Leadership isn't about proving who has authority. It's about creating an environment where people can perform their best without losing themselves in the process.
People don't leave companies as often as they leave leaders.
Working in one of the largest audit service organizations and hearing the experiences of people across different teams, it is clear that a toxic senior doesn't just affect the people working under them today, they also shape the kind of leaders those people become tomorrow.
Some believe controlling employees' personal lives, expecting them to be available every weekend, or even during sick leave, is a sign of dedication or leadership.
It isn't.
@sukumoon_ It's true actually. Many people can name actors, cricketers and influencers instantly but struggle to name their local representatives. That's not unique to India. People comment on what they are fed with not on the process :)
For years, people outside India saw us only as a source of labour. What feels more important to me now is seeing perceptions change when people experience the country firsthand. Labels matter less when reality speaks for itself.
Recently, I realized how different perceptions can be from reality. Some of our on-site managers genuinely expected India to have small offices, limited facilities, and poor infrastructure because of the image they had seen over the years.
This year, I hear people are actually competing for a chance to visit India. It was a reminder that there's much more to India than the stereotypes many people grow up hearing.