May 2008, Power of Pre-Emptive Leadership

The key to superior personal and organizational performance boils down to one thing - Pre-Emptive Leadership according to authors Ron and Mary Kay Whitaker.

In their book, It All Starts With You: The Power of Pre-Emptive Leadership, they discuss how Pre-Emptive Leadership is more than just a productive "work-style" or "flavor-of-the-month" concept. They put forth the premise that it is a pervasive workplace culture that facilitates ownership, engagement, and commitment by all employees to most effectively get the job done.

"What it all comes down to, says Ms. Whitaker, is that people want to be led rather than managed. And most importantly, they need a cause to believe in-a leader to believe in-and a leader that believes in them. While companies may be able to replicate production methods or develop copycat products, there is one thing that Pre-Emptive companies have that competitors will never be able to duplicate: their people."

The Pre-Emptive Leadership book is a road map to motivate an individual from being a reactionary employee or manager to a more fulfilling and productive leader by:

Attracting and retaining the best people
Developing leaders and building leadership teams
Accomplishing more in less time with fewer resources
Identifying and communicating forward-looking performance expectations
Reaching superior productivity levels with the lowest labor and production costs

The authors' thoroughly discuss what qualities are necessary in developing great leaders among an organization's workers - from entry-level employees to senior executives, and everyone in between. Key characteristics include:

Developing and trusting employees
Inspiring others to lead
Staying ahead of the curve
Making great decisions

Creating high levels of employee loyalty and satisfaction can be achieved by maximizing results through people. A simple premise, but one that the authors say takes Pre-Emptive Leadership. By implementing this process that focuses on integrating cultures, creating a new culture, and developing employees into leaders, an organization can meet three of the biggest challenges to growth that exist in today's hyper-competitive world.