Kapil Sharma –The Comical Leader

Whether you like him or not (which is rarely the case), you can’t ignore him, because he is trending 365 days a year through his comedy shows and anchoring. Comedy is a serious business and he has mastered this art with his wit, wisdom, and sheer awesomeness. He paid income taxes of INR 15 crore to the Government of India recently and his show “The Kapil Sharma Show” has an IMDB rating of 8.6/10 (as of March 2017). He has a following of 7.72 Million on Twitter, equivalent to several popular Bollywood actors and actresses and he is on his way to becoming an international comedy star with his popularity.

Source: http://static.dnaindia.com/sites/default/files/2016/01/17/415700-kapil.jpgI see his story as an inspirational one because I could draw out several leadership lessons on what made him a success in the comedy business.

1. Build an Awesome TeamSource: http://image.indiaopines.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/The_Kapil_Sharma_Show_poster.jpg

   Kapil Sharma isn’t a lone rider. He works with a team on his show, be it his team on stage including Sunil Grover, Ali Asgar, or Rochelle Rao to name a few, to the teams working in the background, preparing his scripts, storyline, and punches. Leaders work in a team because they know they can’t do it all alone, they build a team to complement their skill sets. Here are few examples of popular teams:The team at FORD MOTOR CO: Henry Ford, Founder, and chief engineer; Clarence Avery, lead developer of assembly line; Peter Martin, head of assembly; Charles Sorensen, assistant head of assembly. Henry wasn’t alone!The team behind WALT DISNEY: Walt Disney, Founder and head of studios; Ub Iwerks, Mickey Mouse creator; Roy Disney, founder and CEO; Animators — Les Clark, Ollie Johnston, Frank Thomas, Wolfgang Reitherman, John Lounsbery, Eric Larson, Ward Kimball, Milt Kahl, and Marc Davis. Walt had an awesome team working with him!

   The point I am trying to make is every successful person in any domain made it through because of a team.

2. Empower Your Team
   Though Kapil Sharma leads an awesome team, he doesn’t always take up major stage time in every show. He
   provides opportunities to his team to be in the spotlight while he steps back subtly. He shows confidence in each of the show’s characters, be it the crazy Dr. Gulati, or the silly Pushpa Nani. His team takes the focus from Kapil from time to time and makes it a success. His team members have become the pillars of the show. Leaders must be willing to give opportunities to their team to grow and learn. Sometimes there is a strong tendency to hold things with oneself and not share ownership with the team members. This is the very resistance the leader must give up from time to time to make his team grow. Phil Knight (image on left – solo) of NIKE fame has groomed his son Travis Knight (beside Phil Knight in right side of the picture) to take the organization forward. Similarly, leaders of tomorrow must empower their teams to take up major roles in future.
   Image Source: http://deluxetoday.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Travis-Knight-Phil-Knight.jpg
3. Have Faith in YourselfSource: http://media2.intoday.in/indiatoday/images/stories/sunil-647_080316123057.jpg

   There was a time when Gutthi (Sunil Grover) who was a major part of his previous show, left to start his own show. It was assumed that Kapil’s show would fail, but Kapil had full faith in his capabilities (check out my article on strategies to develop faith and motivation in one self here). He worked harder and came up with awesome performances for his show. In the end he was doing well. Later Gutthi came back and Kapil welcomed Gutthi (Sunil Grover) back on his new show, giving him good stage space and time. This speaks volumes about his way of working. He is a leader with a heart, who trusts his team fully and supports the team in tough times. The message we can draw out is that even when you are alone, have faith and keep moving forward. This reminds me of Elon Musk, also known as the parallel entrepreneur, who held on to his faith in tough times. He was removed as the CEO of the two companies he founded – Zip2 and PayPal, yet he never lost his enthusiasm. Today he is the most sought after leader in business.

Kapil Sharma is a perfect example that anyone can show leadership at any time. Irrespective of the industry, you can be successful when you form an awesome team, give trust to your team members, and move forward with positive faith.

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