Volume I, issue 1.0

The Executive Example is intended to evoke the question, “Why would the newsletter be called The Executive Example?” Great question. Energize Your Outlook focuses primarily on helping business executives motivate their employees to create trust within their teams, so who better to set the tone for their employees than the motivated executive who leads them? Just as parents set the example for their children, from infancy to adulthood, so does the executive who leads a team or organization by setting the example throughout their working relationship.

A true leader is one who sets an outstanding example by the way he or she consistently behaves. This individual does not necessarily have to be a high-level executive or have a powerful title, but this leader must demonstrate by example what it means to lead:

• To listen to and support their team members by serving as an advocate for them
• To provide an environment which encourages idea generation and thinking creatively
• To display integrity and honesty in all actions
• To remain positive and focused when faced with challenging situations
• To admit to being wrong when indeed they have erred
• To be courageous and stand up for what is right even when it goes against the grain of what the popular belief or behavior is
• To persevere through difficult times
• To take time to provide constructive feedback via a one-on-one conversation that, although may not be an easy conversation to have, will indeed help serve that individual and the organization(s)
• To make sacrifices at times for the greater good of all concerned
• To provide an atmosphere in which mistakes are seen as opportunities from which to learn

I hope that as you read some or all of the traits above demonstrated by a true leader, it brought to mind an individual or individuals of whom you thought fit that description, based on the example they set. If you have been fortunate to know or to have worked for such a leader, consider that a treasured experience. Thus, I leave you with this question: Whether you are a high-powered business executive, a manager, a team leader, a head of household or a parent, what type of example do you set, based on your day-to-day behavior, for those whom you lead and serve?

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© 2005 Energize Your Outlook