Are You a LEEEEADER?

So ... "Are you a LEEEEADER?" is the question for this week's issue. And, no, my keyboard does not have a sticky 'e.'

The credit for this theme must go to Jack Welch, also known as "Neutron Jack," former CEO of General Electric. During his reign, Welch was a business superstar in the eyes of everyone from the media to stockholders for quadrupling GE's market value in just over a decade. Business leaders studied his style and approach; business schools taught his strategies. Welch was a fierce competitor, and his unconventional (frequently unorthodox), assertive style of leadership made GE the largest company in the world (at the time).

While some of Welch's methods have not weathered well over time (e.g., Rank and Yank), his method to assess leaders was meticulous and veracious; it easily transfers to other industries (including yours!); and it's as timely today as it was then. His leadership assessment—referred to as the '4Es' of leadership—is made up of four core areas: energy, energize, edge, and execution. [Now, the LEEEEADER makes sense, doesn't it?]

The four deep-dive questions that are asked as part of the '4E' assessment are:

1. What level of energy does the leader display?

2. How well does the leader energize others on her/his team?

3. Does the leader have the edge to deal effectively with conflict and make tough decisions?

4. Does the leader execute strategies effectively and achieve his/her strategic plan?

So, what about YOU? How would you fare if you were being evaluated on these four leadership imperatives? Would you excel at all four? Or, would you be great at a couple and just "okay" at the others?

This week's HVAs will look at the '4Es' in a manner that allows you to take the role of Ratee (How you are seen by others) and as Rater (How you see members of your team).

High Value Activity (HVA) Action Steps

The pragmatist in me must disclose that there is no such thing as a magic formula for leading people. While there are natural-born leaders (or, at least, they appear to be that way), most exceptional leaders are shaped by their previous mentors and learn the skills of leadership by doing. Starting today, how about taking one of these four HVAs every day and apply an I² (Incremental Improvement) approach to how you lead. In the next four days you may just discover a few powerful observations about yourself.

• ENERGY: Energy is the (demonstrable) trait of thriving on action and having a penchant for change. People with positive energy are generally outgoing (even if they are more introverted) and optimistic. They have a heartfelt, deep, authentic excitement about the work they do (and don't complain when the demands are intense at times). They have high levels of stamina and stick-to-itiveness. They care—really care—about their employees, colleagues, and peers. They love to learn and grow, and, in the same vein, they love to mentor and teach. They also love to play and overall just love life. Day #1 Question: "Do I bring energy as a manager to my team every day?"
• ENERGIZE: To energize is to get others revved up and engaged in some activity or pursuit; it's how well a manager acts as a catalyst to move his/her team into action towards achieving a goal. Managers who energize can inspire their team to take on the seemingly impossible—with enthusiasm. The ability to energize is very apparent in someone who sets a powerful personal example, and who has strong persuasion skills. In the words of Ken Blanchard, "The key to successful leadership is influence, not authority." Day #2 Question: "Do people WANT to work for me?"
• EDGE: Edge is a leader's ability to recognize problems, evaluate solutions, and make decisions. Having edge means having the courage to make tough "yes or no" decisions; the ability to effectively manage conflict internally and externally; to logically (and emotionally) deal with the ups and downs of leading in today's ever-changing world. Experienced managers can assess a problem or situation from every angle—but experienced managers with 'edge' know when to stop assessing and when to make that tough call. Day #3 Question: "Do I know when to stop analyzing and when to make a decision-that gut call based on science (the analysis) and intuition (my experience)?"
• EXECUTE: Being able to execute means having the ability to get the job done; to deliver results; to achieve your goals. The challenge we must face as managers is that we can have positive energy, energize everyone around us, have edge, and still not get over the finish line. Why? Because being able to execute is a unique and distinct skill. It means knowing how to reverse-engineer any desired goal or outcome into precise action steps and push them forward to completion, through resistance, disruption, or unexpected obstacles. According to much of what's been written about Jack Welch, in his mind, execution is the most important "E" out of the four. Day #4 Question: "Do I have a track record of delivering consistent quality and consistent results over a continuous period of time?"