Saturday, January 22, 2011

The Essential E's

Although there are probably an endless list of leadership essentials, here are three I'm suggesting that are meant to help energize your organization. They are the three essential E's...enlightenment, empowerment and encouragement.

1. Enlightenment is imparting your wisdom, experience and most importantly, the vision for your organization to the rest of the team. It's no mystery that a runner greatly improves his/ her chances of winning if they know where the finish line is and the route to get there! Communicate often. Let your team hear your plans and expectations.

2. Empowerment is having the confidence to entrust "ownership" to other members of your team. This can be one of the more difficult essentials because it demands a greater level of trust and trust can take time. Micromanaging however, is a blueprint to stiffled growth- the proverbial "ball and chain" to your organizations progress. People are generally more productive if they're made to feel an integral part of the whole; which leads us to the third essential...

3. Encouragement is nourishment. Too often organizations are starving or malnourished simply because the leadership either won't or doesn't know how to use encouragement. When encouragement is offered sincerely- and often- it can generate a steady flow of energy and enthusiasm which are vital ingredients to progress. This is especially true during a particularly difficult or challenging time.

How do you currently incorporate these essentials in your organization? Are there other essential E's that you can think of?