The True Test of a Leader
Summary
- True leadership is about building character and growing as a person, not just achieving goals.
- While monetary goals and business milestones are important, they mean nothing if they make me or my team worse off.
- My main goal is to leave everyone, including my companies and customers, better than I found them.
- My moral compass is centered on making decisions that eventually improve people's lives, even if they cause short-term discomfort.
- Integrity is key; I always ask myself if my choices will positively impact others in the long run.
Video
How To Take Action
Building Character and Integrity in Leadership
I would suggest focusing on personal growth first. This means learning to make decisions that improve lives over the long run, even if it involves tough choices now. Reflect on each decision and ask yourself, "Will this make others' lives better in the end?" This mindset will help you act with integrity and ensure you're leading responsibly.
Next, I recommend setting goals that extend beyond monetary success. While it's good to aim for business growth, ensure these goals align with improving your customers' and team's well-being. A good way to do this is by regularly checking in with your team and soliciting honest feedback about how your actions impact them. Adjust your strategies based on this feedback to cultivate a positive environment.
For entrepreneurs and small businesses, I suggest investing time in developing strong ethical guidelines. This doesn't require any monetary investment—just a commitment to doing what's right. Share these guidelines with your team so everyone is on the same page.
Lastly, always aim to leave people and situations better than you found them. This might mean offering extra support or resources to customers or helping a team member grow in their role. These actions build a strong, loyal community around your business, which is invaluable for long-term success.
By focusing on these strategies, you'll build a foundation of character and integrity that will support sustainable growth and a positive impact on those around you.
Full Transcript
the true test of a leader is not how much they can achieve but what kind of person what kind of character they build along the way and I don't know about you but for me of course there's a monetary goal and there is a size of business I would like to have and there's Milestones I want to achieve but none of it matters if I'm a worse person for IT none of it matters if my team is worse for it none of it matters if my companies and customers are worse for it the goal is that you leave everybody better than you found them and for me that's my true moral compass around how I know that I am a person of Integrity is with every decision I make I literally think to myself is this going to make people's lives better or worse it might mean in the short term it's worse but if in the long term it's better eventually they'll see that play out
