Last October, the Human Resources department where I work scheduled a leadership conference.
All of the managers and directors for the organization were required to attend.
Most of the people I work with thought this would be a colossal waste of time. There was simply too much to do to spend two days away from the office at a conference.
The keynote speaker was Dr. Dale Henry. Dr. Henry is founder and president of Your Best Unlimited, Inc., a Tennessee based training company. After earning his B.S. and M.S. in Secondary Education, Dale Henry completed his Ph.D. in 1991 specializing in the area of Adult and Continuing Education. In 1994, he was appointed Associate Dean of Professional and Graduate Studies for Tennessee’s oldest College, Tusculum College in Greeneville, Tennessee. Dr. Henry has spoken to leadership teams for over 40 of the Fortune 50 corporations.
Dale emphasizes the vital importance of communication in leadership. We as leaders must be able to articulate a vision. Our leadership must “sizzle”. If we can’t spark the excitement of the vision in those we’re trying to lead, the vision goes unfulfilled. He talks about becoming the proverbial Cracker Jack; getting out of the box and becoming the prize.
How do we accomplish this? By learning to become a servant of all. There are two things the leader must never say: “That’s not my job,” and “I wish I had…” Becoming a servant means helping others whenever and wherever we may be. Dr. Henry was once mistaken for a hotel bellhop. The hotel guest asked him to carry his luggage. Dr. Henry picked up the guest’s luggage and carried it to his room. When the guest realized that Dr. Henry was not the bellhop, he asked “Why did you carry my luggage?” Dr. Henry’s reply: “Because you asked me to help you.”
Everyone who attended the conference thought it worthwhile after hearing Dr. Henry speak. He has a speaking style that mixes laughter and seriousness in such a way as to have a lasting impact.
You can see clips of Dr. Dale Henry at his website.
I enjoyed this post! I love the “get out of the box and become the prize” statement. Excellent advise. Thanks for taking the time to write this article.
I enjoyed reading your thoughts on leadership. I think leadership makes or breaks any organization. This also is so true in a family, as parents and for training the right attitude in our children.
We call it the “I would love to” attitude in response to someone asking for help.