Future CEO Pledge

In my over 20 year career, I have had the opportunity to be mentored by and work beside some incredibly amazing leaders. In that same time, I've also had the critical opportunity to learn from some not so great leaders (male and female). I love to see, observe and experience all different types of personalities and styles. It has profoundly shaped who I am today, the type of leader I am and the type of CEO I want to be. 

People can teach you in many ways. They can teach you behaviors and practices you want to embrace and those that you do not. 

So I raise my right hand and I say to you: 

* I pledge that no matter your role, you will be heard. We may not always agree, but I understand that being heard is more important than being right. I promise to listen to those in my company regardless of position or title. I've experienced leaders who have mastered this skill in making employees feel important when engaging. I've also experienced the dismissive,short-tempered leaders who have no time for any outside opinions or voices. The feeling of not being heard is damaging and statistically creates more turnover and job dissatisfaction than any other reason. People simply want to have a voice. I pledge to listen to that voice. 

*I pledge to celebrate successes. Seems simple right? This is often overlooked. Many leaders say things like "I'm always looking for improvement, opportunity to get better, etc." Those things are important and will help us grow. However, I pledge to take the time to celebrate what we do right and NOT just focus on what we aren't doing. I also pledge to say THANK YOU for those successes. 

* I pledge to accept you. This is pretty crucial. I've been a part of organizations and leaders that aim to change who you are fundamentally. I've seen resources, training and constant focus on making someone into something they are not. The procedure is one thing, making someone into something that is unnatural to them as an individual is a completely different monster. I pledge to hire you knowing that you are an individual and embrace all that makes you unique. I pledge to work together to align you to the role that exemplifies your best attributes and skills.

* I pledge to invest in you. I'm good at hiring people and I pledge to honor the reason I hired you and continue to invest in you and your growth. I pledge to understand what your long term goals are and support your career aspirations. I want to be a positive part of your story and path. 

* I pledge to begin with trust. I've hired you to do a job and I'm going to trust that you will do it. You interviewed, we found you were qualified and we offered you the job. I pledge to not micromanage your work. I pledge to give you room to be creative and if needed, help guide you to a desirable end result always trusting you have the companies' best interest behind your actions. 

* I pledge to always be honest with you. People want you to be honest with them with the good and the bad. They want to hear what they are doing right and they actually really want to hear where they have opportunities to do better. I pledge to share openly where we are on the mark and where we have the opportunity to get closer to said mark. 

* I pledge to lead with kindness & gratitude. I'm not a pushover, I am not naive. Two things often confused with female kindness and gratitude. I pledge to be fair, tough and clear with my expectations. I will, however, lead with a kind heart and a grateful spirit. 

* To women specifically I pledge to lift you up. I pledge to be a leader you can depend on for female support and "lean in" to my obligation as an example of female leadership. 

* I promise to work hard. I promise to roll up my sleeves and work as a team to achieve our goals. 

Everything I have done in my career to date has been focused on learning. Taking in the good and the bad. No leader will ever be perfect, but understanding and defining for yourself as a leader what is important is paramount to self-accountability and personal progress. The above pledges are what I practice today and intend to carry forward into my future. I challenge each of you future leaders to create your "Pledge List" and use all of the ups and downs of your career to your advantage to be the best leader you can be. 

Head to www.goatleadership.com and Subscribe today! 

Stay Happy,

LJ