Name: Dr Amit Nagpal

Title: Founder & CEO

Organisation: Bloggers Alliance and Your Board Profile

Storytelling and Personal Branding Coach to Aspiring Board Directors and CXOs: From Marketer to Professor to Storyteller, six words tell my life story

Thank you to the 2,000 leaders who’ve generously done the 7 Questions on Leadership!

We’ve gone through the interviews and asked the best of the best to come back and answer 7 MORE Questions on Leadership.

I hope Amit's answers will encourage you in your leadership journey. Enjoy!

Cheers,

Jonno White

1. As a leader, how do you build trust with employees, customers and other stakeholders?

I build trust with team members, customers, and stakeholders through the following:-

a) Delivering what I promise: Having a consistent track record of delivering what I promise. Never overpromise and underdeliver.

b) Clear Communication flow: Communication gap can create distrust, so it is important to respond and communicate clearly, and as much as possible, do it well on time.

c) Sharing expertise and thought leadership content. Creating the right content, sharing on the right platforms, and engaging enthusiastically wherever required.

d) Collaborate with Credible people and platforms: Choosing my collaborations mindfully, be it individuals or organisations.

e) Sharing achievements but staying humble: Sharing new achievements, associations, and credentials without sounding like bragging.

f) Uplifting others: Appreciating the right people doing the right things. Appreciation is a vitamin for the soul.

2. What do 'VISION' and 'MISSION' mean to you? And what does it actually look like to use them in real-world business?

To me, Vision means a goal and a desired future. Mission means the contributions I wish to make to individuals and society (both as an individual and through my organisations)

3. How can a leader empower the people they're leading?

Empowerment requires the following:-

a) Delegation to the right team member

b) Trust the person to whom the task has been delegated

c) Do not micro-manage

d) Providing the right tools and guidance

e) Sharing positive feedback in public and constructive criticism in private.

4. Who are some of the coaches or mentors in your life who have had a positive influence on your leadership? Can you please tell a meaningful story about one of them?

There are many mentors to whom I am grateful, and I have written a complete series on LinkedIn entitled "Memories with Mentors".

At one point in time, I was sharing content on personal development, social media tips, and brand storytelling ideas. One day I thought, why am I sharing such a broad range of content, and whether I am confusing my readers. My coach Jennifer Sertl nudged me to connect the dots, and that led to my "Enlarge Excel Evolve" model (Enlarge as a Collaborator, Excel as a Communicator, and Evolve into a Story Narrator)

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5. Leadership is often more about what you DON'T do. How do you maintain focus in your role?

I do a self-reflection activity every week on my unhealthy addictions, like social media. I create plans to handle these addictions, such as Digital Detox, and the Digital Wellbeing feature of smartphones.

When I am writing an important blog or editing one, I keep my mobile in Silent mode to avoid disruption in my flow of thought.

6. If you fail to plan, you plan to fail. Everyone plans differently. How do you plan for the week, month and years ahead in your role?

I create a 'To Do List' every day and divide it into High Priority and Low Priority tasks. I schedule my tasks accordingly and transfer the pending tasks to the next day's 'To Do'. At the beginning of the year, I create "Goals for the Year", which I break into 'Goal for the Month', at the beginning of every month. I call it the Task Prioritisation technique.

7. What advice would you give to a young leader who is struggling to delegate effectively?

Focus on mentoring, not micro-managing. Encourage the leader to come up with solutions, and she/he should encourage the same with their team members. I remember a poster outside the room of my boss when I was an Executive Assistant to a CXO. The poster read, "If you have a problem, please don't enter. If you have a problem and suggested solutions, you are welcome. I also saw a doormat in an office. "We don't spoon-feed here."