Leadership Lessons Today’s Leaders Can Learn from Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam

Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam’s life was a testament to remarkable leadership qualities that transcend time. His legacy holds a treasury of lessons that modern leaders can imbibe to navigate today’s complex and dynamic world. Let’s explore some invaluable leadership insights drawn from the life and principles of this visionary leader.

Be Humble and Approachable

Dr. Kalam, despite his monumental achievements, epitomized humility. Approachability and openness to others’ ideas were at the core of his leadership. Today’s leaders should emulate this quality, fostering an environment where team members feel heard and valued.

Never Stop Learning
A lifelong learner, Dr. Kalam stressed the significance of continuous education and self-improvement. In a rapidly evolving world, leaders must embrace learning, encouraging their teams to explore new horizons and ideas.

Set Clear Goals and Work Diligently
Dr. Kalam’s unwavering dedication to his vision for India illustrates the importance of setting clear goals and dedicating oneself to their achievement. Effective leaders communicate objectives clearly, inspiring teams to work diligently toward shared aspirations.

Be a Visionary
A visionary leader, Dr. Kalam inspired the nation with his belief in India’s potential in science and technology. Leaders should cultivate a vision for the future, inspiring others to believe in and contribute to that vision.

Lead by Example
Dr. Kalam’s tireless efforts and commitment set a benchmark for leading by example. Leaders who demonstrate dedication and hard work motivate their teams to emulate and surpass expectations.

Foster a Culture of Innovation
Encouraging innovation and creativity was one of Dr. Kalam’s hallmarks. Leaders should create an environment that nurtures out-of-the-box thinking and welcomes fresh ideas.

Remain Optimistic
Despite challenges, Dr. Kalam’s unwavering optimism resonated in his belief that the right attitude could conquer any obstacle. Leaders who maintain a positive outlook inspire their teams to overcome hurdles with resilience and determination.

Dr. Kalam’s life and leadership style offer a reservoir of wisdom for current and future leaders. Embracing humility, continuous learning, clarity in goals, visionary thinking, leading by example, fostering innovation, and nurturing optimism can redefine leadership paradigms. By imbibing these principles, leaders can pave the way for a brighter, more innovative, and harmonious future. Dr. Kalam’s legacy beckons leaders to lead not just by authority but by inspiration, vision, and humility.

Leaders Need to Learn How to Take Criticism…

If you’re in a leadership position, you need to know how to take criticism well. Being resilient will help you stay focused on what the company needs, rather than on the naysayers.

One strategy is to brainstorm several ways to respond to criticism and write them down for reference. It can be hard to know what to say at the moment, so general responses will ensure you have something ready. They could include: “Thank you for sharing your point of view. I’d like to consider it more and get back to you” or “Let me repeat what you said, to make sure I understood you.” Another good strategy is to remind yourself that the criticism may be aimed at your role rather than at you personally. If you’re the head of product, for example, it’s possible that the head of sales will always clash with you, no matter who has the job.

Distancing yourself from criticism this way can help you think through what was said — and what the criticism is really about.

Make Your Organization Change-Ready…

The best time to prepare for change is before it starts. But you don’t always have that luxury, especially when the future is uncertain and unstable. Instead you need to equip your organization to thrive in a state of constant change by reshaping its relationship to it. Here’s how:

  • Convey a different mindset. Don’t talk about change as something to be controlled and managed. Have an attitude that any change — good or bad, big or small, expected or unwelcome — is an opportunity for growth and improvement.
  • Conduct a “change audit.” Assess your organization’s readiness for a world in constant flux. Where is change hitting hardest in your organization? Which departments, functions, and teams have excelled despite the instability of the last 18 months — and why?
  • Assign someone to be responsible for your organization’s change-readiness. Depending on the size of your organization, it may be time to add a chief change officer whose cross-functional role is dedicated to helping the entire company prepare for a change-heavy future.

In-person work doesn’t always hold the advantages it’s often believed to…

As the hybrid era unfolds, the benefits of in-person work are increasingly misunderstood. To get the most out of your time together as a team, you need to be aware of the common myths about in-person work.

Myth #1: People learn more effectively in person. Because it rarely affords opportunities for meaningful practice and feedback, in-person learning is often less impactful than well-designed virtual learning. Make an effort to regularly design these types of experiences for your team.

Myth #2: In-person events help create (or strengthen) culture. Culture is built upon what your team experiences all day, every day at work—not what they experience when they step away from the normal routine for a workshop, keynote, or holiday party. Don’t depend on these outlier events; commit to building a healthy culture in the day-to-day, hybrid flow of things.

Myth #3: In-person gatherings are necessary to give people a break from screens. Healthy screen habits shouldn’t depend on where your employees are working from. They can—and should—be developed remotely, too. Encourage both your remote and in-office employees to unplug routinely.

Myth #4: Networking and human connection can only happen in person. False! People have long been able to develop meaningful relationships by writing letters and emails and speaking on the phone. Add video calls to that list.

How to Stop Catastrophizing…

Leaders who create doomsday scenarios out of everyday setbacks—what behavioral scientists call catastrophizing—risk spreading their stress to their teams. If your catastrophizing is trickling down and getting in the way of your leadership, here are some ways to begin addressing it.

First, catastrophizing is a learned behavior, so be curious about how and when you learned it. Think about the formative seasons of your life when you started to foresee impending disasters. These stories may be painful to recall, but identifying the root of your habit is the first step toward interrupting it.

Then, interrogate the data you’re collecting. Ask yourself: What cues are telling you that the worst will happen? Are there circumstances, people, or challenges that regularly trigger your doomsday thinking? Are you fabricating fears based on past experiences? What positive data might you be ignoring?

To regulate your emotional state when you’re anxious about an outcome, first turn your attention to your physical experience. Simple changes to your breathing and environment can calm down your system in the moment.

Finally, acknowledge the consequences your catastrophic thinking has on others. As a leader, your mood sets the tone for your team. To maintain a healthy environment, acknowledge how your tendency to catastrophize might affect them. And, if necessary, apologize for your past behavior and talk about what steps you’re taking to grow.

Build a stronger work ethic for success…

Work ethic refers to a set of principles around work, such as reliability, productivity, autonomy, and ability to collaborate. While work ethic may come naturally to some people, it can also be learned and sharpened. Here’s how.

  • Develop self-discipline. This comes down to better understanding your impulses so you can manage them, creating systems to hold yourself accountable, and setting yourself up to have the energy you need to do good work.
  • Reset your priorities every day. Spend a few minutes in the morning identifying which items you need to get done. The trick is to find a balance between tasks that are urgent and must be finished today and tasks that are contributing to longer-term, but equally important, projects.
  • Be a team player. Collaboration doesn’t just increase the impact of your work and serve your team, it also demonstrates your dependability.
  • Own your work. Take pride in your to-do list. If something doesn’t make sense to you, don’t wait for direction—ask questions to get clarity. If you have an idea that you think is great, pitch it.