“E’s” for exceptional leadership
This is the fifth installment in the Alphabet for Leaders. Today it’s the letter “E.”
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Eject any attitudes of entitlement and elitism where leaders build empires rather than equipping employees to exercise leadership. With this in mind, I suggest four “E” words for leaders.
Elevate others. Harry Truman said, “It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.” It’s easier said than done. However, if you keep your eye on a grand vision elevating others becomes easier.
Additionally, you can elevate others by offering education. Zig Ziglar said, “There is one thing worse than training people and losing them, and that’s not training them and keeping them.” I’ll add that mastery and progress are two exceptional motivators. Therefore, providing relevant education that enables employees and volunteers to gain useful skills that propel them toward career goals energizes people.
Third, ego is both your friend and your enemy. You need enough ego to believe you can make a difference. Or, believe that you can learn the skills necessary to make a difference. There’s no room for a poor pitiful me approach. On the other hand, ego is your enemy. Too much ego may prevent you from elevating and educating others. Too much ego may prevent you from seeking help.
Finally, Espirit de corps is your responsibility. You can and you must instill a sense of pride in your team. You can achieve this by, modeling an espirit de corps. The number one factor is crafting and embracing a mission and vision the captures the imagination. In other words, you need a rallying point. Second, highlight the efforts of others who move your organization toward your vision.
Elevate, educate, examine your ego, and create an espirit de corps.
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What “E” words for leaders can you suggest?
Execute: It’s where the rubber meets the road. If leaders cannot put their plan into action, they are doomed for failure.
Great article! Thanks for sharing.
Excellent!
Dear Dan,
Leader should have emotion & esteem. He should empower others to achieve their goals. He should emerge and evolve as a leader even in adverse circumstances. All these things start from emotion and end with empower. Leader should emotionally attached to his or her goal and towards feelings of his followers. Emotion is a energy that connect with the purpose, people and society. Emotion comes with esteem. So leader should respect the feelings and emotions of self and others simultaneously.
Emotion makes a person to emerge and evolve as a person. It may be either side, So positive emotion creates good leaders and negative emotion creates mis-leaders. And when you become leader or people treat you as a leader,you start empowering them. This is the systemic chain of evolution of leadership.
Enlightening!
Empathy
Exactly!
I like Kerry’s commont on “Execute.” A large component of leadership is getting things done, achieving results.
To balance that…
My personal perspective is that leadership is about getting results in a sustainable way – getting the golden eggs AND keeping the goose healthy.
With that in mind I submit “Empathy” as an important E-word. Working in a sustainable way with people means making connections with them. A leader who does not know or care where his/her people are coming from cannot possibly hope to create a real connection (especially if the would-be follwers know this!), and will have a difficult time creating an environment where people are continually motivated.
On the flip side, people frequently work/play harder when they feel understood and cared for.
Energizing!
Dan, Ajay, and Kerry: Excellent E’s! My Fave: Edge – the leader’s Effort to Enhance and continuously Evolve personal and organizational Excellence and advantage…and Empower others to Enhance and Evolve their Edge.
“E”licious!
I take it you know Jack Welch’s 4 E’s? http://bit.ly/djWvC4 Very basic, but very helpful.
Werner,
Too cool that you posted an “E” article on your blog.
Good stuff. Thanks for leaving the link.
Dan
Werner, I would have to agree with Jack Welch – Leaders must have unbounded Energy and Energize their folks.
Dan, another one I would offer is Exciting. If a leader comes across as some techno wonk, sure doesn’t stimulate the juices to get up in the morning. For example, regardless of your position, watching Tony Hayward while he was supposedly running the BP oil spill, would you take a bullet for him. Putting aside the “Rolling Stone” article for moment, would you take a bullet for General McChrystal?
If a leader cannot create excite in his/her organization, s/he will never be able to Energize the organization to achieve.
Jim,
Saying I’m euphoric over your comment is an exaggeration. However, I’m thankful you consistently add value to me personally and the LF community as a whole.
Regards,
Dan
You can read Jim’s bio at http://leadershipfreak.wordpress.com/featured-contributors/
Engage.
Effective.
Egalitarian
Ecumenical
Enthused
Efficient
Effective
views self as an Employee not a leader
Expansive!
Read Doc’s bio at http://leadershipfreak.wordpress.com/featured-contributors/
He’s a featured contributor.
EXCELLENCE, you exceed expectations
ENCOURAGE, you enliven a person’s potential
EQUITY, you support justice
Encouraged by your first comment
“Enlighten” gets my applause. Enlighten is more than educate. It is an outlook, a way of thinking, a way of sharing, and builds the best “esprit de corps” because all feel that success is limitless.
Leaders and team members that live to enlighten themselves and others are also much more ready for sudden changes! Always a plus.
Kate Nasser
P.S. Thanks for the feature in “selected quotes” of the week.
Kate,
Enlightening idea that those oriented toward enlightenment are open to change. I’ll remember that one.
Best to you,
Dan