OS 012 - Transforming Your Leadership Skills with Ed Krow

Ed Krow is the Talent Transformation Expert for businesses looking to achieve 8 figure growth. He delivers captivating, high-energy keynote presentations that challenge the traditional model of HR and prepare decision makers for motivating their people with a win-win strategy.In his career, Ed has helped over 250 clients, including Fortune500 companies, achieve talent and culture transformations. As a result, audiences value Ed’s deep understanding of the employee/employer dynamic and his ability create a connection with them right away. On stage, he provides practical approaches, tools, and relevant stories to inspire action.A speaker, trainer and coach certified by The John Maxwell Team; Ed’s topics bring a refreshing perspective on how to leverage what is commonly viewed as “people problems” and turn negative growth into business success.Ed is a member of the National Speakers Association, the Forbes Coaches Council, and a regular contributor to Forbes.com. He is the author of "Strategic HR: Driving Bottom Line Results Through Your People."When he’s not on stage or helping clients, Ed teaches at Millersville University. His first love is family, with golf vying for atight second. If you do catch him at home, he’s likely cheering forthe Notre Dame or Baltimore Ravens football teamsThoughts from Ed KrowBe Like SALT: A Well-Seasoned Approach to LeadershipI'd like you to think about what salt does for us. Our bodies need sodium as a vital nutrient. Salt is a preserver of foods and meats. Salt enhances flavor for us in our food. In olden times, salt was extremely valuable and was used as a trading mechanism. In fact, the word “salary” comes from the Latin word for salt. Now, we're not sure why, although there are some stories that say that Roman soldiers, during the height of the Roman Empire, were actually paid in salt due to its value. In fact, the availability of salt has been pivotal to civilization.Perhaps you’ve heard the phrase, “She’s salt of the earth”? When we say that, we mean that person is a good and honest person.At any rate, why do I say that we need to be like salt? As leaders, it's our job to enhance our people to make them better than they were when they came to us. That's the same thing that salt does for our food: It makes it taste even better.As leaders, isn't it our job to engage our people and preserve them for the company, just like salt does for foods? And isn't it our job to ensure that our workplace is healthy, thriving and has all the nutrients it needs to be successful? Just like salt for the human body.When we think about salt, we probably take it for granted. It's on every restaurant table; it's in every kitchen; it's probably on your dining room table. It's there when we need it to add a touch of spice to things. As leaders, we need to be there, be readily available for our people. It's OK if we're in the background, but we're there when they need us to add that little pizzazz that they need to get through their workday or to get through that big project.However, we also know that too much salt is not good for us. It can cause high blood pressure, among other things. Being an overbearing leader can have the same result. Not allowing our people to make decisions for themselves, not allowing our folks the opportunity to thrive on their own without our influence, is extremely detrimental. An overbearing leader stifles the creative flavor of their people, much like using too much salt on food takes away from the enjoyment of that food. If we routinely over-lead our people, it's not healthy for their development or for their long-term engagement with the organization.I believe we need to be like salt.