Several years ago, I attended the Quaker Church in High Point, NC and heard Scott Wagoner preach. I instantly liked his delivery style, transparent personality and leadership qualities. He enrolled in a Dale Carnegie course and we have kept in touch through the years. I was super excited to reconnect with him on LinkedIn and he is now the Founder and President at Growing Edge Resources, LLC. Scott recently posted this perspective on leadership and I’m going to share it with 34 leaders I’m teaching at the Department of Health and Human Services next week in Greensboro, NC. I thought you may enjoy it as well.
“I experimented with the acronym LEADER this morning because I feel that challenging times call for good leadership. Here’s what I’ve got so far. What would you add?
Love – A good leader loves those he/she serves. Their love is evident in the way they respect and reverence those they serve.
Encourage – A leader encourages. He/she seeks to bring courage to the heart of those they serve – which is the real meaning of “en-courage”.
Authenticity – Leaders are authentic with those they lead and serve. They are the real deal and practice appropriate vulnerability. They don’t engage in “impression management”.
Develop – Leaders seek to develop the gifts, abilities, callings, and dreams of those they lead and serve. Leaders are ultimately in the people development business.
Energy – Leaders bring a certain kind of energy to the moment. This is not fake “hurrah’s” but an energy rooted in faith, hope, and a sense of aliveness shaped in gratitude.
Responsibility – Leaders take and accept responsibility for their mistakes as well as what needs to get done. Responsibility can’t be delegated. They have the ability to “respond” and live proactively – they are “response-able”
Again, what would you add?”
