The Most Important Leadership PrincipleOctober 29, 2009 | 7:34 AM
 A colleague told me that she would send me something I needed for a time-sensitive project as soon as she got back to her office. I watched her take down a note and star* it several times. Six weeks later I’m still waiting.A 12th grader contacted me via email for a history class project. She wanted some information about a fellow Vietnam vet and needed it right away. I spent several hours getting her what she had requested and asked for only one thing in return: a copy of her final report. That was a year ago and I’m still waiting.
A neighbor who I have seen repeatedly at parties over the past three years told me again last week -- for about the fifth time – that he would be calling me to get together for dinner. I’m still waiting.
None of these stories have made a big difference in my life. But they all demonstrate something that HAS made a big difference. It’s a principle that I learned from my US Navy CO, Master Chief Petty Officer Billy C. Owens, in 1968:
What you say and what you do must always be the same thing. No exceptions.
In the service, living up to that principle was about life or death. My team knew it and lived it. We had to trust each other.
Although leaders in companies today don’t have the same life or death issues to deal with, they are in a position – day in and day out – to make decisions and take actions that significantly impact the company and other people in it. They have been “entrusted” with their position – and can either demonstrate trustworthiness or not. It’s really pretty simple.
If you are a leader of people – no matter what your title or responsibility – you have to do one thing always:
Say what you’ll do and do what you say
And there are no excuses. If you make a commitment, you’ve made a commitment. Period. Forget “the story, reason, who’s to blame and how you feel about it” excuses. There are no excuses for not living up to your word.
In our leadership training program, Impact 5: The Business of Leadership Game®, we deal with the issue of accountability – including the accountability for developing your own personal effectiveness as a leader.
Being effective in your job --- and also in your life … becomes a lot easier when your word becomes who you are, rather than a philosophy or something you just talk about.
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