Prior to working in corporate America, I served in the Marine Corps for eight honorable years. During basic training and advanced leadership training, my fellow Marines and I were always taught to lead with dignity and honor and respect. To do what is right — not necessarily to do what is easy.
During my time working and consulting for global Fortune 500 companies, I saw many fine business executives make the right, tough decision and lead honorably. I also saw some executives choose to do what was easy and commit fraud, waste, and abuse.
So as we start 2019, take 90-seconds to do an “honor inventory” of last year: Did you lead honorably at work, home, and within your community? Did you do what was right and not what was just easy? Did you practice using “The Honorable No” to ensure you did not over-promise and under-deliver?
Because leading with honor is the keystone to leaping your career, company, and community forward exponentially. Making tough decisions — that you know deep in your core are right — ensures your sales continue to climb at a geometric rate, helps you to attract and retain top talent, and lets you rise to a level of peak performance with balance, not burnout.
So try this quick, simple exercise to fuel inject your New Year with honor, dignity, and respect:
Get Into Action Now: Practice Leading with Honor
Step 1. Embrace the definition of “honor” as simply doing what is right (and not necessarily just doing what is easy). Learn it. Repeat it. Write it down.
Step 2. Create three easy “base hit” honor goals to be completed within 30-days: One for work, home, and within your community. A work honor goal, for example, can be “I will close 75% more business compared to this time last year.” Or, “I will apply for the new management position this week.”
Step 3. Hold others accountable for leading with honor — for doing what is right. Have the tough conversations with work colleagues, family members, and friends when you see them taking the easy road over the right road. Be a positive, innovative beacon for doing what is right!
And watch your results in business and life soar. Because remember, we are the culmination of each and every decision we make in life. The more we simply do what is right, the more our life will continue on a path of success and abundance.
If you have questions, comments, or other innovative ways to lead with honor, leave a comment below or hit me up on Twitter @mpveltri. I’d love to hear from you!
From life or death decisions on the battlefield to the boardroom, Michael Veltri draws on his background as a battle-hardened business executive and decorated U.S. Marine veteran to teach CEOs and senior executives better decision-making skills that deliver stunning results. As a professional-level Japanese martial arts instructor, Veltri blends the fluid and flexible qualities of the martial arts with bleeding-edge business savvy to bring a completely fresh perspective on decision-making skills. His inspiring leadership keynote speeches and breakout sessions deliver practical tools that can be used immediately to increase productivity and deliver bottom-line results. Learn more at: https://michaelveltri.com/about