JS Tip 281: The Leadership Elements: Action

Tips from Jefferson Smith Training and Consulting

** From the Leadership Workshops: The Leadership Parts

The fourth of five parts.

We’ve suggested leadership has three parts: 1. Character 2. Competence 3. Action

We’ve talked of character and competence. Today we’ll talk of action.

It’s not enough to talk the talk. Leaders have to walk the walk.

Workers at Tucson Electric Power still tell this story:

The “Storm of the Century” came early that year. Rivers and creeks brimmed their banks. Highways and roads flooded. Broken trees and lightning strikes knocked out miles of power cable. Power crews worked around the clock. They slept in their trucks. They grabbed sandwiches and coffee whenever they could. As they pulled cable at 3:30 in the morning, they noticed another figure in their ranks. In dirty work clothes. In muddy work boots. With worn work gloves. Pulling cable. The company CEO.

So what would you do for a leader like that?

How might that example affect the climate of the company? (“You ain’t gonna believe who was pulling cable with us th’other night.”)

If you’d like more details about this CEO and the example he set, let us know. We love stories like this. We love this stuff.

Next week, we’ll finish our discussion of leadership.

** Recent Tips

JS Tip 280: The Leadership Elements: Competence
JS Tip 279: The Leadership Elements
JS Tip 278: The Leadership Imperatives
JS Tip 277: Focusing on the Other Person
JS Tip 276: Reference Books on Writing

tips@jeffsmith.comAugust 22, 2014