Daniel Assouline, chairman and co-founder at UpClick, is a serial entrepreneur with a meticulous knowledge of online marketing and technology. He is committed to helping UpClick become the premier payment service. UpClick offers custom e-commerce solutions and expertise in conversion funnel optimization for a few top merchants in the digital goods industry.
2. There is no clear cut definition of leadership. Daniel
Assouline, the chairman and co-founder of e-commerce
solution provider, UpClick, has some important qualities like
vision, integrity, ability to make decisions, and great
communication and negotiation skills, among many others.
These are some qualities on which all theorists unanimously
agree must be possessed by a person if he is to do an efficient
job of leading people.
In the following section, we will deal in detail with these
important traits and see, with examples, how they are of
great importance for any leader of a modern organization.
3. This is perhaps the most important quality that separates a
leader from a non-leader. A leader knows about the present
but, importantly, has the ability to peak into the future.
Leaders know where their organization stands presently but
visionary leaders know where they want to see their
organization in the future.
Such leaders have clear cut, exciting ideas about how their
organization can meet future challenges. They plan in
advance about effectively beating competition as well as
fulfilling and surpassing customer’s expectations.
Leaders with a vision can be called transformational leader
where as a leader without a clear cut vision can be described
as a transactional leader.
4. The difference between transformational leader and transactional
leader is of guidance and inspiration.
Transformational leaders inspire their followers to put aside their
own narrow self–interests for the greater good of the organization.
People listen to these leaders since they have an extraordinary and
profound effect on their followers.
Transactional leaders, on the other hand, guide and motivate their
followers to channelize their efforts towards the achievements of
overall goals and objectives of the organization.
Daniel Assouline can be called a transformational leader in the
true sense of the word. He is a leader who has a vision and knows
how to turn this vision into reality.
He is a leader who knows the worth of his employees and also the
art of motivating and inspiring them to see things in positive light
and put in the extra effort so that their organization can deliver
exceptional results on a continuous basis.
5. In this rapidly changing world of globalization and advance
technological changes, skills and knowledge need to be
continuously upgraded. Complacency has no place in a world
where a highly competent worker can quickly become
incompetent.
Skills can quickly become outdated and the output of a
worker can be greatly affected by deteriorating work
methods and obsolete knowledge.
Good leaders understand the importance of training their
employees to keep them updated with the latest
technologies and business environments.
6. Different types of skills are needed in different types of organizations.
However, there are some basic skills in which the employees must be
trained irrespective of the organization or industry they work in. The
intensity and importance may vary depending upon the area of expertise
of the organization.
Technical skills-new technology and novel structural designs in the
organizations has made training in technical skills very important. Training
is given to an employee to improve and upgrade their technical skills.
With the increased use of computers and automation, it is but natural to
expect workers to learn a whole new set of skills to remain in the
reckoning.
Also, as the traditional form of hierarchical organizational structures give
way to flatter and faster organizations, employee must possess ample
technical skills to understand how their organization functions and where
do they stand in the value chain.
7. Interpersonal skills—workers are not robots that are
expected to work in isolation with a rigid set of rules and
procedures.
Employees belong to a work unit and they must be given
training to enhance their interpersonal skills so that they can
effectively communicate with their peers, subordinates as
well as their superiors.
Problem–solving skills—anybody in the organization from the
lowest level worker to the CEO may face problems in their
course of duty.
Training in problem solving skills make the workers
competent to solve their own problems by sharpening their
logical, reasoning, and thinking capabilities.
8. “Success is not final, failure is not fatal: it is the courage to
continue that counts.” (Winston Churchill)
Without taking risks, you will not be able to achieve anything that
is worth achieving. Good leaders understand this and never shy
away from taking calculated risks.
In business, as in life, nothing is certain. The difference between
old and modern age is that in olden times people changed,
technology changed, habits changed. Work culture and ethics
changed with the changing times.
In modern times too, the same changes are taking place but at a
breakneck speed. With uncertainty all around them, CEOs cannot
wait for an appropriate time to take business decisions. They have
to be quick thinkers with the ability to make quick decisions.
9. Good leaders have vision, foresightedness, and clairvoyance.
They never lose sight of the bigger picture. Also, they are
courageous people who have confidence in their abilities and
invest time and resources in development of their employees.
Daniel Assouline is a transformational leader who has the
courage, vision, integrity, and ethics to take UpClick to newer
heights.
