leading industries included health and fitness, finance, insurance,

and law. No matter what type of venture a small business entrepreneur is
involved in, it’s vital that they prioritize innovation and perseverance.
Characteristics of an entrepreneur
The entrepreneurial mindset combines several different skills that require
careful development for the successful achievement of a business idea. For
example, an entrepreneur must be able to balance an understanding of
how business works — including from a financial and operational
perspective — with a drive for innovation. Entrepreneurship means
understanding when you have an opening in the marketplace that no other
provider is meeting and having the business sense to know how to go after
this new opportunity at the right time.
A successful entrepreneur will possess many abilities and characteristics,
including the ability to be:

●​ Curious
●​ Flexible and adaptable
●​ Persistent
●​ Passionate
●​ Willing to learn
●​ A visionary
●​ Motivated

Entrepreneurial drive stems from qualities like these, just as an

entrepreneur's ability to succeed will depend on developing these abilities.
What types of entrepreneurs are there?
From social entrepreneurship to scalable startup entrepreneurship to
intrapreneurs, there is no limit to the kinds of entrepreneurs currently
operating within businesses.
An intrapreneur may be considered a type of entrepreneur, though this
individual will likely have a bit less freedom and much lower financial risk
than an entrepreneur who is truly embarking on a new, independent
journey. While intrapreneurs may need to manage expectations and
budgets provided by their sponsoring organization, they don’t have the
same concerns as independent entrepreneurs when it comes to investor
relations, venture capital, and overall business management.
Entrepreneurs may also be motivated primarily by their desire to make a
positive impact on the world by creating a new business. This type of
leader is known as a social entrepreneur. They see a problem facing their
communities, or the world at large, and they strive to create and implement
new solutions that drive change.
Another important distinction among the different entrepreneurial categories
is the scale of the entrepreneur’s ambition: Are they trying to launch a small
business or to create a growth-oriented startup?
What is the difference between a startup and a small business?
The term startup refers to a company in the first stages of operations.
Startups are founded by one or more entrepreneurs who want to develop a
product or service for which they believe there is demand and expect to
grow the business. The vision for the business is usually different from a
small business owner’s.
For example, a food service worker who’s interested in entrepreneurship
might choose to go into business for themselves, opening up a new
restaurant. Eventually, this venture may succeed and grow to the point
where opening up a second location or franchising the brand could be
viable options. However, this does not necessarily mean that the restaurant
is a startup, especially if the founder’s initial goal wasn’t to significantly
expand the business.
A better example of a startup entrepreneur might be a food service worker
who has an original idea about how to transform restaurant operations on a
larger scale. This person might be interested in creating a new
technological solution, reimagining distribution and logistics, or something
else. The key difference here is that the startup is small in the beginning,
but its success relies on using an innovative idea to respond to a
large-scale opportunity. Right away, many startups, companies that are just
beginning operations, have big ambitions.
From idea to startup

To visualize the journey of a startup entrepreneur, consider Kevin Plank’s

story. As the founder of Under Armour his company, which is now known
for its moisture-wicking clothing, a revolutionary idea at the time, took Plank
into about $40,000 of credit card debt. His idea didn’t catch on until he
made his first sale to Georgia Tech and the appeal of his product took off.
Plank’s entrepreneurial spirit took an idea based on the dryness of his
compression shorts and turned it into a highly visible and wildly popular
company through persistence, vision, motivation, and a determined sales
strategy.
 MODULE 4 Innovative Leadership and Design Thinking
The Right Way to Lead Design Thinking
How to help project teams overcome the inevitable inefficiencies,
uncertainties, and emotional flare-ups by Christian Bason and Robert D.
Austin
Design thinking in an effort to improve the services delivered by
organization. The members of her project team immersed themselves in
the experiences of clients, establishing rapport and empathizing with them
in a bid to see the world through their eyes. Even more than other
change-management processes, design thinking requires active and
effective leadership to keep efforts on a path to success. Much has been
written, in HBR and elsewhere, about how organizations can use design
thinking for innovation (see “Design Thinking,” HBR, June 2008,
and “Design Thinking Comes of Age,” HBR, September 2015). Our
in-depth study of almost two dozen major projects within large private- and
public-sector organizations in five countries suggests that effective
leadership is critical to success. We focused not on how individual
design-thinking teams did their work but on how the senior executives who
commissioned the work interacted with and enabled it.
Why Strong Leadership Is Crucial
“Design thinking” can mean different things, but it usually describes
processes, methods, and tools for creating human-centered products,
services, solutions, and experiences. It involves establishing a personal
connection with the people—or users—for whom a solution is being
developed. Designers seek a deep understanding of users’ conditions,
situations, and needs by endeavoring to see the world through their eyes
and capture the essence of their experiences. The focus is on achieving
connection, even intimacy, with users.
Leveraging Empathy
In the early phases of a design-thinking process, employees working on a
project need to set aside their preconceptions about the product or service
they are offering. Leaders can help them do this by endorsing the process,
which uses information about customers to evoke empathy in employees
and get them to question how their actions affect customers. Our research
shows, however, that leaders must do more than back the process. They
also need to support employees who are dealing with distressing emotions
that arise when the effectiveness of their work is questioned. Unexpected
findings can generate defensiveness and fear, interfering with empathy and
undermining motivation.
Rehearsing New Futures
A fundamental element of design thinking is testing possible solutions with
end users, staffers, and other stakeholders in quick-and-dirty ways. Boeing
calls this try storming—it’s like brainstorming, but it goes beyond thinking
up ideas to actually carrying them out in some fashion. It might entail
building models or making videos of imagined future arrangements. Such
tangible artifacts generate conversations that tend to be much more
detailed, concrete, and useful than hypothetical discussions are. Leaders
should enable this practice by providing time and resources and address
skepticism about the value of the work by conveying to employees that
“failed” prototypes represent progress. They should clearly spell out what
they’re trying to achieve and for whom they are trying to achieve it.
CONCLUSION
Leaders can’t simply commission design-thinking projects and then step
back. They must keep a watchful eye on them and be vigilant in
recognizing moments when they need to engage with the team. They must
help team members’ deal with the emotions and discomfort that are
inevitable in such endeavors. They must encourage the team to take those
all-important exploratory detours while also helping maintain confidence
that the initiative is moving forward. At the same time, they must not be too
heavy-handed: Teams need to make their own discoveries and realize that
they are engaging in a creative process, not just executing management’s
instructions.
Leaders who commission design-thinking projects must be coaches who
inspire their teams to achieve success, hand-holding when necessary but
drawing back when a team hits its stride. This role isn’t easy. Design
thinking is challenging because it involves something more fundamental
than just managing change: It involves discovering what kind of change is
needed. The managers we studied demonstrated that many leaders can do
it. But it takes a deep understanding of the job and an appreciation of the
differences between design thinking and other approaches for bringing
about organizational transformation.

MODULE 5 Ethics and Integrity

Ethical Leadership: We've seen some high profile ethical failures hit the
headlines in recent times – the Volkswagen emissions scandal and the
controversies surrounding rideshare giant Uber spring to mind.
These, and other, examples show what can happen when people at the top
of an organization make poor ethical choices, and end up in the news or in
the courts.
There are, however, many other leaders who "raise the bar," and inspire
their teams to do the same.
Do you put ethics before the bottom line?
These ethical leaders do the right thing, at the right time, for the right
reasons. They put their ethics before the bottom line – and research
shows that this makes it more likely their teams will be loyal, dedicated and
ethical, in return.
What Causes Ethical Failures?
Individual causes include ignoring boundaries such as organizational
values or industry codes, following the crowd ("everyone else is doing it, so
why not me?"), and lack of self-control.
Organizational causes include lack of positive role models, lack of codified
standards of behavior and training, and lack of accountability.

How to Be an Ethical Leader

1. Define Your Organization's Values
Your people likely look to you, as their manager or leader, to set an
example in ethical leadership. But to do this, you first need to know
your organization's values, so that you can embody them in your
day-to-day business.

2. Know Your Personal Values

Good leaders follow their personal values as well as their organizational
values. To see if that's the case for you, ask yourself these questions:
●​ What standards of behavior are really important to my company?
●​ What specific values do I admire in certain leaders? Do I identify with
those values?
●​ Would I still live by those values, even if they put me at a competitive
disadvantage?

3. Set the Tone

When you're sure of your organizational and personal values, you can
begin to create the right environment for your team and your organization.
4. Recognize Ethical Dilemmas
●​ Identify "trigger" situations.
●​ Listen to your "inner voice

5. Deal with Ethical Dilemmas

Recognizing ethical dilemmas is one thing. But, often, deciding what to do
about them is quite another. And even when you know what you ought to
do, actually doing it can be very difficult.
●​ Prepare in advance
●​ Weigh up the evidence.
●​ Reevaluate your decision before you act.
●​ Get advice.

6. Be Courageous: Sometimes, you'll act on a decision but wonder if you

did the right thing. And even when you're certain that you were right, there
can still be unpleasant consequences. So, you might be uncomfortable at
times as an ethical leader, but these situations can teach you to trust
yourself and your instincts. If you calm your anxiety and look logically at the
situation, your instincts will often guide you in the right direction.

References
Udemy, Mind tools & Harvard Business Review.
https://www.ted.com/talks/anil_gupta_india_s_hidden_hotbeds_of_invention
https://www.ted.com/talks/anil_gupta_india_s_hidden_hotbeds_of_invention
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19G99_sWApI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_iJK8BRhVJI
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYggp2fQLlc
The students can go through these NPTEL video lectures if they wish to:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TsZukmeaewc&list=PLF1DBCAC25C2BC963
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CgShhippuP4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsFiWdQJFCs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4RB1i1sVVc0