This article in HBR by Hubert Joly outlines 5 principles of leadership. I was thinking about how to map these onto my own principles, and basically boil it down a bit.
Do Good Things, Good Things Happen
Lead with this. And, by the way doing good isn’t about your market share, or return percentage to your investors, or that quarterly income statement. Making money and staying solvent are the outcome of good leadership, not the point itself.
If you make your vision for the company to be about dollars alone, then your employees are basically corporate mercenaries. They’re in it for themselves, just like leadership is. They’ll be motivated by whatever’s most expedient.
But if you as a leader commit to making a difference in the lives of the people you serve — not only your clients, but your employees as well — loyalty improves, retention improves, culture improves, and people actually care so quality improves as well.