Despite some early mic problems that made the early portion of his presentation sound like a bad Richard & Sal prank phone call from the Howard Stern show, Shane Yount's presentation of Leadership GPS (Goals, People, Systems) provided a competent challenge to current leadership dogma.

He started off with a central question - where are you in terms of leading your organization?   He followed with the flaws that make reaching your destination somewhat cloudy - physical proximity, persuasion, and position.   According to Yount, one can't be consistent using or leading with these three P's.

So, how do you get back on course?  According to Yount, it is through the common business language of connection, clarity and consistency.


Yount then moved to the question of are you winning or losing as an organization.   Can you answer this question with the appropriate data and metrics?   Scorecards that educate, facilitate, and motivate can assist you in the process.

Yount further argued about whether leaders truly engage their people.   Do we have a culture of selective engagement or collective accountability?  If we are to emphasize accountability, it must become personal and visible to truly be real.   Yount gave an example of an Action Register to make people accountable.

Finally, Yount focused on systems, looking at one aspect - communication.   He noted, "what people don't know, they make up." 

By focusing on the the three factors of goals, people, and systems, Yount demonstrated leadership can better serve its employees and organization.