Cyclone Hudhud recently hit and ravaged the Eastern coastal belt of India. Vishakhapatnam, or Vizag as it popularly called, took the brunt of the damages. Over a hundred lives were lost as water, electricity, transportation and communication lines were severely disrupted. Massive hurricane winds swept across the entire state for several days.
Chandrababu Naidu, the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, immediately decided to move to the disaster hit region of the state. He began operating out of a bus which became his makeshift office and home. Naidu was truly hands on and supervised relief operations with zeal and passion. He was determined to provide relief and announced several times that he would return to the capital city of Hyderabad only when all the affected people had received aid and support. This was clearly the case of a leader in action leading from the front. It was empathetic and decisive symbolic leadership at its very best.
Quite often we hear people say, ‘actions speak louder than words’ or ‘walk the talk’. What does it truly meanIJ Does it refer to the fact that your convictions are so deep that you no longer need words to express themIJ Or, does it mean that you lay more emphasis in your actions than in your speechIJ Either way, a look at some of the most memorable moments in history amply indicates that symbolic leadership is the key to transformation and success. It often inspires others and influences their behaviour towards positive change. You can think of Gandhi stridently leading the Dandi March in April 1930 with millions of followers courting arrest and shaking the British Empire.
My life is my message. ~ MK Gandhi Understanding Symbolic leadership Symbolic leadership depends more on how a leader behaves than how he communicates verbally. Social scientists believe that leaders need to be conscious of their actions and behaviour, and how it is perceived by their followers. Usually, the actions are rooted in the leader’s values and beliefs.
Symbolic leadership is not just limited to the political sphere, it is also crucial in workplaces and in all most all day to day situations. For instance, if a new supervisor takes on her responsibilities at a time when the company is going through tumultuous times, it is a good idea for her to place her desk in the middle of the department that she heads. This way the team members are able to perceive her openness to feedback and suggestions. Also, since she has reduced the distance between her work station and that of her colleagues and teammates, she has effectively made it easier for them to communicate with her.
Symbolic behaviour often has a far greater impact than written or verbal communication. Each one of us in our individual capacity needs to deeply understand that communication goes beyond words and conveys plentiful. This understanding would help us in developing our own blend of symbolic leadership. What is most important is to identify values that we strongly believe in and live accordingly, the rest will follow on its own.
If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader~ John Quincy Adams
(The writer is a social activist and former COO for the Uttarakhand Government 108 emergency services)