Leadership Rules: A Work In Progress

I am always collecting my “rules” for leadership. Each item in this list, is a result of hard-earned lessons in my life (both as a leader and as a subordinate). It is by no means definitive nor complete.

Shared through CC license by Leo Reynolds

I don’t stick this away in a drawer. It is an agreement or constitution between me and the members on my team.

1. I want everyone on my team to succeed mentally, spiritually, and emotionally in both your personal life and in your professional life.

– This may mean that you are prepared for a job greater than I can offer.

– This may result in you becoming my boss.

– This may lead to alternate and unexpected employment.

2. I intend to always be honest with you (even in hard times), and I expect the same out of you.

3. If I ever make a decision out of ego, call me on it.

4. I will not make comment/criticism that doesn’t generate a positive result.

5. I strive to always be fair, call me on it.

6. I do not have to have the last word.

7. I will never condemn you for something that I cannot change.

8. I expect you to be professional.

9. I will never ask you to do anything that I would not be willing to do, and I expect you to do most anything that I would do.

Anything there that seems crazy? Do you have your own rules that you use?

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Jeremy Floyd

Jeremy Floyd is the President at FUNYL Commerce. Formerly, he was the CEO and President of Lirio, Bluegill Creative, a marketing and communications firm in Knoxville, Tennessee. In addition to managing the digital strategies, Floyd was an adjunct professor for the University of Tennessee Chattanooga MBA program teaching digital strategies and social media. Floyd blogs at jeremyfloyd.com and tweets under the name @jfloyd. Jeremy is licensed to practice law in the State of Tennessee and holds a law degree from the University of Tennessee College of Law and a Bachelor of Arts degree from MTSU in English and Philosophy.

  • Shawn Van Dyke

    I have adopted these as company “team objectives” with a slight addition to #6:
    I do not have to have the last word, but most of the time I will.  The responsibility of success/failure of you and the company rests on my shoulders.

  • Dorrylynn

    I think you might add: Respect, I will respect you and expect you to respect me, period.  This isn’t about deserving or earning, it’s about breathing.

  • Good point. Respect of being created.

  • Thanks for getting me excited about sharing these Shawn. You are a great leader in your organization right now keeping all of your employees in alignment to the vision.

  • The more I’ve lived these out…RESPECT seems to be the one item that was totally missing from the list.

  • Judy Vega

    I agree with all of these and think they are well thought out. However, if I did have one comment on any of them, I would comment specifically on #4. If your “result” is in terms of the corporation as a whole, I’ll go with the statement. But I have discovered that people are becoming less and less accepting of criticism EVEN if it’s spot on and absolutely right. Perhaps that’s why I’ve chosen my master’s thesis topic to be on emotional intelligence – the more technologically involved our world becomes, the less attached people tend to become to themselves and the individuals around them. As a result of this behavior, people become less accepting to criticism and resist confrontation period. But that’s just my opinion 🙂

  • I should probably reword number 4. Specifically, I have seen a number of managers that demeaned employees because they could. In those situations, it was more like boot camp to break the person than to generate a result.

    Even though employees may make me “mad” personally. My role as a leader is to put those petty emotions where they belong–out of my mind.