The other day, Steve Harris sent me an email containing the paragraphs below. A very well written statement on leading with discipline:
Leading with discipline requires motivation and effort. It is easy to say we are going to do something. It is quite another to let our actions speak for themselves. It is common to dream. It is less common to turn those dreams into something beneficial, something truly inspiring.
Leading with discipline requires initiative, action and stewardship. This means taking the required steps, doing the homework, working with others, committing to service and following through. It means accepting a certain degree of risk and sacrifice to challenge oneself and raise the bar.
Discipline means showing up early, staying late and doing whatever is ethically necessary to get the job done well and on time. Discipline means saying “no” to negative thinking and disempowering actions and saying “yes” to getting involved and being part of the solution. Discipline means going the extra mile, where there is typically less traffic.
When we act with discipline, we demonstrate care, concern and dependability. We account for ourselves, our teammates and our results.
Leading with discipline requires setting goals and establishing measurement. With effective goals and metrics, we set expectations, assess performance and make adjustments as needed. Without access to the score, we lose the means to accurately measure performance against standards and evaluate progress.
