What I’ve learned from Top CEO’s, Leaders and Coaches

My Standard of Performance

(Inspired by Eric Schmidt, Jack Welch, Fred Kofman, Bill Walsh)

The content of your character is your choice. Day by day, what you choose, what you think, and what you do is who you become. Your integrity is your destiny. It is the light that guides your way. (Heraclitus)

Principle No.1: Work Ethic

Exhibit a ferocious and intelligently applied work ethic directed at continual improvement.

Principle No.2: Respect

Demonstrate respect for each person in the organization and the work he or she does.

Principle No.3: Learning and Teaching

Be deeply committed to learning and teaching, which means increasing your own, team and organization members’ expertise.

Principle No.4: Be Fair and Demonstrate Character

Principle No.5: Know the details

Ask the following three main questions: What’s going on in your job? What issues do you have? Tell me about the deliverable you owe me. Details need to be covered by the truth – “The forest always trumps the trees”.

Principle No.6: Tell always the truth. It’s safe

Never skip a chance, to tell the truth, to promote open, transparent and honest communications. Make it safe for all into your organization to ask the tough questions and to tell the truth at all times, even when the truth it hurts.

Principle No.7: Total transparency when face problems

“Climb, confess, comply” model. In your organization when someone raises a problem or comes with bad news, they are in “climb, confess and comply” mode. They spent a lot of time considering the situation and you need to reward their transparency by listening, helping and having the confidence that next time around they will nail the landing.

Principle No.8: As leaders, we have to review our own performance

Make sure you would work for yourself and at least twice per year, you write a review of your own performance and show it to your team.

Principle No.9: Your primary goal is not the “Success” but to “Achieve it”

Your primary goal is the full and total implementation through your organization of the actions and principles of the “Standard of Performance” I described here. Your plan should be installing a level of proficiency – competency – at which your organization will achieve the “Standard of Performance” in all areas.

Principle No.10: The “Success” is produced by and belongs to All

Becoming No.1 in the marketplace or reaching a significant quarterly target, results from your whole Team, not only doing their individual jobs but perceiving that those jobs contributed to the overall success. The “success” doesn’t belong just to CEO or CxO. This organizational principle that “success belongs to all” must be taught. (Likewise, failure belongs to everyone)

Principle No.11: You aren’t thinking big enough

Having infinite access to information and computing power, thinking at a global scale is available to just about everyone. (Give the wrong people a big challenge and you’ll induce anxiety. Give it to the right people and you’ll induce joy.)

Principle No.12: You can’t afford to fail

When you make a bunch of smaller bets, none of which are organization life-threatening you can (and will) end up with mediocrity.
 
Inspired by following books: Eric Schmidt, How Google Works ; Bill Walsh, The Score Takes Care of Itself ; Fred Kofman, Conscious Business ; Jack Welch, Winning