Leadership: Three Key Employee-
Centered Elements with Case
Studies
Marc Summerfield
Washington Metropolitan
Society of Health-System
Pharmacists
September 28, 2013
Sense of Purpose
Employee-Centered Leadership:
Sense of Purpose
“You are not here merely to make a living.
You are here in order to enable the world to live
more amply, with greater vision, and with a finer spirit
of hope and achievement.
You are here to enrich the world, and you
impoverish yourself if you forget the errand.”
--Woodrow Wilson
Sense of Purpose
“You are here in order to enable the world to
live more amply, with greater vision, and with
a finer spirit of hope and achievement. “
”world“
--Patients
--Customers (Physicians, Nurses,
Students, Members)
--Employees (Staff)
Be Guided by a Definition of
Leadership: Top Definitions
“Leadership is taking people to places they've never been before.”
--Marie Kane
“Leadership is the process of influencing the activities of an organized
group toward goal achievement.”
--C.F. Rauch and O. Behling
“The leader is one who mobilizes others toward a goal shared by
leaders and followers.”
--Garry Wills
“The fundamental purpose of leadership is to produce useful change,
especially, non-incremental change.”
--John Kotter
“Leadership is a process whereby an individual influences a group of
individuals to achieve a common goal.”
-- Peter Northouse
“Leadership is action, not position.” - - Donald H. McGannon
Be Guided by a Definition of
Leadership
Leadership is:
“Making Things Better”
Be Guided by a Definition of
Leadership
Know the difference between “Leader”
and “leader” (Big “L” and little “l”)
“I always wondered why somebody
didn’t do something about that.
Then I realized I was somebody.”
--Lily Tomlin
“In 1918, Georges Clemenceau of France made the observation
that “War is too important to leave to the Generals.”
Leadership is a choice, not a position.
Three Hats
Lead and manage ourselves
Lead and manage our network
Lead and manage our team
Act in that capacity without being formally
empowered or recognized.
Skills Needed—Skills Approach
TOP
Management
TECHNICAL
HUMAN
MIDDLE
Management
TECHNICAL
HUMAN
SUPERVISORY
Management
TECHNICAL
HUMAN
CONCEPTUAL
CONCEPTUAL
CONCEPTUAL
Employee-Centered Leadership
Skills Needed: Human Relations
Sipe and Frick: Seven Pillars of
Servant Leadership (based on
Greenleaf’s Servant Leadership)
Spears: Ten Principles of Servant
Leadership
Covey: 7 Habits of Highly Effective
People
Kramer: 10 Ways for a Leader to
Connect with Employees
Li: Open Leadership: Five Rules
The Power of Three (3)
The idea of the power
of three is an intriguing
concept
“It's not entirely clear why three . . .
rather than two or four or more, should
be the iconic grouping.”
--Wikipedia
The Power of Three (3)
The Power of Three (3)
Once upon a time, in a
faraway land,
A young Prince lived in
a shining castle.
Although he had
everything his heart
desired,
The Prince was
spoiled, selfish, and
unkind.
The Power of Three (3)
The Power of Three (3)
“certain inalienable rights
. . . life, liberty, and the
pursuit of happiness.”
“First in peace, First in war,
First in the hearts of
his countrymen.”
“. . . and that government
of the people, by the
people and for the people
shall not perish from the
earth.”
The Power of Three (3)
Our Starbucks Mission
Statement:
Our mission: to inspire and
nurture the human spirit – one
person, one cup and one
neighborhood at a time.
The Power of Three (3)
According to Dr. Ezekiel Emanuel, President
Obama’s Healthcare Adviser*
Too much money is spent per person because
Americans overuse the healthcare system:
• Visiting doctors more than they need to;
• Seeking out expensive specialists in lieu of
primary care physicians; and
• Demanding tests and procedures that they don’t really
need.
*Journal of the American Medical Association, 2008
The Power of Three (3)
A NATIONAL LEADER
in teaching students
to write effectively,
learn from each other
and think for themselves
The Power of Three (3)
Three Signs of a Miserable Job:
Patrick Lencioni
Immeasurement
Employee-Centered Leadership
Connection: Counters Anonymity
To Connect:
“to join, link, or fasten together; unite or
bind”
Employee-Centered Leadership
Connection
“In life, it’s rare that we truly are able to listen
and find someone who will listen to us.”
--Francine Prose
Employee-Centered Leadership
Connection
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ffbFvKlWqE
Employee-Centered Leadership
Connection
“Love him or loathe him, you can’t deny that
Bill Clinton is a masterful connection artist. I’ve
seen him in action many times, and he’s a
wonder to behold.
How does he do it?
. . . these were the techniques I saw
him use most often:”
–Sean Stephenson
Employee-Centered Leadership
Connection
1. He told a story.
2. He made physical contact.
3. He remembered your name.
4. He called you by name.
5. He made deep eye contact with you.
Employee-Centered Leadership
Connection
6. He used his facial expressions to convey his
emotional state.
7. He calibrated his vocal inflections and
volume based on the amount of rapport he had
established.
8. He asked for your opinion.
9. He chose his words wisely.
10. He praised you publicly any chance
he got.
Employee-Centered Leadership
Gratitude: Counters Anonymity
Irrelevance, and Immeasurement
“a feeling of thankfulness and appreciation”
Appreciate; Thank; Praise; Acknowledge; Celebrate
Employee-Centered Leadership
Gratitude
“I like compliments, praises, flatteries; I
cordially enjoy all such things, and am
grieved and disappointed when what I call a
'barren mail' arrives--a mail that hasn't any
compliments in it.”
--Mark Twain
Employee-Centered Leadership
Gratitude
“Gratitude is what establishes our
humanity. Gratitude means that you
have the capacity to be touched by the
kindness of others.”
--Rabbi Schmuley Boteach
Employee-Centered Leadership
Gratitude
List of simple phrases that express
our feelings of praise and appreciation:
“I appreciate the way you . . . “;
“Thanks for going all out when you . . .”:
“One of the things I enjoy most about you is . . . “;
“Our team couldn’t be successful without your . . .”;
“You did an outstanding job of . . .”;
“It’s evident you have to the ability to . . .”;
“”I admire the way you take the time to . . . “;
“What a great idea!”;
“You’re doing a top-notch job of . . . .”
--Glenn Van Ekeren: 12 Simple Secrets of Happiness: Finding
Joy in Everyday Relationships.
Employee-Centered Leadership
Gratitude
“When someone does something good,
applaud! You will make two people
happy.”
-- Samuel Goldwyn
Employee-Centered Leadership
Gratitude
”When you bring an employee up onstage and praise her
performance, this has a management impact.
It will make this particular employee feel appreciated . . . .
However, it will also, if you do it well, have a leadership impact.
You are pointing to her and telling us that, although she is not
perfect, her specific behaviors are the building blocks of our
better future.”
Employee-Centered Leadership
Gratitude
Employee-Centered Leadership
Responsiveness: Counters Anonymity
and Irrelevance
“ . . . responsive managers act
consistent with the principle that their
jobs are to help their staff do their
jobs. So, a basic inter-dependence
emerges based on behaviors that show
concern, respect, and trust. ”
Employee-Centered Leadership
Responsiveness
“Readily reacting to
suggestions, influences,
appeals, or efforts”;
intervening
“Who is a responsive leader?:
A responsive leader is a person who is able to
identify both the explicit and implicit needs
of people she interacts with and uses her
understanding of those needs to try and
fulfill them, whenever required.
–Bindu Sridhar
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Em9wR9e5emY
Employee-Centered Leadership
Responsiveness
“If necessary (when a critical
deadline is not met), we all go down
to that department and help the
manager meet the deadline.”
–Leonard Haynes
Employee-Centered Leadership
Responsiveness: Examples of
non- responsiveness
Employee-Centered Leadership
A Key Triad
Connection
Gratitude
Responsiveness
Employee-Centered Leadership
“Whatever you are,
be a good one.”
Leadership: Three Key Employee-
Centered Elements with Case
Studies
Marc Summerfield
Washington Metropolitan
Society of Health-System
Pharmacists
September 28, 2013