Achieved Strategies

Read Part 1.

Walt Whitman in 1892 proclaimed what embodies today’s New Era Leaders. “I too am not a bit tamed, I too am untranslatable, I sound my barbaric yawp over the roofs of the world.”

Translation…

…New Era Leaders defy definition because the world is constantly changing; therefore so, too, must their leadership heave and sigh, expand and contract to meet the needs of now…now…now…As for the “barbaric yawp” it is a raucous cry (not that of Howard Dean) declaring who you are and what you believe. These leaders are unabashed in showing their leadership, unifying their tribe to tackle problems.

New Era Leaders’ “barbaric yawp” are embolden to help others realize how great they are in these five ways.

Connecting with People. These leaders connect people with people to accomplish something together.  They let people get their fingerprints on the work.

Revealing People’s Gifts. This is much like knowing people’s strengths.  New Era Leaders observe and seek to know what their people’s gifts are and find ways to orchestrate them in the work to be done.

Knowing Thy Self. When we can’t articulate and explain our purpose and values, it’s easy to get “lost.” New Era Leaders do the work to know these, to define and redefine them.  The two become a compass during times of ambiguity and contradictory circumstances. To be a New Era Leader, you have a strong network of people who support and push you to stay strong and to grow in your purpose and passion.

Believing in People. Says it all, really. Sure we can be cruel to each other. But we can also be gracious, inspired, supportive to each other. At what point do we turn our backs on someone who chooses to be cruel? New Era Leaders may move on when a colleague gets lost in what is important, but never writes them off.  They work around or move them aside, holding out hope they “get it” someday.

Enabling Dreams of Others. At the start of this post I mentioned that these types of leaders grab hold of their existence to proclaim that they are here to help others. New Era Leaders know that enabling dreams of others is the greatest way to pay forward all the times someone trusted, believed in them.

And what happens when we enable dreams of others? They are touched, moved, inspired, and get into action.  But something more profound happens.  We are united and reminded of our humanity.

We all want to contribute, make a difference, have some degree of belonging. New Era Leaders understand these basic human needs, and seek to exploit this innate desire in us all.  It doesn’t matter if this is at work or in our personal lives.

New Era Leaders will help transform the circumstances around them by involving those who want to contribute, belong, and make a difference.

Photo courtesy of *QuadWord