CORPORATE WHISPERSHoneyTrap!Leadership is all aboutmotivating a group ofpeople towards achieving acommon objective, andleaders can only do so onlyif they enjoy unambiguoustrust and respect of theirteam members.Anurag Anand40suburb life | January 2019
From giving clearand precisefeedback toproviding guidanceon matters ofprofessionalinterest, the list ofthings that a leader must do toearn this trust is rather long.However, it is often thoseleaders who are able to aptlybalance the roles of a friend,philosopher and guide, are theones who find themselvesacquiring this pedestal soonerthan the others.Finding this balance can provetricky for some though. Afterall, leaders are also humans,and come with the same set offlaws and fallacies, makingthem vulnerable to what I callthe Honey Trap. This isn’t thetraditional honey trap, as weknow it, but one that carries thepotential of derailing apromising leader from his/ herordained path of glory.Jaya is an Accounts Directorwith a major advertising agencyand has carved a name forherself in the industry over adecade and a half long career.She is known as much for herpeople skills as for herproficiency at work, so it waslike a dream come true forNikhil when he got his offerletter from the agency to joinJaya’s team.In the three years that Nikhilhad spent at another firm, hehad learnt the tricks of thetrade well. He was a sincereand passionate individual with afiery urge to succeed in hiscareer. Jaya and Nikhil hit it offinstantly, doubling up as bosssubordinateand friends as perthe demands of the hour.“He was young, dedicated,sincere and a fun guy… Hepossibly triggered my motherlyinstincts and I got attached tohim somewhere along theway,” Jaya confided, whilesharing her story with me. Allwas good until one day Nikhilleft Jaya waiting in the car parkfor a long time as they were tohead out for a client meeting.He had got into a corridorconversation with one of theother Account Directors, heexplained. This did not go wellwith Jaya, the boss, and shetried to reason with him, but tolittle avail.“It’s a small thing, you arereacting too much. If someonewants to have a word with me, Ican’t just step away, can I?” hereasoned. This was just the startof the downfall of theirrelationship.“I started noticing that he wastaking me for granted… Hewas a friendly person generally,but it seemed as though I was abox he’d already ticked, and hewas now going at lengths togain the favour of othersaround us. Sometimes even atmy expense,” Jaya explained.“I confronted him a couple oftimes, but he would alwaysbrush the allegations off,attributing them to myexcessive sensitivity. Perhaps Iwas being sensitive, but thatwas only because I truly caredfor him and it wasn’t a greatfeeling that I was nothing moreto him than a boss he wassupposed to remain at friendlyterms with. And maybe hemight even have taken my careand concern for somethingelse, who knows!”Whether it was Jaya’s loss inthe long run, or Nikhil’s, isanybody’s guess, but the factremains that a case ofmismatched expectations hasturned Jaya into a skeptic whenit comes to the people she’sworking with. This trap ofgetting too involved withpeople is something thatleaders need to avoid at allcosts. Jaya’s might be an extremeexample, but leadership is asmuch about drawing the linewhere required as it is aboutnurturing a healthy bond withthose we lead. sAnurag Anand is thebestselling author ofseveral notable titlesincluding TheLegend of Amrapali,Where the RainbowEnds and Love on 3Wheels. His latestrelease, To Hell andBack, is a fast paces thriller set inGurgaon, where he lives and works with abeverage MNC. You can reach Anurag oncontact@anuraganand.in orfacebook.com/anuraganandauthorGIFT OF LOVEDecorating thepersonal spaceLimited edition penset of Caran D’ Achefrom William PennFreestylemusic mateDecorateyour homewith yourbetter halfwith thequirky Valentine’sCollection from MoraTaara.The beautifullypainted red ceramicvases, vintageorganisers, bardecor are few of theunusual gifts whichyour boyfriend orhusband wouldlove. All productsrange from INR 120to 35,000.Fans of thefamous JusticeLeaguers –Batman, WonderWoman andSuperman – can rejoice asthe superheroes arereborn in a new avatar, asluxury pens. Themastercraftsmen of therenowned, Geneva-basedcompany, noted forprecision engineering andcutting-edge SwissDesign, bested technicalchallenges to create thesemarvellous writinginstruments.This limitededition box set celebratesthese iconic superheroeswe have loved sincechildhood in asophisticated stylishform.Price: Rs 3, 15,000.Turn up the volume,huddle with yourfavorites and let themusic with UltimateEars Wonder boomFreestyle Collection, the latestlineup to join the family ofportable, seriously waterproof,go-anywhere speakers. Thiscollection of super portableBluetooth speakers available infive designs: Concrete, Avocado,Patches, Raspberry and Unicorn.Price: 6,999/-
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