Editor’s Note: At the "Scaling New Heights®" conference in June, there are multiple sessions on the practice challenge of Building and Leading a Team. Jeff Edmonds is presenting two sessions on leadership. In this article, he shares his thoughts.
Some of the most difficult tasks a leader faces, whether a "solopreneur" or Fortune 500 executive, do not have to do with functional execution: improving sales numbers, more efficiency in production, supply chain management, etc. One of the most difficult and elusive tasks a leader faces on a day-to-day basis is how to become the best leader they can be.
It is this “soft skill” that is hard to master because it is a skill that is hard to measure. Production and sales are functions that have been studied and tweaked over and over. However, how to become a great leader is often the “elephant in the corner” and is a Yeti that all leaders must face.
Gallup’s "State of the American Workforce" says that 70 percent of the U.S. workforce is not engaged at work. The No. 1 reason is leadership. In addition, a direct supervisor has more impact on someone’s job performance than any other factor.
Great leaders who engage their workforce properly will not only keep great employees, but can impact their performance, motivation, commitment to their job as well as loyalty to the company.
If you become an expert in your field, attain the highest certifications and accolades, but neglect your leadership skills, it will only be a matter of time before that decision comes back to haunt you.
If you learned more about how personalities and character impact leadership, how to create a high-performing team, and how to set and reach goals in a team environment, would you be a better leader?
Join Deborah Defer and me as we host a three-part leadership series at the "Scaling New Heights®" conference. Here is a list of the classes we'll be teaching:
- "Leadership Series Part 1" – The Leader Within (offered Tuesday, June 6, 2017, at 1:30 p.m.)
- "Leadership Series Part 2" – Leading a High-Performance Team (offered Wednesday, June 7, 2017, at 1:30 p.m.)
- "Leadership Series Part 3" – The Effective Leader (offered Wednesday, June 7, 2017, at 4:10 p.m.)
Treat yourself to something special this year at the "Scaling New Heights®" conference. Improve your leadership skills and watch your company benefit.”
For more on building and leading a team, listen to Joe speak with Clayton Oates on the Scaling New Heights® Podcast, episode 27.
You can find more details about each of the sessions in a downloadable document located here: Download Course Descriptions.
Reminder: As your ever-faithful Sherpas, we stand ready to guide and encourage you along your chosen path. If you would like to consult with us about your path, please email me at coliver@woodard.com or Liz at ecolley@woodard.com.
Be sure to tell us your goals and what you hope to learn so we can recommend appropriate learning paths for your upcoming Scaling New Heights experience in Orlando Fla.
Jeff Edmonds new
Jeff Edmonds, manager, partnerships and strategic alliance at Woodard, and author of "Character Driven Leadership," began his career in the financial software industry in 1999 with Lacerte Tax Software, just after it was purchased by Intuit. As an Intuit Account Manager, Jeff was able to consult with both large and small accounting firms. He has also worked and trained alongside QuickBooks ProAdvisors for almost 17 years.
After leaving Intuit, Jeff worked for Mendelson Consulting in Business Development and for Acctivate in Channel Development. Jeff currently serves as the Manager of Partnerships and Strategic Alliances for Woodard.
Jeff’s passion, by far, is in training and development. Since his role at Intuit, Jeff has traveled to numerous conferences speaking and training on leadership development, business development and financial software products.
His recent book, "Character Driven Leadership," was written for leaders who desire to maximize their leadership effectiveness based on the principles of human character. In his book, Jeff describes the process by which leaders make decisions and the relationship between a leader’s character and his or her success.