lowercase leadership

Leadership
Written By Lou O'Boyle

LEAD BY EXAMPLE

What do Taylor Swift, Bill and Malinda Gates, Lebron James and Pope Francis have in common? They all made Fortune’s 2015 list of the world’s 50 greatest leaders. I discovered this information while “Googling” around the internet: http://fortune.com/worlds-greatest-leaders Since I believe every moment can be a teachable moment, I asked myself, “what do I have in common with them; how can I become more like them? I’m certainly not as talented as Taylor Swift; I don’t have the resources of Bill and Malinda Gates; I’m not as tall as Lebron James; and I’m not sure what to say about Pope Francis.” So again, I turned to Google, and I stumbled upon a TED talk about everyday leadership: http://www.ted.com/talks/drew_dudley_everyday_leadership

EVERYDAY LEADERSHIP

I liked that title about “everyday leadership”—I’m an everyday kind of gal so maybe everyday leadership is easier for me to relate to, identify with, learn from… you get the picture. This particular TED talk had some very powerful messages about redefining leadership, a definition that is less about changing the world and more about focusing on the powerful impact we, as individuals, have on each other’s lives. So I began to reflect on people that have had a big impact on my life. You probably won’t find them on a top 50 list anywhere, and they won’t be the examples used in textbooks. Still, they have had a powerful impact on my life, and I consider them everyday leaders:

  • Sharon Randol, or should I say Obi-Wan Kenobi—you generously shared great wisdom and knowledge with one important caveat… it must always be used for the ‘good of the cause.’

  • Jay Wolf—you once told someone who told someone who told me that you thought I was a pretty good communicator. A gift beyond measure. I’m sure you have no recollection of saying that and maybe no recollection of me; thanks anyway.

  • Shirley, I don’t even know your last name—you are always so glad to see me; you have a smile that lights up my world; and I KNOW you really care about ME.

EVERYDAY DIFFERENCE

Imagine for a minute what it would be like to work in an organization that practiced everyday leadership. Employees would not be waiting for their annual performance review to hear and understand what they did well today. Organizational performance would improve because everyday leadership is personal, and it would be happening literally every day. Finally, our pool of leaders in the present and in the making would not be waiting in the wings to LEARN how to be UPPERCASE leaders but instead would be regularly practicing the small things that make a BIG difference.

Lou O'Boyle

Lou O'Boyle, the Zelos Director of Engagement, brings over 25 years of experience working with and for government and nonprofit organizations with a focus on organizational performance and results. Lou has also served as the Strategy and Performance Coordinator for Chesterfield County, Virginia where she developed and implemented an organizational performance management framework that included a countywide strategic plan, division and department priorities, program-based budgets and a transparent measurement system. Through her unique and creative facilitation skills and her drive to meet defined outcomes by following an agreed-upon process, Lou has a demonstrated ability to work effectively within a variety of organizational and political structures and environments to achieve results.

Lou launched and grew Zelos, a consulting and training firm in Virginia, where she served over 50 clients in the Zelos service areas of strategic planning, performance management, process improvement, and training; at Zelos, she designed and facilitated numerous award-winning strategic planning projects and was a published author of thought leadership articles for the Alliance for Innovation.

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