A person without destination cannot make a good leader

Megh Nath Neupane, Director General of Confederation of Nepalese Industries (CNI) has a proven record of excellance working with private sector associations. A life member of Management Association of Nepal, Neupane was also associated with Federation of Nepalese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI) and Nepal Chamber of Commerce (NCC) besides his current portfolio at CNI. A Masters graduate from Tribhuvan University, he has several professional trainings in trade, human resource development, management, export promotion, finance, labour and economy, and is a keen observer of these both in the national and international arena. Neupane has also carried out research and surveys on issues relating to productivity awareness, wages and working conditions in the country’s manufacturing industry, child labour, labour laws and issues, industry situation of Nepal and corporate social responsibility (CSR), among others. Neupane believes in vision oriented leadership and spoke with business 360 on the various aspects of leadership.

Excerpts:

How do you define leadership?

Leadership is a vision to command any organisation, both formal and non-formal, big and small. It is a capacity to see the vision, command his/her team mates and be able to realise the vision. It is also the caliber to improve oneself with the changing times.

What are the three basic traits of a leader?

First and foremost is to have a clear goal. A person without destination cannot make a good leader. One has to have a dream in life to be a leader. Goals alone do not suffice, unless the leader does not have commitment to achieve and reach the goal. Commitment hence for me is the second most critical factor of a leadership. Commitment is also associated with control and knowledge about the methods and measures to reach the goal. A sense of group and collaborative notion is another important trait of a leader. If one aspires to walk alone and reach higher, s/he does not become a leader. To be a leader one has to have respect colleagues, take team mates into confidence and install in them the confidence to reach a common goal.

Why is it essential to have leadership qualities?

Life becomes easy and worth living only once you have control over it. If you lose grip of your own life, it gets derailed and disorganised. Hence, leadership is very essential in life, let alone for leading others, but to lead one’s own life and the self. Even if one does not wish to be a group player, one has to master life which is not possible without being a leader.

Your thoughts on leadership skills in professional life…

Leadership is much needed not only in professional life but far before entering professional life. You must have command over your life and choose a destination. Hence, it is only through right leadership skills you can choose the correct profession for yourself. Every profession and every professional has a target or vision. So leadership skills are needed to see and purse that vision. The skills are also needed to keep yourself committed toward the vision and play in a group, motivating team mates to achieve that vision.

What is happiness for you?

Happiness is an internal process. It is not something that someone else bestows upon you; it is instead something you feel within. It is also a sense of doing the rights things and living life in the right manner. There is of course happiness that is borne out of physical or spiritual attainment, but in either way, you have to feel happiness from within.

Is there a corelation between leadership and happiness?

Happiness and leadership, for me go side by side. One is partial without the other. A leader has to embark on a tough journey and s/he needs to have a tremendous amount of self-confidence. Happiness feeds self confidence.

Who are your ideal leaders?

I would name Nelson Mandela, Gandhi, Bhanu Bhakta Acharya and Laxmi Prasad Devkota. In the business arena, I am always impressed with Padma Jyoti, Suraj Vaidya and Binod Chaudhary.

What is leadership in the private sector like?

There are two types of leadership. One is the organisational or company based leaders while the other is the sector or industry oriented leaders. If you see the contribution of both of these leaders in line with the relatively short history of Nepalese private sector, I would say both of these leaders are doing great.