Leadership: Three Key Employee-Centered Elements with Case Studies

By Marc Summerfield

Leadership: Three Key Employee-Centered Elements with Case Studies describes three key employee-centered elements (the “employee-centered triad”), which when judiciously and continuously applied, not only improve a leader’s chances of creating a fulfilling workplace (a worthy singular goal) but also set the stage for meaningful and enduring change. The three elements are Connection, Gratitude, and Responsiveness. Each element is portrayed via a case study. The book is intended to be a guide for successful human relations for all leaders, but especially for those embarking upon their first leadership challenge in professions such as healthcare, hospitality, engineering, manufacturing, and construction. The three elements don’t necessarily compose the complete range of employee-centered human-relations behaviors, but they do provide a substantial start on the path to success—a foundation to build on. The book can be used for self-study, for leadership development, or as a textbook. 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Sep 18, 2020
• ISBN: 9781664130609

Marc Summerfield

Marc Summerfield is a registered pharmacist who has held pharmacy leadership positions for 45 years. He has served as the Director of Pharmacy in hospital-based pharmacies and ambulatory care clinics. Most recently, Marc served as Vice-President of Pharmacy for Chase Brexton Health Care. Chase Brexton Health Care is a Federally Qualified Heath Clinic (FQHC) that focuses on the care of the LGBTQ community in Baltimore, Maryland. Marc is a native Marylander, but he grew up outside Asbury Park, New Jersey. Marc received his Bachelor's Degree in Pharmacy at the University of Connecticut and his Master's Degree in Institutional Pharmacy at the University of Maryland. He completed a pharmacy residency at The Johns Hopkins Hospital. Marc’s professional interests are Pharmacy Automation, Medication Safety, Business Writing, and naturally, the nature and essence of leadership. He lives in Bel Air, Maryland, with his wife, Anna.

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Copyright © 2020 by Marc Summerfield.

ISBN:      Softcover      978-1-6641-3061-6

                eBook            978-1-6641-3060-9

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models, and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Rev. date: 09/18/2020

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Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1    The Essence And Nature Of Leadership

Chapter 2    Connection

Chapter 3    Gratitude

Chapter 4    Responsiveness

Summary And Epilogue

Notes

About The Author

Introduction

T he purpose of this book is to describe three key employee-centered elements of leadership:

Connection; Gratitude; and Responsiveness

In our organizational lives, we yearn for true leadership. We bemoan the impotence of leadership in our social, civic, and religious organizations; in our government; and especially in our workplaces.

Although Kouzes and Posner claim that love is the soul of leadership, ¹ we do not go to work each day seeking love; we go to work seeking fulfillment and meaningful change, and both are byproducts of leadership. Too often, we see a leadership void, and we desperately want to fill that void with people who are effective—people who produce desired effects and results.

This book is not about emotional intelligence (EI). Emotional Intelligence is the ability to identify, assess, and control the emotions of oneself, of others, and of groups.

Nor is this book about servant leadership. Servant leadership is a broad leadership philosophy in which the main goal of the leader is to serve. A Servant Leader shares power, puts the needs of the employees first and helps people develop and perform as highly as possible.²

Nor is this book a mini-version of Stephen Covey’s The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. Covey presents a complex, research-based framework for personal and professional effectiveness.³

This book does not pretend to challenge the structure, power, or validity of the emotional intelligence philosophy, the servant leadership model, or the seven habits approach.

Rather, this book describes three key employee-centered elements (the employee-centered triad), which when judiciously and continuously applied, not only improves a leader’s chances of creating a fulfilling work place (a worthy singular goal) but also sets the stage for meaningful and enduring change.

These three elements don’t necessarily compose the complete range of employee-centered human-relations behaviors but do provide a substantial start on the path to success—a foundation to build on.

Because the employee-centered triad is inextricably linked to leadership, and leadership is inextricably linked to change, the concepts of leadership and change will be explored as well.

Chapter 1

The Essence and Nature of Leadership

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