Seven Leadership Principles

Recently, my father passed away and it caused me to pause and consider what a great leader he was.

He didn’t have management responsibilities in the work he did (especially for perhaps the last 10 years of his working life), but he exhibited so much by the way of his self-management and influence that I considered it useful to share.

Here’s an excerpt from a poem I wrote him on what became his last Father’s Day — let’s look at the leadership lessons hereafter:

“Like Father, Like Son…” You took time to play with me and so I played with my children

You cheered me on in sports and so I’ve cheered on mine

You volunteered to help others and so I’ve volunteered the same

You served at my schools and so I served

You’ve helped out neighbors and so I followed your lead You worked hard and so do I I never saw you waste money and so I’ve always been frugal

I watched you live within your means and so I live within mine

You always provided for your family and so I’ve done the same

I always saw you discuss and agree plans with your wife— my Mum, and so I’ve followed your way

I’ve seen you cry and show your humility and my children have seen the same in me

You never hit me and so I never hit my children

You love your wife and so I love mine

I saw you do jobs way below your abilities to provide, and so I’ve done the same

I watched you encourage others and so I lift others up too

You never walked away from your marriage and so I haven’t either

I watched you lift up the chins of others with your words and I’m always trying to do the same

I’ve seen you stand up and speak up for the underdog and I’ve been known to do just that

You like baked goods and a good cup of coffee and guess that’s why I enjoy the same You’re sociable and so am I I never saw you raise your hand to my Mum and so my children have never seen that in me

You read and so I read You enjoy meeting new people and I have the same zest

I never seen you drunk and so I never drink to excess

I’ve never seen you in a street brawl and so I’ve avoided trouble

The police never visited our home because of you and so they’ve never come to mine

You encouraged me to do my best in school and so I encouraged my children to do just that

You told me to do everything to the best of my ability and I passed on your instruction

You are a good, good father and I want to say thank you.”

I see seven leadership principles in the above prose:

Be an example: Nothing motivates others better than you putting in a hard day’s work.

Treat your organization’s resources like your own. Investors, creditors, employees and vendors to name but four siblings of the workplace need you to manage money, time and equipment well. Be a good steward.

No person is an island: Discuss direction and decide with others. People tend to support what they help create. Just as families thrive when there’s unity, so do wonderful workplaces.

Don’t hurt people. Leaders have explicit and formal authority but some use it to lord it over others. Don’t be like that. Leadership can hurt if not self-managed.

Stand-up when someone is out of order. Part of your role as a leader is to speak for what’s right and not allow others to suffer because of your silence.

Leaders are readers: keep learning how to positively influence others. Go back to school. Attend seminars. Be teachable. Keep growing as a leader.

My father said he didn’t care what I did for a job as long as a I did it to the very best of my ability. Don’t quietly quit and slide on by. Do good work.

Thank you, Dad, for your lessons at home and for the workplace. Slàinte.