| Leadership – John Kennedy said that the elusive half-step between middle management and true leadership was grace under pressure. Machiavelli might have otherwise suggested some form of intimidation. The basic idea I tried to instill at Emisphere was excellence – excellence in philosophy; excellence in approach; excellence in people. I remember a line from Zig Ziglar (Top Performance), one of the management gurus – if you want to get the best out of someone, look for the best that is in him/her. Tom Peters (The Pursuit of Wow), quotes IBM founder, Tom Watson, “if you want to achieve excellence in your work, as of this second stop doing less than excellent work.” Whether it’s Peter Drucker, Warren Bennis, Stephen Covey, or the aforementioned Ziglar and Peters, theories are wonderful, practicality is in how they are applied, i.e., what you do with what you’ve got. I demanded excellence at Emisphere - I hired talented people; paid them well; treated everyone fairly; preached staff development; encouraged innovation, and was flexible regarding personal needs. I inculcated our employees with the belief that we were all doing something important. And significant! I truly tried to make Emisphere one of the nation’s best small employers and I like to think that it was pretty successful! That is the kind of leadership I brought to my previous organizations; it is the kind of leadership I bring to all my challenges. | |