ABOUT

“State your flat-ass rules and stick to them. They shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone.”

― Jim Mattis, Call Sign Chaos: Learning to Lead

Over the years I've identified 2 categories of methods, or principles, which are part of how I approach the world - core principles and operating guidelines. It might seem strange to have different lists, but it's how my mind works and it helps me to understand which group I'm working from. I think you'll see what I mean.

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Core Principles

Most things that seem good can become bad if they're not balanced. For instance, someone who's completely honest and transparent about everything, without tact, is difficult to be around because it's all about their view and honest opinion. For that reason each of my core values are coupled with another, putting both in a healthy tension. In these pairs either, on its own, would not work for me without the balance of its partner. 

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Integrity balanced by Empathy

Trust is earned, and might be the most important value in a relationship. Integrity builds trust. If there is no trust, there really is no relationship. However, integrity is more than being honest. It's being trustworthy and consistent regardless of the situation, and especially when it is difficult. 

Integrity on its own can be harsh. It needs to be used for the good of others and should be balanced by empathy. When I interact with my team members, peers, authorities, and others I first try to understand where they are coming from. Understand how they feel, how they think, about what we're working on. 

Balancing integrity with empathy is not easy. It's easy to slip one way or another. Too much empathy will keeps me from speaking honestly when needed, and too much integrity leads to hurt feelings and a breakdown in communication. However, the mixture of both forms a strong base that people can rely on when they work with me. 

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Professional Passion balanced by Personal Humility

It's probably pretty obvious where this pair originated and is going based on the quote above. I've read differing opinions on whether passion is good or bad when it comes to what you do professionally. I believe it's essential if you are going to excel. Passion is a strong emotion, and I think that General Mattis framed it well by calling it "professional passion." I am passionate about what I do professionally, and that passion fuels me to great results. 

However, great results are often worthless if it leaves a wake of burned relationships and compromised values. Hence, I balance it with personal humility. I don't assume that my opinion is the most important, or that I'm always correct. I'm quite often not the smartest person in the room on a variety of topics and I work to stay humble and not let my passion drive towards conflict. 

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Initiative balanced by Teamwork​

As a leader taking the initiative is important. You see what needs to be done, and you go and get it done. However, every leader is just one person, and I am no different. If you have no team you're not really a leader. If I look around and no one is working with me, then I'm only leading myself. 

The balance of taking personal initiative and working as part of a team is sometimes more of a struggle than I'd like to admit. It has gotten easier in recent years and the professionals on my team are able to outperform me in their individual tasks, so it would make less sense for me to try to take the reins. 

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Operating Guidelines

Operating guidelines are the other side of the coin, so to speak. My principles are about who I am as a person, and what I try to live towards on a daily basis. My operating guidelines are how I work in an organization. What should be expected from me, and what I expect from those I work with. 

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Deliberate Focus

If you've read much about concerns with modern mobile devices and social media you'll recognize this immediately. Everything in life is vying for focus, trying to get your attention so that it can take your time. Being able to focus deliberately is essential to getting work done well. I've lost focus while cooking (3 kids, go figure), and before I know it I don't remember if I've put in 4 tablespoons or only 3. Now dinner's in trouble!

When you're leading a team you need them to be focused, and it's your job as the leader to give them the correct focus and then remove distractions. Focus increases efficiency, and it needs to be aimed well. Hence, "deliberate" focus. Focus on what will achieve the goals, move the needle, and make the team succeed. 

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Effective and Transparent Communication

It’s impossible to work with anyone else without communication. The bigger and more diverse the group you're working with, the more important communication becomes. 

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Sense of Urgency

I’ve found time and time again that taking action quickly is generally better than making slow moves over a long period of time. Even then, the specific actions being paced should generally be tackled quickly when it’s their time. 

Results over Effort

I’ve heard more times that I’d like how much time was put into something, or that everyone is “really busy.” That’s not necessarily a bad thing, and of course it takes work to get something done. Get something done. . That’s the key point. If there is a lot of “work” and “busyness” going on and nothing is actually getting accomplished, there is a real problem. Without something to show for it, most effort can easily turn into sunk cost that might never be recovered. 

I focus on attaining tangible results, ensuring that the effort is aligned with the results, and keeping high value items prioritized. You can think of “net present value” analysis if you’re familiar with that technique.