ABSTRACT
This chapter explains how leaders engage (i.e., not only pull people together but also push people forward). It is grounded in the philosophical branch of pragmatic politics (note: this refers to the original/broad and not contemporary/narrow definition of the term). Developing this tool enables the wise leader and their organization to become successful and attain ‘real-world’ results. In a way it involves discovering, honing, and unleashing your inner leadership general. However, the true nature of the leader’s engagement is often misunderstood. More than this, individuals’ internal limitations and organizations’ external barriers can prevent us from truly synergizing like a proverbial leadership general. So what to do? Coalescing what we know about leadership politics provides several tools to help us in this endeavor. In short, to be a leadership general … (1) Building a better engagement core involves optimizing the efficient and effective deployment of elements to achieve excellence; (2) Crafting a better engagement process will allow you to enhance operational and innovative activity to also achieve advantage, and (3) Leveraging your engagement achievements brings greater sustainability through improved feedback/learning systems and dynamic change mechanisms. Taken together the chapter’s presentation of excellence, advantage, and sustainability will allow you to enhance this leadership tool and work towards extraordinary functional application. When faced with efficiency and effectiveness-related challenges it will enable you to lead a personal and professional life infused with created value.
