My Leader's Credo

Today, I completed a seminar by Leaders Advantage led by Don Jenkins. I was attending primarily for evaluation purposes. Nevertheless, I approach life as a learner so I focused how I could grow personally from the course.

We were challenged to write our credo for leadership. Credo?!? A form of the word creed, a credo is a formal statement of beliefs and principles.

My attempt is below:

My Leadership Credo

I will strive to be a leader who inspires people to engage in a calling to accomplish the mission while operating consistently within a set of common values and principles.

My actions will be governed within a value system of:

Integrity, where my actions will match my words and I will keep my commitments;
Obedience, where I will be a doer acting in accordance to my beliefs and responsibilities;
Love, because at my core, I am a lover of God and of people;
Gratitude, where I am thankful for both blessings and opportunities in my life;
Passion, as I live with purpose-driven intensity and enthusiasm.

In my daily operations and interactions:

I will communicate openly and honestly;
I will work within the team setting an example with a strong work ethic;
I will be prepared and continue to learn and grow;
I will ensure that we work toward our mission through strategic plans and initiatives; I will encourage feedback and be open and responsive to the communication.

As we work together, I expect us to:

Operate with integrity meaning that we keep our commitments and fulfill our responsibilities;
Know our stuff (be intelligent);
Demonstrate initiative by making things happen and avoiding the trappings of excuses;
Work as a team (interdependent) aligned and committed.

The following actions destroy unity and will hinder the progress toward our mission and will not be acceptable behavior:

Unethical or immoral behavior;
Gossip;
Divisiveness;
Negativity;
Passive resistance.

The priorities of our team will be to achieve our mission, love people, and to agree and act on the methods we put in place to reach our goals.

In interactions with me, you will discover that I sometimes need “alone time” to think, to process, and to plan. If you approach me and I’m unavailable, don’t be offended, but rather leave me a note and I’ll get back to you. Also, in my communication, my energetic or passionate tone may be mistaken for anger. If you notice this in my tone, you have the freedom to interrupt and ask me “to chill.”

I, and we, will make mistakes. We should be willing to discuss our mistakes openly, learn from our mistakes, and encourage one another to resolve the issues and move onward.