“In this life, we are either Kings or pawns; Emperors or fools.” Said Napoleon Bonaparte in the film The Count of Monte Cristo. In simple terms, Napoleon is stating that we are either a person who acts, or is acted upon. To act is to take ownership of your own situation and to enlarge the portion of your life that lies within your control by absorbing aspects of your influence into the sphere of control. By becoming a “king” rather than a “pawn”, we join the ranks of leader. Students of leadership will tell you that there are many ways to skin this cat. That being said, among the myriad of leadership techniques, that of the Principle Centered Leader is the most powerful. "Principle Centered Leaders are men and women of character who work on the basis of natural principles and build those principles into the center of their lives, into the center of their relationships with others, into the center of their agreements and contracts, into their management processes, and into their mission statements."
Your initial response to this may be, “What a daft claim, there can’t be one right answer to every leadership problem! Every task, every obstacle has a different face with different details. How can this be true?” You’ve got a point. There are certain things that happen in our lives where the principle centered leadership style may seem to be weak. However, the principled centered leader is a technique that will lead to a successful and fulfilled life for you and those within your circle of influence. By being based on attributes that are immovable, it gives freedom to adapt to situations while still playing by the rules you’ve founded yourself in.
We are all the result of the events, influence and people in our lives. Every experience we have, whether we deem it good or bad, affects us in one way or another. Reflect within yourself, have there been key people in your life that have helped you reach the point you now find yourself? Are there faces and names coming to mind? Did they help you learn and grow in ways you never dreamed? We all need a mentor in life. A person who is older, wiser, and lives the principles of success and lifestyle that you yourself want to emulate. We’ve all had the opportunity to be follow someone in one way or the other. There are those in our lives however who have left their mark. A person who we held as a mentor who helped us ascend. A survey was given to young adults in southern Utah. The ten questions were centered on the individuals answering questions regarding a meaningful mentor in their life. 91.7% of those interviewed answered in the affirmative when asked, “Would you consider this leader to be grounded on principle?” The final question asked the individual to rank that leader on a scale of 1-5 on “How formative was this leader in your life?” 92.7 % of those interviewed ranked this leader as 4 and above. The results go to show that leaders who are based in principle are those that have the most formative effect in the lives of those they lead.
When you’re a follower, you know exactly how it feels to follow. Often times however, it’s hard to begin thinking of how the leader feels. The role of leadership is often the hardest one to master. When the going gets tough, everyone looks to the leader for the answers. He’s the guy who knows everything and knows how to get us through. If things go well, things go on as normal. If things go less than favorable, the leader is the first one under the microscope with fingers in their faces. Leadership is not for everyone, however, everyone is a leader in their own way. Every once in a while, someone enters into your life who is different. This person has something going for them the others don’t. Something is just different about them, though you can’t quite place your finger on one single thing that makes that the case. You hang on their every word. You would gladly sit five more minutes in a meeting to hear one more story of their experiences. You would gladly do whatever they asked because you knew they entrusted you with that task. Not only did they entrust you with it, but you see exactly how it plays into the vision of the whole. You are driven to this person and can’t help yourself but have respect for them. The reason you can’t put your finger on one attribute that causes this effect is because it’s the synergistic result of several characteristics.
A skyscraper towers over its surroundings. Like skyscrapers, noteworthy individuals seem to tower in their own way. The foundation of these buildings and individuals are firm, thus allowing for the growth upward that seems impossible to others. The things that make up the principle centered leaders are to be principle based individuals. The reason this style of leadership is so empowering is simply because it becomes who they are. Their leadership does not become a mask that they put on as they walk in the front door. It becomes who they are on the basest of levels.
To be a principle based individual is indeed the most basic building block of the attributes needing to be mastered. In John C. Maxwell’s book, The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership he teaches the “Law of the Lid.” The Law of the Lid says that your success in life is directly correlated to your leadership ability. How does this affect the principle centered individual? Well, I will go as far to say that if you want to attain greatness, your results will be limited until you can also increase your leadership abilities. Some doors cannot open without the right key, the key of increased influence.
Before an individual will buy into a vision of another, he needs to buy into the individual. If that individual destroys his credibility by deceit or selfishness, the vision is as good as dead. However, if a person approaches with a vision and is apparently founded on principle, his vision has weight behind it because the individuals have confidence in him as a leader. In other words, in order for a person to be a leader, they need to be viewed as one who can help them ascend and improve. This person needs to be solid, secure and confident before others can be secure in following him. Eddie George writes about the characteristics that will be important for this leadership style. “Those who would like to rely on this leadership method are advised to develop the following characteristics: interest in continual learning, a service-oriented attitude, positive energy, belief in other people, a well-balanced life, a view of life as an adventure, synergy, and a healthy body kept in shape through proper exercise and nutrition.” These characteristics are fruits from the tree of this leadership technique if you will.
Once people view you as an individual they can trust, they then look at your leadership ability. People will look at the following when considering your leadership ability: Your character and what you stand for. Your relationships and how you nourish them. Your knowledge and how you apply it. Your intuition and how strongly you act upon it. Your experiences and how you’ve used them. Your past successes and vision for the future. Your ability and how innovatively you use them. At the end of the day however, leadership is your influence on others. There is a leadership proverb that says, “He who thinks he leads, but has no followers, is only taking a walk.” If you do not have the ability to influence others, you aren’t able to lead others. Leadership and influence develops daily, not in a day.
The saying, “It takes years to build trust, but only moments to destroy it” is genuinely true. A true leader is one who invests in the individuals in their lives. It is a formative leader who can create a personal bond with them. This leader then uses this bond to establish a means of effective communication. Using this pipeline of communication, they are then able to communicate clearly the expectations and responsibilities of those they are leading. It is important however to keep a healthy line of communication. Not merely using the pipeline for pushing towards them another to do list. Use the pipeline to genuinely nourish the relationship as well as manage tasks and productivity.
The most effective management technique I’ve found comes from the book The One Minute Manager. The book explains how you use potent language to communicate expectations effectively in a positive way. You do so consistently, genuinely and concisely. The whole idea behind the book is that you talk to you key players in a minute or less and they are properly managed. By not micromanaging them, it shows them that you have confidence and trust in their ability. By so doing, it then helps them understand how to lead their followers in a way that shows confidence in those they lead. This process is simple yet beautiful. The reason it is so effective is because it eliminates an excess of time, allowing you both to move on to your work, while empowering those you’re entrusting.
The success of any individual or effective organization can be tracked back to a few key elements. One of them is the utilization of effective systems. To create systems in your leadership technique is a must. Why create systems? Isn’t every situation different? Sometimes that is so, more often then not, however, they are the same problems with a different façade. An effective system can solve problems for you, freeing you from menial time robbing tasks. To create a system is to make the system work for you, rather than you for it. In essence, a system will liberate you and your followers, allowing you to focus on the higher result yielding tasks. To create a system also goes back to the paramount concept of having a clear job description for each person you are leading. This allows them to identity those things that will yield the highest rewards for their time and effort. Focusing on the twenty percent of things that yields eighty percent of results will allow you to get rid of those lower yielding things and allow you to be more focused in achieving what your job description states.
The maxim “People don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care” truly brings forth a good point. When you are working for success, you can have all the systems in the world, but without good people to use those systems with your best interest at heart, they are useless. Truly, relationships are what make this world go round. A principle based leader is one who should treat everyone with respect. Empower others by giving them believing in the in them and empowering them with training and tasks. By treating those you lead well, you create trust and loyalty with them. If you empower, entrust and give opportunities for growth to them, they will stay loyal to you for life. These now friends will watch your back and be your advocates for success.
Along with creating genuine relationships comes effective networking. I was once told that if you want to be a millionaire, you help ten people become millionaires themselves. This mentality goes against what the typical “business man” is about. The typical business man is in it for himself and is interested in the quickest route to his goal. This paradigm goes to the core of the individual. We need to have the team mentality.
We need to realize that we can attain more together than we can on our own. You need to be a firm believer of the principle of synergy. That is to say that 1 + 1 is 3, rather than 2. If you truly give your best work to attain the success of another, they will not easily forget. Thus, when the opportunity arises to help you achieve a major success, they will be quick to lend a hand. Thanks to your help some time earlier… their hand just may control a good amount of money, influence or both. Put yourself out there, and help others. Do not do it with the intention of calling in a favor, but genuinely creating and nourishing relationships. You need to be genuine and selfless, if you do, those around you will give of themselves selflessly also to help your cause.
It is tempting to go into business for yourself. The influential leader however is one who does not hide behind his title. The truly good leader is one who will not ask his followers to do something he himself is not willing to do. You must be an individual of service. Yes to your customers of course, but more importantly, those who are working for your success.
As you are plugging along, it is tempting to set things on cruise control and see what comes. The most successful groups are those who use their systems to keep record of their transactions, growth and activity. A factor of success is to be able to look yourself in the mirror essentially and be honest about what you see. We need to take our group and juxtapose it against our mission statement, visions and goals. We need to see if we are on the right track or if we are taking the serpentine route to reach results or the straight line. By so doing we are then able to take the facts and make adjustments for innovative success. The ability to adapt and evolve is one of the qualifiers for success that often escapes leaders. If mastered however, it can be the difference between success and failure.
Establish checkpoints for yourself and create a routine checkup on your operations. Truly consider your results and be honest with yourself. Compare them against where you hoped you would be and take a logical approach to get yourself back on track. Alter and adjust the systems necessary to help you maintain that course until your next checkpoint.
A great leader is one who can take vision and turn it into reality. One of the steps to bringing it into reality, however, is to help those that follow you have personal ownership in the vision themselves. They need to see the big picture and their part in the attaining of that goal. To create the vision together is one of the most powerful ways to help those you lead sink their teeth into it. They need to feel entrusted, utilized and important.
The crowning attribute of a truly influential leader is the humbling realization that you still don’t know it all. You need to continue your learning and growth. You want to help teach and bless the lives of those that take care of you. Stephen R. Covey deems calls this, “sharpening the saw.” Continually learn your craft. Hone your skills and perfect your science. If you show an ability to be teachable, it will inspire your followers to gain a zest for learning and to be teachable. By teaching them, it enables them to become more valuable individuals. By you helping them ascend, it provides a bond and loyalty to you.
By just micromanaging every hour of your followers you just undercut yourself. If you, in contrast, empower those you lead, they will be fueled by their respect for you. The respect they have for you will in turn produce great results because they will want to fulfill to their greatest abilities the tasks that you entrusted unto them. You need to be exactly the type of character and personality that you want to be surrounded with. You want a positive work force, think and act positively. You create your own future or your own noose. Start with yourself. Become a principle centered individual. You will then transform and become an individual of character. As you find success in founding yourself on principle, help found others on the principles of a happy and successful life. Then ascend together.
The ability to simply get a job done and to be a formative leader are drastically different things. John Quincy Adams once said, “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, you are a leader.” This is truly what being a leader is. To inspire others to do, be and dream a thing of greatness is leadership at its best.
In life, there are things that we can control, things that we can influence and simply things that we have power only to appreciate. Take charge of your life. Become a King. Do not let others take charge of your life, telling you how to make your every move. Take responsibility for your situation and expand your sphere of control. As you become a principle based leader, you will evolve into an individual of merit. People will not be able to help themselves; they will simply want to follow you. As you apply these principles in your life, your ability to control and influence the factors in your life will increase. To become an individual based on principle will lead to a life of success and fulfillment. Who died and made you king? No one, you earned it!
