What does being a leader mean? Is it about giving orders and having them obeyed? Is it about establishing a distinct hierarchy or blending with your team, treating them as equals and empowering them to succeed? Great Manager Institute® feels delighted to present the story of an empowering leader Nilay Bhargava. He is the Business Head – South of Godrej Housing Finance and a part of the list of the Top 100 Great People Managers of 2021 by Great Manager Institute® published in Forbes India. Find out with us how Nilay creates a healthy and productive environment at Godrej Housing Finance.

“We, as an organization, have a culture of showing respect; it is the basis of our foundation.”

The practices followed by Nilay and his team ensure that there is less interdepartmental friction and excellent work culture. Important decisions are made after everyone’s opinion has been heard, and all department heads come together for the same. This is done to ensure that everyone is aware of what the common goal is and what an individual is responsible for.

One-on-One Sessions

There is a young team working at Godrej Housing Finance. And Nilay makes sure to spend time with them at least once every month. In his experience, it has helped the company lower their attrition rate. These sessions allow him to connect with his team members personally and help him understand the challenges in their personal and professional lives. Through this practice, Nilay is able to guide them and help them achieve their personal goals.

“I gift books to people so that they can learn and improve their management skills.”

Nilay believes in acquiring knowledge on a regular basis. It doesn’t matter which position you’ve secured at your workplace or how high you’ve reached in your career, one must always strive to learn new, different skills. He gifts books to his team members as a reward and also discusses the things which were learnt or could be learned through the book. It encourages and motivates the team to improve and strive for excellence.

“Instead of giving annual or half-yearly feedback the best way to improve people’s performance is to provide them with continuous feedback.”

A common trait in excellent leaders is the practice of giving regular feedback. Constructive criticism at the right time for the exact task shows that a leader is aware of what their employee is working on and ensures smooth functioning and completion of tasks on time.

 “As a leader, I am ready to go the extra mile when it comes to helping my team.”

While there are confident and capable employees in Nilay’s team, he still makes it a point to help those who are stuck and are finding it difficult to complete a task. As a leader, he believes that it is his job to challenge and push his team to do better, but he also believes in giving them the full support they need.

Great Managers Institute® aims to bring out the best in industry leaders. Our series “Your Business is Built by People You Nurture” shares the best employee engagement practices that India’s Top 100 Great People Managers of 2021 follow to achieve business growth.

According to GMI, this is what we can learn from Nilay Bhargava’s story:

1. Showing respect to all employees irrespective of their post is crucial for the smooth functioning of a workplace
2. Leaders themselves must learn new skills and encourage their employees to do the same
3. It is very important to give constructive and regular feedback

If you believe your leadership skills are at par with the best practices shared in this story, participate in Great People Manager Study 2022 and get a chance to feature in India’s Top 100 Great People Managers list. We are eager to hear your story. Register here!

Cheers to great leaders!