Leadership has always taken a certain amount of courage whether a company is still operating in the industrial era of the Iron Age philosophy or more recently the Silver Age where information and technology abound. Today, you need the courage of the Lion, the flexibility of the Tin Man, the knowledge of the Scarecrow and the determination of Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz along with the wisdom of King Solomon just to make it through the day. Leadership isn't for sissies, it is for those with a burning desire to make a positive difference in the lives of others while en route to creating the perfect widget. Whether you've been thrust into a leadership position, have educated yourself for a leadership role or created your own set of circumstances to be the leader, is less important than are your leadership techniques appropriate for today's changing economy and marketplace demands. In the mid-fifties, the McDonald brothers were flying high with a very successful restaurant model. They modernized it from the earlier carhop version to match the new marketplace and streamlined it for the new economy making it one of the most profitable restaurants of its time. However, it wasn't until Ray Kroc entered the scene with his expansive vision and understanding of the demands of a new marketplace and economy that the monolithic franchise as we know it today began. Ray Kroc's leadership, vision, courage and determination made McDonalds an international household name. On his Santa Barbara Ranch, you could sit in the great room of his home perfectly situated on the top of a hill and have a panoramic view of all his land and cattle. He also built on his land a great somewhat rustic seminar center with an enormous stone fireplace where management and leadership skills were taught and business was transacted. His impressive leadership style was that of engagement, encouragement and involvement. Develop an "Engage" Leadership Style The Engage leadership style mandates that leaders elevate and empower on the individual level. Elevating and empowering the individual always results in a better flow of energy throughout the workplace, increased employee retention, improved client relations and growth in both productivity and profitability. Courageous leaders need to adapt, adjust and manage change and uncertainty. It is a time to evaluate current operations and communication practices from an Engage perspective; boldly change what needs to be changed to compete in the 21st Century and have the wisdom to only improve what is working well. The following area often creates the most chaos in an organization. Communication - or lack of it! Communication is the No. 1 chaos creator in the workplace. How do you communicate? Do you shoot off a quick email? Do you pick up the phone and call? Do you get up out of your chair, walk over to the person, have eye-to-eye contact, and communicate on a one-on-one level? The 21st Century is full of impersonal low touch high tech communications. People get hired and fired by email. They are constantly in contact but never connected. It is the rule and not the exception to reach an electronic recording in the customer service department of most companies. Is that the message you want a customer to walk away with, one of value or one of disregard and indifference? 1. Upend your communication process. Whenever possible, communicate in person, the more important the message, the more important the method of delivery. The more important the message the more the more important in person communication becomes. Revert to the phone and then email only when in person is impossible or impractical at the time. 2. Understand the heartbeat of your organization and employees and make contact on an interpersonal level by taking a weekly walk-about throughout your workplace. Stop and regularly talk to individuals. This is how you develop employee satisfaction and improve productivity. The challenge for existing leadership is to have the courage to engage their followers and do such a good job that the follower could possibly surpass the leader and take the organization to yet-to-be-imagined success. "Engage" leadership is a sustainable style of leadership because it creates a long-term connection between the leader and the follower as well as the leader and follower with the company vision. The Engage process also establishes a fertile workplace environment for the development of emerging leaders who will, if properly encouraged, be the leaders of the future. © Pat Heydlauff, all rights reserved 2011