I feel as though it is necessary at this point in my Leadership Principles posts to take a brief pause and explore what is known as the “Choice Distinction.” The Choice Distinction is absolutely critical. Though technically not a Leadership Principle, it sets the Principles into motion.What it is
Everything in your life, with the exception of when your life ends, is a choice. Getting up in the morning, going to work and being productive is a personal choice.
So is doing the opposite—shirking your responsibilities, staying in bed and being unproductive. Just like with your abundance of other choices, you ultimately can decide to live by these principles or not to live by them. So reflect, and ask yourself the following: Do you want to believe in something? In your dreams? In your goals? In your business initiatives? Do you want to work with a sense of urgency and get things done? Do you want to be held accountable and rely solely on yourself to get things done? Do you want to contribute, and contribute positively, to the world around you? To leave this world better than you found it? The answer to all these questions is ultimately up to you.
The Four Steps
There are four steps/principles that will help you achieve your career and business goals…should you so choose. Let’s explore.
1. Understand that you always have a choice.
a. As already mentioned, you always have a choice. In everything. Everything starts, or ends, with you. This includes in your personal life, as well as in your business life. For example, leading in the marketplace, and in your business and career, are all personal choices that you must make and to which you must commit.
2. Start with the end in mind.
a. In business, it is vital that you document your specific goals. These goals must be SMART goals—ones that you define as achievable, for which you’ve committed and identified milestones and key factors in order to realistically reach.
3. Logically, next, you must create a plan, including dates and accountability, to achieve these goals.
a. To reiterate, nothing will get done if you don’t work with a sense of urgency and hold yourself accountable for results. One way to ensure things are getting done? Create and stick to a timeline. With each small victory, you will be one step closer to goal accomplishment, and that much more motivated to achieve.
4. Lastly, it is important to hold yourself accountable for the business goals you’ve identified. How to do this? Create incentives to succeed and consequences to falling short. You will stay on task, and stay fully motivated.
Please note
While everyone in an organization has a choice to follow these steps, the best, most prolific companies—those that profit joyfully and righteously, beyond just making a profit— are the companies that follow these four steps and the Leadership Principles. The employees and other leaders of these thriving companies make the choice everyday to live by these standards of excellence…and they have a flourishing business to show for it.
