When committing oneself to the pathway of being a principle-centered leader so that your organization is more nimble, flexible and agile over the coming two years, there are four key steps to take.
First, you must become 100% focused on building and maintaining relationships. Over the years, I have learned that organizational change is the sum of individual change. And for this to take place, people need to feel supported, respected, and understood. People in leadership do this by learning to listen to understand rather than being understood, paraphrasing an old Covey concept. The best principle-centered leaders I have met also recognize the difference between ability and attitude problems, and are clear about their expectations.
Second, these same leaders are exceptional at setting priorities and helping others to do likewise. When they do this in combination with routine goal setting, they empower people to make the right decisions for the right reasons.
Third, principle-centered leaders are addicted to learning about themselves and others. They do not slip into patterns of self-deception. Instead, they are humble enough to admit mistakes and the lessons learned from the mistakes. They frame this as learning opportunities and the building blocks of character.
Finally, they do not hesitate to celebrate success and progress, plus lessons from failure. While some may see this as silly and inconsequential, principle-centered leaders understand the relationship between clarity, commitment and confidence. Building all three is critical to successful organizational change.
This week, reflect on the above four key steps and evaluate how well you are doing each one. Then, make a plan to get better at all of them.
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