History of Enlightened Leadership Solutions
The best place to begin is where we got our name.
The Allied Forces had just won a quick and decisive victory in the first Gulf War. The efficiency and the effectiveness of the forces were notable. One of our principals was watching CNN interview one of the Generals in Saudi Arabia .
The General who shared his observations and analysis on why the Allied Forces were so successful commented: ‘The chain of command has empowered the armed forces in the field to get the job done. Decisions are being made at the battle front, not by the brass in Washington . Now that’s enlightened leadership.’
Three years later, the book was published by Simon & Schuster. The book is in its 31st printing and has sold over 230,000 copies worldwide.
What we’ve learned is a profound demonstration about the power of human capital, and unleashing that power is at the very core of our work.
Philosophy of Enlightened Leadership Solutions
We believe that people are the cornerstone to success. People are the single biggest opportunity to realize performance gains without expending or investing in additional resources.
Attitude, alignment, communication, focus and commitment are critical differentiators between those who thrive and those who just survive. We consistently find that individuals, teams, and organizations who execute these areas well, out-perform those who may have more technical knowledge or “talent”.
We believe that what makes people “tick” doesn’t change much from company to company. The behavior that is driven by management philosophy, culture, process, systems, procedures, and structure is unique to each organization. Research has concluded that cultural alignment is a significant factor behind failed mergers and executive retention. Much of the knowledge we have gained over the years will impact individual performance. Organizational performance is further dependent on what, how, and when that knowledge is applied to those unique organizational factors.
We also believe that innovation and knowledge transference is critical and that the greatest measure of our success is how fast organizations integrate and apply the capabilities that we initially provide them. Our goal is to create independence, not dependence on us for success. We are a catalyst and guide for change, not the holder of the process. The more organizations are accountable for success, the greater and more sustaining the performance improvements. Developing that accountability is an important part of our work.
Enlightened Leadership Solutions
Meet Our Partners
Ed Oakley
Chief Executive Officer
Founder of ELS and co-author of “Enlightened Leadership; Getting to the Heart of Change”, Ed has been a consultant both domestically and internationally. He specializes in project turn-arounds, change efforts and quality initiatives.
Ed is the Chairman and CEO of Enlightened Leadership Solutions, Inc., a training and consulting company, where he has had the opportunity to put his leadership concepts to work.
Ed received his undergraduate degree in engineering from North Carolina State University and a Masters degree in engineering from Stanford University .
Ed Oakley spent 15 years in the computer industry and has been on a quest for over 25 years to understand how to bring out the very best in people.
Ed founded the firm now called Enlightened Leadership Solutions, Inc. in 1987. He is co-author of the best selling business book “Enlightened Leadership: Getting To The Heart Of Change” (Simon & Schuster), now in its 30th printing. Ed has authored numerous articles on “Adventures in Enlightened Leadership”, published in the book Leadership in a New Era, and an article titled “The Role of Enlightened Leadership in Cultural Change”, published in the Journal of Innovative Management. He is co-author of the audio and video training series, “Making Managers Into Leaders”.
Ed has consulted in Europe , Australia and Asia for organizations challenged with major change, including those involved with quality initiatives, re-engineering, “right-sizing”, etc. He specializes in turning around challenging project and change efforts.
Ed Tate
Ed Tate is a successful facilitator, author, international keynote speaker and executive known worldwide as “the speaker who energizes, educates and entertains” and has worked with Enlightened Leadership Solutions since 1998.
Partner As a trainer, Ed launched his career with Career Track, formerly one of the largest seminar companies in the world, where he was frequently requested and booked for over 100 dates per year. Later, he became the Training Executive for the Denver Rocky Mountain News where he established a training department with over 27 programs and 1,100 employee-attendees each year. In 2001, Ed led a transition team to merge the 145-year-old “Rocky” with its 125-year-old rival, The Denver Post, in a deal that involved more than 5,000 people. He then became certified with Enlightened Leadership Solutions as a speaker and facilitator – quickly achieving high demand for repeat work.
Author. As an author, Ed co-wrote Motivational Selling: Advice on selling effectively, staying motivated and being a peak sales producer. He was also a contributor to Stories Trainers Tell (2003, Jossey-Bass Pfeiffer) and The Seven Strategies of Master Presenters (2004, Career Press). Additionally, Ed co-produced the six-CD audio album, Speaking Secrets of the Champions and the four-CD audio album,Connect with Any Audience.
Speaker. As a speaker, Ed is respected and sought after throughout the world. In the well-known Toastmasters world, Ed won the coveted Toastmasters International 2000 World Championship of Public Speaking, finishing ahead of 175,000 members from 70 countries. To date, he has spoken professionally in 46 states, 12 countries and on five continents.
Proven Business Leadership. Ed’s success in business has spanned more than two decades. For 14 years, he was a successful national account executive selling over $500 million in products and services to corporations and entrepreneurs throughout the United States. He co-created two business units that produced over $1.25 billion in revenue.
Since 1998, the same year he became affiliated with Enlightened Leadership Solutions, Ed has been principal of Ed Tate & Associates, LLC, a professional development firm that provides keynote and endnote presentations and workshops, as well as in-person and do-it-yourself tools and expertise on Leadership, Executive Presentation Skills, The Challenges of Change, Management, and Sales Presentation Skills.
Partial client list includes:
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