Increase Productivity and Profitability
with Exceptional Leadership

Aug 15, 2011

By: Dianne Durkin

What is exceptional Magnetic Leadership? The answer to that question comes from defining what it is not. Uninspired leadership that disengages employees is the "reverse polarity" of Magnetic Leadership.

• Think of the successful professional who may have climbed the ladder without ever learning how to play well with others.

• Think of leadership that does not connect with people because the vision and purpose are not relevant to them.

• Think of leadership that talks without listening.

• Think of leadership that promises without delivering.

• Think about the cost of unengaged employees.

According to pollster Gallup, actively disengaged employees cost the U.S. workforce more than $300 billion in lost productivity alone. How much is employee disengagement costing you?

If you have weak or non-existent leadership in your organization, it is like spraying a big can of people repellent into the air that your employees breathe. You kill creativity, productivity and the spark that ignites new ideas. You risk losing top talent and cultivating people with promise.

Here's the good news: you can create Magnetic Leadership in your organization. And you don’t have to look like a rock star or a celebrity to do it. You just have to have heart, be open to some organizational soul searching, and most importantly, you have to be R.E.A.L. (see Tips for How to Get R.E.A.L. below):

• Take an active interest in others

• Listen to people

• Act decisively and consistently based on what you hear and do

Tips for How to Get R. E. A. L.

R is for recruitment that gets the right people on the bus in the right spots, and also shows you how to retain them.

E is for engaging, empowering and enriching employees and providing the right environment for success. I will take you through the Big E and show you why this vowel rocks an organization in the most powerful of ways.

A is for appreciating people. What do people want most? It is not money. It is to be rewarded and recognized.

L is for leadership that leads to loyalty. Leadership is not about ego. It's the opposite. It's about purpose first. When leadership attracts the right people, engages, empowers and appreciates them, the result is loyal, productive employees.

While some people may be more natural leaders than others, some of the best leaders I have worked with are men and women who went beyond cultivating their own leadership skills and instead created a culture of leadership in their organizations. The reality is that leadership does not belong to just one person. Leadership inspires others and becomes a contagious force throughout an organization. It's time to ignite "The Power of Magnetic Leadership."

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Dianne Durkin is president and founder of Loyalty Factor, a specialized consulting and training company that enhances employee, customer and brand loyalty for some of the nation’s most prominent corporations and many smaller businesses.