When it came to identifying attributes of an exemplary leader, the letter Y turned out to be the most interesting letter in the alphabet for me. Without using AI software or what others posted on the internet, I identified very few Y-words. When I used my computer to search for candidates, I found hundreds of Y-words, many of which were interesting choices. But I discarded YAKKETY, YEARLY, YEA-SAYER, YELLER, YELLOW, YELPER, YETI, YIN, YODELER, YOKE-FELLOW, YOYO, YUMMY, and YUPPY, among other Y-words. (Some Y-words I found weren’t in my vocabulary, e.g., YARE.)
My candidate Y-words are YARDSTICK, YEARNING, YIELDING, YES-MINDED, and YOUTHFUL. Exemplary leaders must set high standards; they must be YARDSTICKS for others to follow. Likewise, they must have deep YEARNING for the team (and the organization they lead) to excel. Exemplary leaders must also be YIELDING, instead of “my way or the highway” leaders.
If you’ve ever worked for a NO-MINDED leader, you appreciate why I included being a YES-MINDED leader among the finalists for the winning Y-word. In my LinkedIn blog, Sense of Humor Part I, posted on July 10, 2024, I describe an individual who came close to being a no-minded leader: “For the purposes of this writing, I’ll call him Sam. No matter what I did, it wasn’t good enough for Sam. If he saw any indication I was inflating a balloon, he would immediately pop it. If I bought a new car, he would tell me how poorly it was rated by Consumer Report; if I was a fan of a particular sports team, he would put it down at every opportunity. He knew he could get under my skin and took great delight in doing so.
“Frequently, Sam was in the audience when I was speaking. So, I began telling a story about a man, named John, who worked for a man, named Sam. I said Sam had one characteristic that really bothered John, he could never say anything good about John or John’s work. John knew Sam loved to duck hunt. So, John saved his money and purchased a very expensive, award-winning retriever. He worked with the dog to the point it could retrieve ducks at a record-setting clip by running on water. John invited Sam to go duck hunting with him, knowing Sam would be very impressed with John’s dog. As they shot ducks, the dog ran across the water, retrieved the ducks and deposited them at their feet. However, Sam made no comment. Finally, John asked Sam, ‘Didn’t you notice anything unusual about my dog?’ Sam replied, ‘Yeah, he can’t swim!’”
YES-MINDED leaders encourage people to excel. Such leaders are open to using new approaches, listen to what others say, and bring a “breath of fresh air” to the organization.
According to one AI source, a YOUTHFUL leader has a balanced life. In Chapter 6 of Why It Matters, I addressed the need for leaders to balance family and career, as well as balance their emotions, balance eleven contradictory leadership tasks, and balance their lives. Too many leaders fail to take care of themselves.
It shouldn’t be surprising that being YES-MINDED is the winning Y-word. Likewise, it shouldn’t be surprising that no one submitted a winning entry for the Y-word.
Before leaving the letter Y, I would be remiss if I didn’t recognize the important role Y plays in leadership. Consider, for example, Douglas McGregor’s seminal work on Theory X versus Theory Y leadership[i]. Based on the thesis that employees must be commanded and controlled, Theory X leadership applies when labor-management relations are adversarial. The thesis of Theory Y, a participative management style, is individuals are self-motivated and self-directed.
Theory X leaders tend to be authoritarian bosses. Whereas. Theory Y leaders tend to be coaches and facilitators; they delegate, foster open communication, prioritize employee development, and employ purpose-driven agendas.
Not only does the letter Y play an important role in leadership through McGregor’s Theory Y leadership, but it also identifies people who were born between 1981 and 1996. Interestingly Generation Ys, also called Millennials, prefer being led with a participative leadership style, Theory Y. Gen Ys, ages 30 to 45, are the largest portion of today’s workforce.
Clearly, the letter Y plays a prominent role in leadership.
Next: Leadership ABCs—Z
Rules for the game to receive a signed copy of Why It Matters: 1) limited to U.S.A. mailing addresses; 2) limited to a single selection for the word; 3) cannot submit entry sooner than one week before the blog is posted on LinkedIn; 4) be the first correct entry I receive; and 5) send entries to me at johnaustinwhitejr@gmail.com. The earliest you can submit your Z-word entry is 12:00 am, EDT, October 21, 2026; the latest time is 12:00 am, EDT, October 28, 2026.
____________________
[i] Douglas M. McGregor, The Human Side of Enterprise, McGraw-Hill, NY, 1960.
