Five Rules Every Leader Should Follow

1. The Overnight Rule

Never make an important decision without sleeping on it. It is extremely rare that you absolutely have to make a decision NOW. Delaying decisions provides opportunities to gain new perspective based on new information from new (other) people... plus your own additional insights when you give yourself more time to think about it.

Recently I was acting as the virtual chief sales officer for a Client and we were considering a new hire. The job candidate was strong in many areas, but was weak in some key behaviors. I struggled with the decision a bit because I really wanted to "fill the seat." (This strategy has failed me too often in the past.)  I applied the Overnight Rule for more than one evening, and got permission for three key members of my sales team to interview the candidate in the meantime.

The morning of the group interview I wrote in my notes and explained to my boss, the Client, that if I remove emotion and my desire to fill the seat, the job candidate should not be hired. We agreed to wait and see what the sales team said after they met with the person.

The sales team came back and thought they were giving me disappointing news.  They had unanimously voted the candidate should not join the team. I gave each of them the opportunity to share their thoughts, and then let them know I fully agreed with their conclusion. I notified the candidate of our decision and wished the person the best in finding a position. We continue the hunt...

2. The Everything Ends Rule

Everything has an ending. Your bad boss will get fired or move on. Your jerk client will go away or you will fire them. Your poor performing or misbehaving employee will leave, before or after they fail their performance improvement plan.

The Everything Ends Rule helps you stop your emotional flooding before the "waters rise" too high.  Some people need self-talk to redirect their thoughts, such as a mantra of, "This too will pass," or "God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change; courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference." The latter is commonly known as the Serenity Prayer by Reinhold Niebuhr. The key is to stop, be quiet, and calm.

The bottom-line is everything ends. If you allow yourself to endure challenging situations calmly and professionally without offending others, then you get to fight another day.  Staying in the game is critical to your success.

Years ago I worked in cubicle-land for a very dysfunctional company. My boss was an incredibly nice guy, but a terrible manager. It drove me nuts to have coworkers goof-off for 25-50% of their workday. I politely and professionally suggested that he manage them better on 1-2 occasions, but otherwise waited patiently for the situation to sort itself out. It took two years, but then my boss and the unproductive folks all got let go when the company was acquired.

3. The "No" Rule

Even with minimal success you can expect to have more and more demands on your time. Developing the skillful art of making people feel good when you say "no" is crucial to achieving more. In contrast, saying "no" in an insulting or indifferent manner damages relationships and eliminates opportunities for you to achieve your goals.

In the past I worked with someone who was not safe to have an open discussion. Whether it was reporting on performance, discussing ideas, or any other type of conversation, this person would always attack, disparage, challenge, or bring up some failure from the past to dismiss my contribution.

It would have been much more effective for them to say "no" respectfully and when appropriate, give me new information to consider that might have helped me come to a new conclusion.

But what can I do about their behavior?  Focus on where I have the most control:  Myself.  Arrive at meetings fully prepared, be totally candid to eliminate any future surprises or disappointments, and do my job.  Sooner or later I no longer work with that individual.

4. The Robin Hood Rule

Do you know an archer does not keep their eye on a target, but rather their point of aim? Think about that for a moment: For the archer, the target is in the background, almost invisible. They are laser focused on the point of the target they want to hit with an individual arrow.

One comment about Jack Nicholson, the former world champion golfer, was that he would be so focused on his shot that you could fire a gun ten feet from him and he would not even flinch.

People who achieve significance are focused.  Achievement is a combination of constantly realigning yourself to your target (annual goal or strategy), and then focusing daily and weekly arrows (tactics) to conquer each target, tactic by tactic.

I was inspired on the archer perspective by Bernadette Jiwa of Australia.  She says hitting a target is determined by our aim, not the fact we are shooting for it.

Effective weekly focus starts with Sanctuary time. Sanctuary is a reality check of self accountability. It works best when you schedule time between Friday afternoon and Monday morning to separate yourself without any type of distraction for 30-120 minutes. In general, the purpose is to assess:

• Where do I want to be now?
• How did I do this past week?
• What do I have to do to achieve my goals?

Specifically what I consider during my Sanctuary time is:

Goals: How are we progressing towards achieving our annual goals?

Weekly W.I.N. (What's Important Now): How did I do on my Weekly WIN last week? What is my Weekly WIN for the upcoming week?

Expectations: Am I meeting the expectations of my family, friends, team, and Clients?

Company Culture: In what ways was I a role model for our company culture this past week? In what ways could I have done better? Is there something specific I need to do this upcoming week to reinforce our company culture either through my behaviors or the encouragement of others?

5. The Beat the Beast Rule

It is a simple test.  Attach the approximate pounds you are overweight to a rope or belt. Put it around your waist or over your shoulders and wear it for a day.

You would never do this, right? It is too difficult. (I am not actually recommending this exercise, except to try up for 5-10 minutes. You will get the point.)

Then why do many leaders carry the same amount of weight on their body and expect to perform their best?

Or maybe your "weight" is a bad habit.

Do not wait on resolving your "weight" issue. Its negative effects compound overtime until they are irreversible. You are better than that.

You have to make a decision to change.  Last week I did not exercise one day because I was buried in work. The following day I was still buried in work however, I stopped work to briefly hit the gym and swim 2,000 yards. Why? Because I have to if I want to be my best.

Limit options by committing to be your best.

Almost all of the people who are truly awesome, inspiring, longest lasting examples of great leadership make certain they eat healthy foods, exercise regularly, and get enough sleep. There are rare exceptions, like Winston Churchill. However, he had some flaws that may have been avoided if he had changed some of his habits.

Play the odds. Tame the beast that tempts you into your worst habits.  Eat well, exercise regularly, and get at least seven hours of sleep a night. You know what to do. Find a way to do it.  Get accountability if you need help.