04/25/2018

Four Questions Every Great Leader Should Be Able to Answer

How to create a culture of continuous improvement

Most entrepreneurs--especially new ones--charge into leadership with a cloud of aspirational adjectives ("inspiring," "benevolent," "collaborative") roiling their brains but no clear idea what those things look like in practice. The result is confusion, as employees try to deduce the boss's intent ("Am I supposed to take initiative here, or wait for the white flag?") and grapple with leadership that is situational rather than consistent.

Ed Ruggero is a former Army officer, military historian, and business writer who teaches organizations about leadership, including in programs held at the sites of the Battle of Gettysburg and the Normandy Invasion. Among other things, he helps CEOs and their teams craft personal statements--or what he calls "leadership philosophies"--that codify their beliefs about good leadership and document their commitment to pursue it. The exercise "is meant to get past fuzzy thinking," Ruggero says. "Writing it down gives you clarity."

Ideally, everyone working for the leader gets clarity too. A leadership philosophy is, in essence, your operating manual. This is how I think, act, and react. This is how we will work together.

Please select this link to read the complete article from Inc.