“A Team Is Only As Successful As Its Collective Output"

Shivangi Sahu, Director Customer Success, Clari Software, believes that bringing an element of authenticity and compassion to tough situations helps with gaining team trust greatly.

What leadership qualities do you believe are most important for driving team success in today's dynamic business environment?

I believe it is important to lead by example and be open to ideas from talented individuals in our teams. A team is only as successful as its collective output, so being able to inspire the skeptical in the group and build a high output team requires paying attention to individuals first and finding what motivates them. Leading with empathy is another quality that helps with conflict resolution and handling tough situations or change management. 

Can you share a significant leadership lesson you've learned throughout your career journey?

One important learning for me has been that you need both empathy and a challenger mindset to be effective as a leader. It is, however, a balancing act and can lead to burn out for leaders themselves. I have found that creating a team culture built around empathy and open communication can help guide us through any peaks and troughs. Having the courage to ask the tough questions and driving the business to make more human decisions has helped me in building a high output team who can bring their best to work.

How do you balance empathy and accountability as a leader when guiding your team through challenges and opportunities?

When faced with challenges, a team is looking for a confident leader who they can trust to take the right decisions for them. In my experience, bringing an element of authenticity and compassion to tough situations helps with gaining team trust greatly. What we are aiming for in such situations is to get the team to a stage where they are able to have a positive outlook about the future of the business and their role in it. My approach has been to bring clarity and consensus to the discussion early on, make them feel comfortable airing their concerns with me, and keep them grounded in their goals as we navigate the changing landscape. Having regular growth and development conversations is also an important aspect of keeping the team accountable.

What advice would you give to aspiring leaders striving for excellence in their careers?

My advice to the future cadre of talented leaders would be to approach change with curiosity and to have a resilient mindset. Your career is a marathon and it is more important to finish the race than win this short sprint.