I am a Leadership Strategist and LEAD (Leadership, Employment, Accessibility, and Diversity) is my platform. Let us view these four major concepts with a critical eye.

L = Leadership: Noble Leadership

Leadership is the spirit of success. Lao Tzu states in the Tào Té Chīng, “The superior leader gets things done with very little motion. He imparts instruction not through many words but through a few deeds. He keeps informed about everything but interferes hardly at all. He is a catalyst, and though things would not get done well if he weren’t there when they succeed he takes no credit. And because he takes no credit, credit never leaves him”. Leadership is the whole that grounds human efforts.

E = Employment: Carve Out Your Profession

To spend one’s whole life as a follower is a luxury that none can afford. Likewise, employment is grounded in the skillset and abilities which we all need to develop whether we sign paychecks or cash them. Retaining a job requires more creativity than obtaining a job.

A = Accessibility: Unraveling Boundaries

Information combined with experience equals knowledge. Knowledge reflects power. Power speaks freedom and freedom is the cornerstone of access. Mother Theresa, Ray Charles, and Bill Gates would all agree that Access and Ability are crucial to success in today’s world.

D = Diversity: American Spirit

We have seen that monocultures are prone to single points of failure; the U.S. has lost millions of American elm trees to a single disease and our economy has lost millions of manufacturing jobs to overseas. The need for diversity of knowledge and skills pertains to both the business enterprise and the individual contributor.

Hence, it is evident that LEAD impacts our personal and professional lives and molds leadership style with refined characteristics.

“In times of change learners inherit the earth; while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists”. Eric Hoffer