The Attitude of an Effective Leader

 

By Anirudh Suresh

HOUSTON: On the morning of Sunday September 21, I rose from my sleep, somewhat nervous but even more excited for what the day held in store for me. As I assembled my business attire for the event that day, my anticipation continued to grow.

That Sunday marked the start of the Youth Leadership Development Program (YLDP) of Houston Class of 2015. Since 2008, YLDP has helped Indo-American high school juniors and seniors from the Greater Houston Area learn about a truly elusive concept in the real world: what comprises leadership? This year’s group consisted of 48 talented students striving to learn more about leadership in their future careers.
As one of these students, I was extremely eager to meet similarly motivated students and learn about what makes a leader in the professional world. I was especially excited to hear Dr. Latha Ramchand, Dean of the C. T. Bauer College of Business at the University of Houston, speak to our batch about leadership in business.

By bringing together diverse examples ranging from the discovery of powered flight to a personal story about her grandmother, Dr. Ramchand conveyed the need for a clear and benevolent vision to succeed in one’s career. “One’s vision,” explained Dr. Ramchand, “must tie back to how one can make life better for another human being.” In addition, Dr. Ramchand taught us the significance of intellectual humility and optimism, using various cases from her workplace and large-scale business models to illustrate her points.

Listening to Dr. Ramchand’s speech was very motivating on the whole, but my favorite aspect of the presentation was her discussion of adversity in several business models and the importance of being able to turn obstacles into opportunities.

My first experience at YLDP taught me about the significance of a proper mindset and attitude in the professional world. Dr. Ramchand helped me realize that there will be several obstacles on the road to success. What is most important is how one handles these hurdles of life, recovers from temporary failures, and motivates others to follow.