Edward J. Shelton

Transformational Leadership: Trust, Motivation and Engagement Edward J. Shelton

With the publication of They Love You They Hate You: Discovering Leadership in 2007, a new comprehensive review of basic leadership behaviors were presented to global corporations and frontline leaders that provided a guide to talent retention, empowerment, engagement, and commitment building. Now Dr. Shelton introduces "First They Came," a popular poem attributed to Martin Niemöller describing how Hitler, during his rise to power, purged group after group without much opposition. This is a continuance on the principles of courage, trust, and serving others around you in a transformational way. Transformational leadership is a philosophy and a way of life; it cannot be gained in a leadership short course but only through study, experience, and application. Constructive leadership qualities are not secret and have been applied since the beginning of mankind. Trust, kindness, integrity, empowerment, communications, other orientation, knowledge seeking, motivation, and courage are discussed in detail with supporting cases and anecdotes. Many of these characteristics are not taught in the academic schools of management, yet they remain as powerful today as they had been in the past. "First They Came" originated as anecdotes and life experiences regarding failed and successful acts of leadership. Chapters in the book deal with leadership in military, industry, academia, the Middle East, and across cultures. In the end, Martin Niemöller's poem suggests that we must set our moral standards higher and seek for one another's best interest in life and in business.