my leadership philosophy (summary)
so after 3 months, give or take, I finally settled on the key components of my leadership philosophy. They are 1) Character Trumps Competence, 2) Constantly Strive For Excellence, 3) Fail Better, and 4) Grind. I worked hard to cut down the explanation behind each component to the bare minimum, slicing away all the fat. No analogies or stories to illuminate, just the most valuable words. Let the beauty of simplicity sell the principles. Here's what I posted up on the wall in my office:
Character Trumps Competency
No skill, schooling, or experience will ever excuse moral or legal failings. An honest novice beats an experienced malcontent every day. The first strengthens the team, the second is poison. The health of the team always outweighs the individual.
Constantly Strive for Excellence
Feed the fire that burns inside you to be outstanding. Never say those horrible words “good enough”. Good is the enemy of Great. No one ever remembers those who did “okay”. We are sending our brothers into harm’s way. They deserve excellence.
Fail Better
Push yourself to try new approaches despite uncertainties. We are wading into uncharted waters and should expect mistakes. Don’t waste them. Every failure is a step on the path to success if we study and learn from them.
Grind
Every sword must be constantly sharpened. The greatest successes are not the result of sudden breakthroughs or miracles. They come from methodical, systematic, disciplined approaches that slowly succeed. It’s not pretty or sexy, but difficult and unglamorous. And it’s how the winners separate themselves from the losers.
So there you have it, my leadership philosophy. Will these change? Probably. Leadership isn't an award you earn after toiling long enough. There is no prize that proclaims you are officially a leader. We are all products of our environment, and as a result, our philosophies and approaches to life are as well. As I continue to learn and grow, my outlook on how to best lead will grow as well. So this is by no means me "closing the book" on leadership. I certainly haven't figured it all out. The purpose of spelling out my leadership philosophy was to 1) provide my subordinates clear guidance for the who, what, and how of achieving superb results and 2) forcing myself to provide that clear guidance, rather than relying on the assumption that everyone I work with has the same values and expectations as I do.