The leader's doctrine

If you have a team player with natural leadership characteristics, you are close to changing the world. As leaders are visionaries, they are the ones who have the ability to see things that can’t be seen by others, they are the ones who create the balance between leadership culture and its principles.

In this chapter we will talk about cultures and philosophies which each CEO or a team leader or any project manager or whomever might be in a leadership position should follow.

Inspiring leader is better than good manager

If you can relate to our values so far then you will probably agree with us that management is a true disaster. All the workplaces around the world are full of adults and doesn’t need an alarm to tell them this is wrong, you should have came early, and you salary has been cut of by 30% due to your vacations. If we are working with people who know their duties well and share us the same purpose, then what we need are more leaders not managers.

The manager wants thing to go as planned, he can’t stand changes as he doesn’t conclude with the team. But the leader cares for every team member, inspiring and motivating them. He interacts with the team from the “start up perspective” as all actions must be done through inspiration in order to achieve self-realization for individuals, not for anything else.

In Baianat, we have been following this approach since the first day. We don’t have management, executive board or employees. We have leaders and players. We let self discipline guide everyone through the way. There are no ridiculous punishments and fancy rewards , employee of the month or whatever. We know that all it takes is someone who already have been there before to show you the way and lite some shades.

It’s all about effective leadership

Leaders in Baianat are responsible of creating shortcuts and inspiring others to walk the way. They gather the team and encourage people to make mistakes faster in order to learn. It doesn’t matter how much these mistakes will cost as the true value lies in investing in human beings and creating a pipeline not in money.

Leaders will help you make something you could be proud of, while managers only focus on getting tasks done. Applying the same leadership style to all the players is not efficient. As you customize your products you should customize your way of communication.

Don’t ask for too much or more than what can be required form one person. Know the strengths and weaknesses of each of individual and looks how can that benefit the whole group.

Effective meetings

Meetings can be toxic to culture if held the wrong way. People shouldn't be afraid of these gathering however they try reducing it by finding other ways of communication like emails or just small talks. Good leaders hold meetings that spreads positive vibes and encourages people to implement the agreed upon goals and settled agenda. In Baianat, meetings are more like family gatherings where we can share where we stand, talk about our issues and what new interesting things we found and everyone is allowed to share. However, it's not regular as we understand that interruption holds people back.

Leadership is for everyone

Every team member in Baianat is a leader as much as they love and care about Baianat, “Every player in Baianat team should know all the details of the project - he is working on - On which the company works as a whole in its various specialties. So everyone can have the big picture to achieve harmony, because we are working as one man to achieve one mission. Everyone is a leader if the leader is absent, this is what we believe in at Baianat.

A necktie shocks who wears it

As google says, there is no need for formality to look serious. Being formal will only impose certain rules and behaviors on you not others and doesn't necessarily earn you respect. People might avoid you for being too formal and in modern businesses formality is in the past. In Baianat we are a flatter structure where everyone is sharing his own opinions, acting himself and wearing whatever he likes. By removing formality we got rid of terms like employees, working hours, the manager, CEO .. etc. and even while dealing with clients we consider it as a partnership where the two sides should e open and honest as possible to work it out. We know that our talents re humans not resources so we try to make it easy as possible regardless of how this might look like. We think of traditional interviews as pointless waste of time as our first priority is not the technicality. It's morals and you can't get to know someone well until you spend some time together.

The art of feedback

Whenever we hear the word feedback we consider it critique although a feedback is always just a feedback and a way of building people up not taking them down. Feedback can be good comments that encourage people to continue doing something or consecutive in a way that encourages quitting a certain behavior in order to get better.

In Baianat we live on feedbacks. We seek and collect as much as we can whether from clients or other teammates to enhance our level.

A good leader knows when, how, why and to whom he is going to present his feedback. If he doesn’t know, he will transforms the team into a mass of frustration, so awareness in feedback is a must to every leader. As the goals is to build the team from a skill improvement and development perspective not judgement.

A true leader is the one who makes other have confidence in themselves, so feedback is a weapon must be used as an evaluation tool to reach desired results and building the characters and skills of the team members.

Think Critical and ask why

If you think of the current situation, then you will not help your team grow. Being strategic and having bird's eye view is essential for thinking as a leader. Working on the current issues and finding temporary solutions will place constraints on your mind and block you from thinking beyond.

You own your destiny and all the resources needed to think of being international. We did our best looking for something hard but couldn't find anything. Look around and see how companies are changing the world just because of their way of thinking.

In Baianat we think critical and direct every teammate to do the same. . thinking about foundation and big things is inspiring and even if these things were not accomplished the point you will get in your purist is a good starting point for a new adventure. Don't limit yourself to knowledge or resources, get everything abstracted and free your mind from the minor stuff to focus on what matters.

Clarity and transparency

Good leaders Share what they know. They set clear goals and direct which the whole team is aware of and direct all the efforts towards them. He understands that it's better when everyone on the same page. He doesn't hide or fake perfection he is honest and tells the truth always. Even if the situation is not pleasant he uses that to transmit a spirit of loyalty and collaboration rather than despair. This is what we believe and do in Baianat, everyone one knows everything, even the company expenses and losses. There are no secret deals or with new updates,comers, meetings and emails. Being transparent also involves letting people know when there is a financial crisis or no hope. True leaders admit their mistakes without bias and their enemies asked for their advice they won't even fake that as may be tomorrow's friend is today's enemy.

Making family

The leader serves as the spiritual father or godfather for the team. One of his most important tasks is to gather all the members of the team and create a state of harmony and happiness between them. They are family-like. The sense of the family removes obstacles and barriers, improves communication and makes it effective.They share experience and wait for results to be happy together, making every moment a success and a pause that will become tomorrow's memories, and give taste to the difficulties of the future.

The real jokers

In Baianat philosophy, great leaders rebel and don't obey the rules. They create their own rules, markets and personal brands in accordance to what the surrounding environment need. They gain knowledge and know books by heart but implement what they learned in a smart way without being rigid or chained to one methodology. They explore all the available options and choose the best. They don't wait to be told what to do, they identify the problem, look for solution then test and error until it's solved. They adapt to whatever situation they find themselves in and act as jokers.

Clarity in leader’s doctrine

A real deal is based on clarity and openness (clarity means explaining what the facts say without misleading or concealing results). A leader without ethics will never be able to make a difference, change cultures or do anything of a value to the world. Honesty is the best thing you do, nothing like truth.

The outstanding leader does not hide any facts from the team members, does not fake hope, the outstanding leader is transparent (transparency is telling the truth as it is - without any analysis or explanation - without bias towards any outcome that may be overlooked).

The ancient wisdom said “If your enemy consulted you, give him advice, because by asking your for advice he has come out of your antagonism to your loyalties”.

Equality

One of the non-negotiable things in Baianat is treating everyone the same way. Having certain favorable groups and people with higher authority is something that causes a great conflict with our culture of equality. Since we are all in the same team we must follow the same rules. Regardless of our ages, genders or religions we all have the same purpose.

One man shows are boring

No one gets all the tasks done on his own even workaholics and nerds need help at some point.  It's not because they are weak but this is not how life works in general and especially in Baianat where the bee work style dominates the atmosphere letting delegations happen in a smooth way.

Although some perceive delegation as a risk we see it as an opportunity for helping people grow. Prevailing the spirit of trust without much constraints and instructions will flourish your team mindset. Only notice to whom the task is referred and when delegation should happen. However, you need to set expectations and clear goals for each delegation made as not to be surprised by the end result.

Experience is not the result of one day

Rushing profitability or success is not helpful at all, things don’t happen this way, not once we try something new is that we must gain its fruits, experience is not the result of a single day. In Baianat, we believe that experience is the result of hundreds of trials that might be successful once or many times the most important is frequent experimentation.

Think BIG

Changing the world might happen in one night but only if your voice is heard and as much as it’s heard it will change, so get away from negative people and think big, don’t listen to any disheartening opinions, The whole world says that there is nothing easy, but we say that there is nothing hard at all, we did our best to find something hard, but we couldn’t find one.

All mega great things that happened and will happen were made by people like us, no difference between one or another, there is just someone who want to change and one who want to change and take actions.

Leadership is not about being in charge. Leadership is about taking care of those in your charge.