Manage your autocratic leader

A good leader can get things going for an organisation. However, leaders who go overboard while exercising power can hamper growth. Such people must be dealt with tact.

ET's Prachi Verma Dadhwal brings tips from experts on how to deal with autocratic leaders, given that there is scarcity of good talent at the top.

Create an Open System

It is important to have an organisation where more transparency and fairness is followed. There should be open flow of communication from top to bottom and vice versa.

"Let the voice of all the employees be heard through an open system, as this helps subordinates to use the fairness in the system to voice their concerns (against autocratic leaders)," said Vikram Gupta, founder of IvyCap Ventures Advisors.

Many companies are doing this through an online system, he said.

360-Degree Evaluation

It is important for firms to follow a 360-degree evaluation system. This would automatically keep a check on the autocratic leaders. This system should be fully supported with regular feedback sessions.

"If everyone is evaluated by their subordinates along with their bosses, autocratic leaders would be more careful," said Gupta.

Not Always Villains

There are times that organisations need autocratic leaders. It is up to the organisations on how they perceive the leaders and their objectives. An organisation should try to understand their agenda and even buy into their vision.

"Autocratic leaders are usually very competent and sure-footed, with a strong sense of what needs to be done and how to get it done," said Sunit Mehra, managing partner, Hunt Partners. It is better not to touch the autocratic leader, especially when he/she is delivering value in a tough business.

Time-To-Time Training

A continuous training programme is very helpful in reminding the autocratic leaders to be gentle to subordinates. They can be mentored or coached to look for milder mechanisms while dealing with their team members.

Also, use of social media crawler technologies to get early feedback on the leader can be used for training and coaching, said Gupta.

Informal Channel

Organisations should also spend time in informal relationships with all managers. The managers who are highly autocratic can be nudged to be tender to their team.

"In some situations, autocratic leaders can be very good for a company," said Mehra. Leaders can tend to get blind-sided, and so need inputs to deliver a more efficient result. Mehra said, "These inputs are best provided post office hours, and preferably over a drink or game of golf!"

Source:-The Economic Times