My personal Leadership Principles

This is the second in a series of articles I intend to post derived from academic assignments and insights I have gained through the 'Organizational Psychology' degree I am pursuing. While the tone and format of the writing will often be academic in nature, I believe there are tremendous opportunities to apply these ideas in the workplace setting. I look forward to hearing from and engaging with you all on the content and ideas! -Mike

My personal Leadership Principles from a course on 'Leadership' in Summer 2021

Leading others is a profound and incredible responsibility, and one which should not be treated lightly or taken for granted. Not only does the leader have an outsized impact on the individuals they lead, but by extension on society and the world at large.

I believe that the meaning or purpose is life is what we make it to be, and that two of the most worthy purposes in life are (1) the pursuit of self-actualization and (2) the betterment of the society and the broader system which we are a part of. I believe there are many missions we can embark upon which provide us the opportunities to improve ourselves, recognize our fullest potential, and have a positive impact on the greater whole. I believe that the leader’s role is to define these missions and engage others in the pursuit and fulfillment of those goals.

The second law of thermodynamics states that everything trends towards entropy. In order to maintain a functional society and for the betterment of mankind, leaders must continually work to overcome that entropy. This is a job that will never be complete. While I believe that everyone must forge their own path in life, I believe that we can help each other see things differently, and that we have an obligation to help others define and achieve their own life’s purpose. Leading oneself towards self-actualization, helping others on their own path, and leading groups in pursuit of meaningful goals that improve the whole of the system we are a part of, are therefore all imbued with great purpose.

While fame and fortune are positive outcomes often associated with leadership, I believe they should be considered merely positive externalities as opposed to ends among themselves. As such, I don’t believe that leaders should expend a great deal of energy promoting or cultivating their reputation, convincing others of their worthiness, or otherwise succumbing to their own vanity. Altering behaviors in pursuit of an inner perception of perfection is fitting of a great leader, but altering behavior merely to appeal to others is an authentic tactic. While charisma is necessary to motivate individuals, it is organization and structure which allows humans to work together to achieve great things.

This can all be a bit intense at times… and so I believe leaders must balance this devotion and discipline by being present and mindful, and by reminding themselves and their followers to find joy in life.

With all this in consideration, these are the first draft of my, 11 Leadership Principles which I aspire to follow and improve over the course of my life.

1.??????Be mindful: of yourself, of others, of the truth of the situation, of the greater system you are in

2.??????Manage your thoughts and emotions: let them guide but not control your actions

3.??????Lead with the head and heart: appeal to the logical/rational and emotional side of followers

4.??????Act with purpose: after careful thought, do what you believe is best and do it with commitment

5.??????Pursue a worthy cause: make yourself, those around you, and the world better in some way

6.??????Make it easy to do the right thing: build systems that direct people in the right direction

7.??????People come first: never take advantage of someone else for your own benefit or the mission’s

8.??????Do your best and bring out the best in others: always challenge yourself and others and learn

9.??????Actions speak louder than words: show, don’t tell, others who you are and what you want to be

10.??Become an idea: a man and his mission are temporary, but the ideas they represent are timeless

11.??Have fun: these can be intense, balance by finding joy in every day bring joy to the lives of others

Explanation of how I decided on the content of my “statement.”

While this is my first time putting them on paper, these 11 Principles are a culmination of thoughts based on my experiences, what I have read, and guidance from mentors, family, and friends. I have developed and applied these to some degree or another over the past 10 years as I have played various leadership roles, big and small, in a corporate environment. Though many of these have been formulating in my mind for years, this summer’s Leadership course did help to solidify a few of them.

In general, I am strongly attracted to the idea of the Philosopher-Leader. The Leader who knows themselves, who is composed and introspective, who takes responsibility, who is disciplined, who is firm but fair. The leader who pushes themselves and their followers in pursuit of greatness, and of a worthy cause. The one who is kind, but not necessarily easy. Because it is a bit of an abstraction it is a bit difficult for me to say who these people might be… but perhaps someone in the mold of Marcus Aurelius, Benjamin Franklin, Alfred Sloan, Abraham Lincoln, or even Bill Belichick? I might also think of this as the ‘Jedi Master’ form of Leadership and admit to the influence of fictional characters!

Adam Smith’s writing on Moral Sentiments had a strong influence on my thinking. Like Adam Smith’s wise man and the Stoics, I believe that, “all the different conditions of life are equal,” and that one should not, “look upon himself according to what self-love would suggest, as a whole, separated and detached from every other part of nature, to be taken care of by itself, and for itself,” but rather, “as a particle of an immense and infinite system, which must, and ought to be disposed of, according to the conveniency of the whole.” I aspire to the idea that, “whatever lot befalls him he accepts it with joy.”

I was also drawn to this passage from Smith and aspire to the first standard.

“In estimating our own merit, in judging of our own character and conduct, there are two different standards to which we naturally compare them. The one is the idea of exact propriety and perfection, so far as we are each of us capable of comprehending that idea. The other is that degree of approximation to this idea which is commonly attained in the world, and which the greater part of our friends and companions, of our rivals and competitors, may have actually arrived at… So far as our attention is directed towards the first standard, the wisest and best of us all, can, in his own character and conduct, see nothing but weakness and imperfection; can discover no ground for arrogance and presumption, but a great deal for humility, regret and repentance… The wise and virtuous man directs his principal attention to the first standard; the idea of exact propriety and perfection.”

I really enjoyed the Ben Franklin reading which also reinforced this notion of the wise, disciplined, principled, and virtuous leader. These two passages emphasize ideas that are important to me. “Your biography will not merely teach self-education but the education of a wise man,” and that, “…man should arrange his conduct so as to suit the whole of a life.” While I have obviously heard of Ben Franklin I never quite knew of his style and approach. This class has made me want to read his autobiography.

In general, I thoroughly enjoyed the more ‘classic’ readings from the course and was impressed with how applicable they still are today. Smith, Franklin, Weber, Defoe, and Marx all appeal to me in terms of the depth of thought they explore. They seem somehow more serious and important than contemporary books about similar such ideas. They are also, admittedly, less accessible in many ways. This course has opened my eyes to the value that can be obtained from reading and better understanding these classic thinkers.

I believe in the incredible potential and capability within every individual, and believe that the role of the leader is to unlock that potential in individuals and teams. As Henry Di Sio might say, we need to create an environment where everyone is a leader. Therefore I think it is important for leaders to have an understanding of individual and social psychology. I believe it is the leader’s job to create the environment or framework from which success can grow. A mentor of mine phrased it well, “Leaders work on the system, not in the system.” This generally draws me towards more of a servant-leadership type approach. One where the leader sets a clear set of expectations (e.g. purpose, mission, vision, goals) and then gets out of the way. They observe and use feedback to nudge things in the right direction to be consistent with those expectations. They are creative and find ways to get the most out of the resources they have. They inspire followers as a way to get the ball rolling, and they build a system that makes it easy for the right things to happen. In this way, while I recognize the value of a good dose of charisma every now and then I believe that a technocratic style is ultimately necessary for long term success. As Weber writes of charisma, “it cannot remain stable.”

From Shackleton I learned that, no matter how important the mission is, the people are most important.

While I valued the exposure to the ideas of personal branding and image-setting, the power of celebrity, and how to get your message out, I found them to fall short of my ideal of leadership. While I do believe that many of these tools can be used to promote a mission and/or attract the resources needed to be successful on that mission, I believe they are also great tools of vanity. When used for the later intent, I find them inconsistent with my leadership principles. As we discussed in class, the wider the gulf between self-perception and the perception of others, the worse off we are and the greater a fool we appear to be. In my mind, telling others (directly or indirectly) what to think of us inevitably and ironically drives a greater wedge between the two. That said, I do place great esteem in this quote from Carl Jung, “The world will ask you who you are, and if you do not know, the world will tell you.” Perhaps this is something for me to reflect more deeply on and how this all fits together…

A final but critical idea that has formulated for me during this class is the concept of a leaders as more than a man—but as an idea. As V says in the film V for Vendetta, “Behind this mask there is more than just flesh. Beneath this mask there is an idea… and ideas are bulletproof.” By becoming an idea, or even an ideal, a leader can have a much broader and longer-lasting impact than if their influence is restrained to their physical presence. Becoming an idea requires a strong purpose, consistency, and discipline. To become an idea requires principles and an unwavering pursuit and upholding of those principles. It is OK to gradually refine this idea over time to one that is true to your purpose but resonates most with others. As I have said earlier, though, I believe it is important to live this idea rather than to tell others of its existence and sell them on it, per se. To the extent that a leaders establishes and lives out their principles, I believe they will naturally fulfill the idea of Business for Life. As Amar Dhand might say, by becoming an idea we can profoundly affect the worldviews of others.

While I feel good about my leadership principles and what I have taken from this class, I feel I have a long way to go as an individual, and as a leader. From a practical standpoint I believe I know what it means to live these values, but from a theoretical standpoint I have to go much deeper. Why are these the principles I have selected? Why not others? Are they really so virtuous, or not? On my leadership journey I aspire to read, think, and understand each of these more deeply and to refine them over time. I am grateful for the professor, teaching assistants, and my classmates for all they have given me over these past several weeks. Thank you, and I hope you meet again!