1. Possibility thinking. Nothing great has ever been done without someone first believing that it indeed, could be done. This first leadership principle is absolutely critical. Someone first has to have faith in an idea, in the work he/she is doing, in his/her efforts, in the innovation he/she is creating. This positive thinking, this faith in an idea, this belief in possibility, is what sets these principles into motion and calls people to action to achieve.
2. Sense of urgency. It’s great to have business goals and to believe in an idea, but it means nothing if it’s not accompanied by a sense of urgency. You need to work with a reasonable timeline, believing in the necessity of accomplishing now, as if your life really did depend on your individual efforts. Things need to get done. Results need to be had. Vision needs to be realized. Give an idea a year to actualize. You’ll be amazed at the importance the task takes on when you begin to race against the clock and to work with a sense of urgency.
3. Accountability. Another crucial principle, accountability means you hold yourself responsible for results. Beyond your efforts, each person in the organization needs to be held accountable for producing said results. You—and by extension your business—are measured by your products, what you are able to turn out and ultimately offer to the world. It is nearly impossible to achieve anything as a company if each of its parts doesn’t view him/herself as liable for results.
4. Responsibility and Ownership. You are 100% responsible 100% of the time. You own your actions and your thoughts always. Winston Churchill once said, “The price of greatness is responsibility.” The way to achieve anything, to have a successful and flourishing business, is to own everything you do and say. To stand by your word, your action, your company. You are ultimately held accountable, and the sooner you realize that, the better.
5. Synergy. Synergy is the power of the whole being greater than the sum of its parts. It means creating win/win circumstances for everyone—for yourself, for your colleagues, for your clients and for the community surrounding you all. You are accomplishing, you’re moving yourself, your colleagues and your business forward, all while being conscious of the environment around you.
6. Integrity. At the end of the day, your word is all you have. Do you tell the truth? Do you live up to what you say you’re going to do? Are your actions performed with a deep sense of honesty? To be a successful leader in a business, and in life, everything you say and do has to be transparent and true.
7. Enrollment. Life is a game of enrollment. I’m either enrolled in your program, or you’re enrolled in mine. Enrollment means my ability to communicate to you and to show you that there’s power in you being engaged in my program and I in yours. Every business leader needs to both enroll and be enrolled.
8. Contribution. When you boil it down, the point of following these principles is to, very simply, contribute. Contribute to society, to others, to the world around you. To leave everything you encounter better than you found it. To leave people you encounter better than you found them. When everyone in an organization lives their life as a contribution, fully aware of their responsibility to give of themselves to the world and people around them, your business has true potential to thrive. To be great and to accomplish great things.
Choice Distinction. Finally, there is something called the Choice Distinction. Though technically not a Leadership Principle, the Choice Distinction sets the Principles into motion. Everything in life, with the exception of when life ends, is a choice. You have the option to live by these principles or not to live by them. Do you want to believe in something? To work with a sense of urgency? To be held accountable and responsible? To create synergy? To act with integrity? To enroll in your program and be enrolled in others? To contribute to the world around you? Everyone in an organization has a choice to follow these principles. The best, most prolific companies—those that profit joyfully and righteously, beyond just making a profit— are the companies that follow these principles, whose employees and other leaders make the choice everyday to live by these standards of excellence.
More to come. Stay tuned for more posts that will deep dive into each Principle and explore how it helps to set the foundation for an organization.
