Leaders engage

Posted: January 22, 2014 | Categories: Leadership, Team Building

In 1921, the newly formed United States Steel Company hired their first president.  His name was Charles Schwab, and his salary was over $1 million a year.  He was hired by Andrew Carnegie.  When asked why he was paid so much, Schwab said, “I consider my ability to arouse enthusiasm among my people to be the greatest I possess”.

The importance of that high paid quality remains today in companies, sports teams, and other organizations.  The leader who can generate the highest performance and measurable results is always the most sought after.

Some leaders know just the right buttons to push.  I remember taking a geology class my sophomore year in college.  To fulfill graduation requirements, I needed to take a science course, and geology seemed as good as any.  I had no interest in it, and enrolled just to get it ‘checked off the list”.  Then came the first day of class.  Professor Kaesler predicted with enthusiasm how much we were all going to love geology.  He then proceeded to give us a copy of every test he would be giving the whole semester, and said, “I give essay tests, and I have given you the questions verbatim.  Of all those questions you have in your hand, one-third of them will be on the test.  You therefore have a copy of the test ahead of time.”

Bravo!. This was my kind of teacher.  I immediately got to work on the questions.  I kept working on them until I had the detailed answers to all the questions.  After doing so, I realized that I had read the book three times!  How did he get me to do that?  Not only did I get an “A” in the class, I learned to love geology.  As it turned out, the theory of plate tectonics has just been introduced.  It remains today as the main model to explain seismic activity.  Exciting!

As I look back, I am amazed at how Dr. Kaesler was able to motivate me about the subject of geology.  He made it fun and he made it easy as he broke it down into to bite-size chunks.  That helped me in my later years as a training facilitator in getting class members engaged and on board.  I learned from Professor Kaesler, and now, so have you!