The Passing of a Great Leader & the Dance of Leading and Following--5 Keys

 Hello Everyone!

Welcome to this What You Say Is What You Get® Positive Leadership Blog! 

First, a tribute: I want to honor and remember the one mentor who appreciated my pioneering work on appreciative leadership when I began and no one else appreciated my work--he was brilliant, loving and wise and saw the scope of what I started beyond my own vision at the time...he recently passed and I am so grateful to him and so sad.., Dr. Warren Bennis, famous, wise, caring, and brilliant leadership professor, author of 30 books and hundreds of articles, consultant to U.S. Presidents and CEOs, on all the major business media.
He stood for the highest values in leadership, was the President of the University of Cincinnati and Professor of Leadership at USC in their business school for many years. A tribute to him was published by Forbes.

I was honored to know and care for him and receive his caring brilliance for many years.  He did
the foreword for my book, From Old Power to New Power--Which Leaders Will Survive?  and a testimonial for my earlier book What You Say Is What You Get®: The Secret Language of Great Business Results.
I am sad to lose him but honored to have known him...it was crucial to have someone of his wisdom believe in me when I started my work which was the opposite of the "what's wrong with you" approach of all my other mentors!!

In this blog post: A Rare sneak peek at leaders from a follower-What makes a great leader, a poor leader?

How do you rate on these 5 criteria for great leaders, as seen through the eyes of a follower?

Recently at a large dance convention, as a follower (lifelong dancer, highly trained), I analyzed many leaders and how they led.  As an expert on how leaders use power, I see the parallel to how you lead in your business or job, so read very closely! This will give you some powerful keys to lead better !

These are the keys to great leaders, those leaders who gave me the most enjoyable fun and powerful dances.
Notice that in all cases great leaders have a high Positive Quotient®--they bring positive energy and positive skills!

1.  Have invested in great training, have skills in both leadership and dance (=their business), know what they are doing, not just street dancers, they know how to dance with followers without hurting their shoulders, arms, back, wrists, etc., do not throw followers off-balance.
2.  Have a clear lead and frame (=business framework and leadership methods) during the dance (their meeting, business).
3.  Show great connection with follower, pay close attention to the music and the followers. (Focus on associates, listen well, know what they are doing, respond to the external environment quickly and collaboratively.)
4.  Bring good positive energy and also build on the positive energy of the follower, create synergy in the dance (business), 1+1=15.  Smiles! Thank followers for the dance (business efforts).
5.  Bring and lead their own interesting and challenging moves, follow through on what they start, and also make space for followers to add their own moves and styling (foster creativity in collaboration, add challenge, not boring).

These leaders were therefore the most fun to dance with and we had the most powerful fun liberating collaborative dances!

How do you rate on these 5?  1-low, 10-high...how did you do?   What are you doing well?  Where do you want to shift up to a higher gear?
We can help you strengthen your leadership by focusing systematically on and applying your best and the best of your associates/teams/employees!

“Freedom is actually a bigger game than power.  Power is about what you can control. 
Freedom is about what you can unleash.” Harriet Rubin

Wishing you peace and prosperity!
Dr Linne
"Build on Your Best" Bottom Line Leadership Systems
Giving you the power to predict, profit, & protect
Dr. Linne Bourget M.A. M.B.A. Ph. D.
 www.oldpowernewpower.com www.whatyousayiswhatyouget.com
Pioneer, strengths-based leadership, Master Intuition System Founder/CEO 480-767-1717
Institute for Transformation Leaders & Consultants
Strategist, Consultant, Speaker, Author of From Old Power to New Power – Which Leaders Will Survive? Co-author with Mark Victor Hansen, Deepak Chopra, Amazon #1Bestseller, Wake Up, Live the Life You Love - Finding Personal Freedom
Author, What You Say Is What You Get® Series: The Secret Language of Great Business Results Dr. Linne's Leadership Guides What You Say Is What You Get® Series, Positive Quotient® Questionnaire Appreciative Quotient® Questionnaire, What You Say Is What You Get®, Secrets of Powerful Appreciation for Parents and Children, 2 CD Audio by "Dr. Appreciation", What You Say Is What You Get® Appreciation: The Secret Key to Magical Marriage "The greatest challenge is taking complete responsibility for your own greatness." Dr. Linne Copyright 2005-2014. All Rights Reserved. Dr. Linne Bourget, M.A., M.B.A., Ph.D.