Exemplary Leadership

One of the company VP's visited our site yesterday. I report into his group. He is a veteran in the industry and switched his career to this present one about three years before but after what he calls "a blessed" 25 years.

Even as a VP, he is very technical about what his group is doing. Being in the semiconductor space, understanding technical stuff is itself a big effort for anyone at the Executive level. Inspite of him, coming into this role only about three years back, he had amassed a wealth of information and it was like an engineer talking to an engineer - not the regular managerial stuff.

Apart from his visit, what I like is the weekly mails he sends out. This is quite a different mail - he updates everyone under his umbrella with what is going on - this gives a better picture of where our company is headed, how our products progress, what each group does, what are the major tasks that were addressed over the week, what are the plans ahead, etc. Sending out a mail like this one serves a lot of purpose - you get to know what is happening at the high level, how the various teams interact, how your specific work affects the company, what is your importance and responsibility in the company, etc. Communications like these boost the morale of the people and also bring in a lot of enthusiasm and drive from each person.

Rather than getting a job done without details, if there is lucid communication on what is going on and where you fit in - it really helps you to understand your work and get more out of you. There you go - a great example of the importance of communication that eventually grades how good you are as a leader.

On the other hand, I have an immediate manager who is totally opposite - more on that later !!!