10 Leadership Commitments
December 13th, 2006 by Kate Carleton
You’re the at the C-Level of an organization, SVP of a division or managing a project and you’re thinking…10?! I have to commit to 10!? I have only two commitments as a leader: #1. Get the product out the door. #2. Satisfy my clients and boss who are hounding me. You’re thinking leadership is all about the revenue. Think again. Lead on. Based upon The Leadership Challenge by Kouzes and Posner, 1995, there are 10 Commitments of Leadership in 5 categories.
Challenge the Process
- Search out challenging opportunities to change, grow, innovate, and improve.
- Experiment, take risks, and learn from the accompanying mistakes.
Inspiring a Shared Vision
3. Envision an uplifting and enobling future.
4. Enlist others in a common vision: appeal to their values, interests, hopes, and dreams.
Enable Others To Act
5. Foster collaboration by promoting cooperative goals and building trust.
6. Strengthen people by giving power away, providing choice, developing competence, assigning critical tasks, and offering visible support.
Modeling the Way
7. Set an example by behaving in ways that are consistent with shared values.
8. Achieve small wins that promote consistent progress and build commitment.
Encouraging the Heart
9. Recognize individual contributions to success of every project.
10. Celebrate team accomplishments regularly.
So how does a leader step out of the old box and shift gears to incorporate new visions, take risks, and encourage the team to do the same?
Two ways: #1. You have to have the intention to make it happen. The best way is to think in the simple terms and post the following next to your desk, on the white board or the water cooler: Challenge, Inspire, Enable, Model, Encourage.
#2. Leadership starts at the top. It is up to you to enroll the team in your vision and commitment. Meet with your team to discuss how you can collectively create a working system to make it happen. Enable others to champion the process. Create a follow up and action step plan so that the vision doesn’t slide. It is up to you as leader of the company, division or project to make your leadership commitments become a reality. Challenge yourself. Others will follow.
~ Kate ~