4 E’s Every Leader Needs
In 2006, I was an “Ascending Leader” at UPS.
By that I mean…
I was on upper management’s radar as a top performer with a high ceiling.
My peers and direct reports looked to me for advice, leadership, and direction.
I was a natural influencer and networker.
I was upwardly mobile, goal-oriented, and driven to succeed.
And, I could see myself one day occupying a seat in the C-Suite.
But I also was extremely aware of…
ALL THE THINGS
I DIDN’T
KNOW.
And because I wanted to be ready when the call came…when I was finally given an opportunity to lead at a higher, more influential level…
I STARTED WORKING WITH A
LEADERSHIP CONSULTANT.
And because of who he is as a person,
over time, he became more than just a
Leadership Consultant for me.
He also became an informal
Life Coach and Mentor.
But that’s another story for another day.
We met once or twice a month, and within a couple of sessions, my Leadership Consultant could see the way my mind was constantly spinning with fresh, new, creative ideas…
Ideas to bring health to unhealthy systems
Ideas to enhance customer experience
Ideas to overhaul processes
Ideas to scale impact and increase profits
Ideas to create strong teams and improve organizational culture
Ideas to make people feel valued, seen, and heard
Ideas.
Ideas.
Ideas.
And one day in one of our sessions, as he was encouraging me to keep dreaming, pushing, and refining, he gave me some sage advice that has forever changed the way I lead and multiplied my impact exponentially.
He told me
about
4 types
of people
I needed to
surround myself with
to make me and my ideas
the best and most impactful
they could be.
My Leadership Consultant wasn’t super creative. He didn’t believe in or rely upon alliteration. He just oozed wisdom; so, he could get away with just telling me what I needed to know and walking away.
I, on the other hand, need a little hook to capture your attention; so, I’ve taken what he said to me all those years ago and turned it into…
4 E’s Every Leader Needs.
First, every leader needs an ENTHUSIAST.
If I wasn’t leaning on alliteration, I’d say, “Every leader needs a cheerleader.” Or, “Every leader needs someone who sees nothing but the best in them and their ideas.
We need to know we have someone in our corner, someone who thinks the world of us and will do everything in their power to encourage us and point out what’s good in us. Someone who will shout, “You can do it,” and mean it with all their heart!
We need someone who will shoot us a text right before we walk into the client meeting or give us that subtle nod and smile as we begin to present our proposal to the Executive Team.
We need the person whose feedback afterwards highlights all the positives and is replete with optimism and praise. And when we absolutely bomb, we need an ENTHUSIAST who, instead of pointing out all we did wrong, tells us all the reasons we’ll crush it next time.
We need someone who believes in us more than we believe in ourselves, someone who will give us confidence before we ever walk in the room.
BUT…
That can’t be the only type of person we surround ourselves with.
Every leader also needs an EXAMINER.
Some would say that the EXAMINER is the polar opposite of the ENTHUSIAST. I disagree.
While the ENTHUSIAST shows their belief in you through effusive praise and encouragement, the EXAMINER shows their belief in you through a relentless commitment to poking holes in your ideas and theories.
They don’t want you to have gaps in your thinking. They don’t want you to make illogical leaps in your processes. They don’t want you to end up with egg on your face, because you didn’t think an idea all the way through. So, they poke…they prod…they question everything you show them or say to them, sometimes in a deeply unsettling way.
You are highly capable. You experience success more often than you fail. Others are constantly looking to you for insight, wisdom, and best practices. So, all too often, you as a leader have grown unaccustomed to pushback and critique, BUT YOU NEED IT…we ALL need it!
Now, I need you to hear this…
I am in NO WAY suggesting that you
surround yourself with
CRITICS and NAYSAYERS.
They are the opposite of the ENTHUSIAST.
I am suggesting you invite people
who LOVE you,
who want what’s BEST for you,
and who are HIGHLY SKILLED at
identifying what’s missing
or what needs refining
to aggressively point out
the potential flaws,
fallacies, and gaps
in your thinking.
People like that…the EXAMINERS…are the necessary compliment to the ENTHUSIAST. The ENTHUSIAST says, “You can’t miss!” While the EXAMINER says, “You missed this.”
And then, there’s the EXPANDER who says, “What if you took a shot at this!?!?”
An EXPANDER is a creative thinking partner. They hear your idea and have the ability to see 5 new iterations of what it could become or 3 additions that will take your original idea to a whole new level.
This is that person who when you’re with them your imagination and innovation soar. Your thinking sessions are like musical jam sessions with each of you riffing off the other and creating something fuller, better, more expressive and complete than anything you would’ve come up with on your own.
This is the person who amplifies you and your ideas. They improve your delivery and accelerate your career by helping you see new pathways leading to grander vistas and more magnificent horizons.
We all need people who get our juices flowing. We all need to surround ourselves with collaborators who believe in us so deeply that they want to unlock what’s inside us and unleash it on the world. We need people who lead us to new heights simply by sitting beside us. We need EXPANDERS.
And then there’s the 4th E.
We need ENTHUSIASTS.
We need EXAMINERS.
We need EXPANDERS.
And we need EKG TECHS.
EKG Techs look at your heartbeat. They know whether it’s in rhythm or out of rhythm. They know if it’s speeding up from excitement and enthusiasm or fear and anxiety. And they know when it’s slowing down due to a sense of peace and calm or if it’s lethargy and disinterest.
Your EKG TECH is the person whose greatest concern is your heart…your core…your internal wiring. They want to make sure you are doing what’s right and best for you. They are all about orienting you to your true north and then helping you maintain your bearings. They know what you value and won’t let you forsake or betray those things for what looks shiny and alluring in the moment.
While the ENTHUSIAST, the EXAMINER, and the EXPANDER do most of their work in the realm of helping you figure out if your idea is right for the world, the EKG TECH lives and camps out in the realm that constantly asks, “Is this idea right for you?” And that’s one of the great lessons of leadership…
Just because something
is a great fit
or the next right step
for the market you’re in
does NOT mean
that it is a great fit
or the next right step
for you.
We all need someone who is constantly checking and rechecking our heartbeat, making sure that the decisions we’re making and the actions we’re taking are healthy for us personally. We need to be regularly reminded who we are and why we do what we do, and that means we need to have someone who’s more invested in our personal well-being than they are in our organizational success. We need someone who will tell us when we’re drifting off center or becoming dis-integrated by the pull of success.
So, there you have it. Those are the 4 E’s every leader needs. To be the best, most effective leader you can be, you need to make sure your circle includes:
The ENTHUSIAST
The EXAMINER
The EXPANDER
The EKG TECH
And…
You need to honestly ask yourself if you are playing these roles for the people in your life, because…
ALL TRULY GREAT LEADERS
know when and how
to be the Enthusiast,
the Examiner,
the Expander,
or the EKG Tech
for those they’re
leading and developing.
© 2021 Hayah Consulting LLC
