Focused Leadership: What You Can Do Today to Become a More Effective Leader

By Ervin (Earl) Cobb

Focused Leadership is not your typical leadership book. It is an entertaining and anecdote-filled "What You Can Do Today to Become a Better Leader" book on leadership. Focused Leadership is filled with stimulating and inspiring personal anecdotes which epitomize the leadership approach shaped, refined and utilized by Earl Cobb as he attained over thirty years of amazingly successful and rewarding results. The book clearly and uniquely articulates "what you can do", "what you will gain" and "what you will avoid" by incorporating Earl's nuggets of wisdom into your own leadership approach. Earl Cobb is an American "rags-to-riches" success story. Aggressively climbing the corporate ladder and volunteering to serve the communities in which he has lived, has afforded Earl the opportunity to accumulate trailblazing leadership experience, insights and success. His ability to reach deep within and his willingness to share his lessons learned with others is what make this book a unique treasure.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Richer Life, LLC DBA RICHER Press
• Release date: Dec 15, 2012
• ISBN: 9780985569945

Ervin (Earl) Cobb

Since 2010, Earl has been the CEO and Managing Partner of Richer Life, LLC --- a digital media, trade book publishing and professional services company, headquartered in Phoenix. He spent the previous 34 years of his career in Fortune 100, Mid-Market and Venture companies as a Systems Engineer, Program & Project Manager, Management Executive and Technology Executive.Earl has held executive management positions with Motorola, The Reynolds & Reynolds Company and Wells Fargo Bank. Earl is the former President, COO and CEO of the high-tech start-up, MedContrax.He earned a Bachelor of Science degree, with honors, in Electrical Engineering from Tennessee State University and graduated from Arizona State University with the degree of Master of Science in Engineering. He is a former Adjunct Professor of Management at the Keller Graduate School of Management of DeVry University.Earl is the author of five published books, including his bestselling books, Focused Leadership: What You Can Do Today to Become a More Effective Leader and The Leadership Advantage: Do More. Lead More. Earn More.

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Focused Leadership

What You Can Do Today to Become a More Effective Leader

Ervin (Earl) Cobb

What Others are Saying about Focused Leadership

Straight-talk, valuable insights and proven concepts --- perfect if you are looking for something you can do today to be a better leader.

--- Clint Walker, Sr. Managing Member, Team 7 Consulting

Focused Leadership will provide you with the knowledge and ideas you need to become an effective leader and to build winning teams.

--- Lou Phillips, President, EMG, Inc.

Great stories and great advice.

--- William (Bill) Jackson, President, SCOE II, Inc.

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Copyright © 2011 by Richer Life, LLC

Published and distributed by RICHER Press

An Imprint of Richer Life, LLC

4600 E. Washington Street, Suite 300, Phoenix, Arizona 85034 - www.richerlifellc.com

Cover Design: Richer Media USA

Photographs: Richer Media USA and Big Stock Photo

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without prior written permission of the publisher.

RICHER Press also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may not be available in electronic books.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publications Data

Cobb, Ervin (Earl)

Focused Leadership: What You Can Do Today to Become a More Effective Leader

1. Management 2. Leadership 3.Reference

2011919726

The book is available in print at most online retailers.

ISBN 978-0-9744617-6-2 (Paperback)

ISBN 978-0-9744617-5-5 (Hardcover)

Smashwords Edition - December 2012

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

Thank you for downloading this free ebook. You are welcome to share it with your friends. This book may be reproduced, copied and distributed for non-commercial purposes, provided the book remains in its complete original form. If you enjoyed this book, please return to Smashwords.com to discover other works by RICHER Press. Thank you for your support.

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Acknowledgements

Thanks to all of the mentors, colleagues, co-workers and friends with whom I have had the opportunity to work with, learn from and lead over the past thirty-five years.

Also, special thanks to my wife and soul mate, Charlotte, for her support, her encouragement and for allowing me to spend so much time alone in order to complete this book.

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Table of Contents

Preface

Introduction

Chapter One: Preparing Yourself to Focus

Anecdote: First Classified DoD Space Shuttle Mission

Step-1 Lead with Intention, Not Authority

Step-2 Envision the End at the Start

Chapter Two: Preparing Your Team to Win

Anecdote: Rescuing Scott O’ Grady

Step-3 Articulate Your Vision, Repeatedly

Chapter Three: Setting Tactical Parameters

Anecdote: Leading Change During Times of Unchartered Circumstance

Step-4 Don’t Allow Bumps in the Road to Distract You

Step-5 Energize others to Do Their Best

Step-6 Remember, it’s Not All about You

Chapter Four: Setting Strategic Parameters

Anecdote: "When a Whisper is a Roar"

Step-7 Set a Course Lined with Short-term Successes

Step-8 Have the Courage to Make the Right Decisions

Step-9 Insist on Accountability and Respect from All

Chapter Five: Leading and Winning

Anecdote: In the Eye of a Hurricane

Step-10 Persist with Purpose, Passion and Focus

Author’s Note

About the Author

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Preface

Focused Leadership is not your typical leadership book.

Most books on leadership do a fine job presenting leadership concepts, principles, processes, styles, character attributes, methods and current trends. Focused Leadership correspondingly incorporates many of these classical and foundational perspectives within the context of its brief and concise discussions on leading and winning. However, Focused Leadership is much more than your typical leadership book.

I have written Focused Leadership to first be a small book filled with stimulating and inspiring personal anecdotes about my own leadership experiences. I have included stories which epitomize the leadership approach that I shaped, refined and used to get the leadership results I have desired over the years. This approach is now referred to as the 10-Step Approach to Leading and Winning.

In addition, I have thoughtfully filled Focused Leadership with some straight talk and experience-based ideas as to what you can do to become a more effective leader today.

Just as importantly, I have also included my qualified perspective on what you will gain and what you will avoid if you choose to integrate some of these modest, yet powerful, ideas into your present leadership approach.

All of the ideas I have incorporated into Focused Leadership have been personally tested and refined over the years within nationally recognized and highly respected small, mid-size and Fortune 100 companies as well