15 Leadership Principles and Ronald Reagan: Use Them to Change Your World

Leadership Principle 1
"I never thought of myself as a great man, just a man committed to great ideas....History has taught me that this is what sets America apart-not to remake the world in our image, but to inspire people everywhere with a sense of their own boundless possibilities. There's no question I am an idealist, which is another way of saying I am an American."

Ronald Reagan

Lead From High Ideals
Just prior to his famous speech at the Brandenburg Gate in 1987, Ronald Reagan crossed over into East Berlin. He paused to read the graffiti spray-painted on the Soviet side of the Berlin Wall: "This wall will fall. Beliefs become reality." Reagan was touched by this simple declaration of the ultimate triumph of freedom.2 That freedom can and should prevail was the heart of Ronald Reagan's vision for America and for the world. He believed in the power of high ideals to change history.

In 1977 Reagan told Richard Allen, later to become his national security advisor in the White House, "Some people think I'm simplistic, but there's a difference between being simplistic and being simple. My theory of the Cold War is that we win and they lose. What do you think of that?"

Allen asked if Reagan meant it. "Of course I mean it," Reagan replied. "I just said it."3 Reagan showed by his actions as president of the United States that leadership is a choice to be made, not a position to be held. He led with moral authority because his word was good. Meaning what he said required putting his words into action.

Ronald Reagan changed the landscape of America and the world because he had a compelling vision he successfully communicated and staunchlychampioned. Leading from high ideals, Reagan brought us back to the fundamental and unique values of liberty that distinguish us as a nation. You, as an empowering leader, also must lead from high ideals if you want to make an impact and change your world. Your goal is to create a unique approach to quality, leadership, innovation, trust, teamwork, customer-focused service, and organization alignment. People enthusiastically follow leaders who do and say the right thing in the right way.

Most organizations have a mission, vision, and values statement in place. Your mission is why your organization exists, the difference you make in the world. It can be compared to the United States of America's Declaration of Independence. Your vision statement creates a mental picture of the desired future state of your organization. It takes all key stakeholders into account and is a motivation to the reader. A vision statement is similar to our U.S. Constitution. Your values-the principles that guide your relationships, behavior, and decisions as an organization-correspond to the Bill of Rights. Your organization may also have a credo or slogan prominently printed on your business cards, letterhead, ads, and vehicles, just as "In God We Trust" is found on our money.

Your job as an empowering leader is to talk about and keep your organization focused on your mission, vision, and values. If your team members forget the vision, everything they do has less meaning and is ineffective. When your team remembers the purpose, they have a beacon to illuminate their path; and all they do derives meaning and power from your intention.

You continually refer the team back to these ideals which are the crafters of your organization's culture. These documents become the framers of who you are, what you do, and why you do it. They become the ultimate authority within your organization.

As your team begins to understand that they are to be guided by these ideals, not by a controlling manager or rigid policies and procedures, they become motivated to give their best. As you allow these ideals to be the ultimate authority, you satisfy your associates' deepest needs. Your associates are aching to make a difference, hungry to make a contribution, and yearning to be recognized. They need to leave a legacy.

You will be successful as an empowering leader-you will have people follow you enthusiastically-only when they think they are making a difference. They must feel they are contributing to a worthy cause and know their efforts are recognized and their needs ("what's in it for me?") are being met. If you think they should figure out for themselves the guiding principles of your organization, you have misunderstood your job. If you grow tired of talking about your organization's mission, vision, and values (your guiding principles), you have grown tired of your job.

Certainly, you are a working manager-you "have the tool belt on" a good part of the day. Your work tasks may take up to 80% of your time. You may be using so much time on the "trivial many" work tasks that could be delegated or create little value for your organization that you have little time for the "vital few" activities which constitute your most important role as an empowering leader. These "vital few" tasks make up the important part of the day when you interact with your team, referring them back to the mission, vision, and values of your organization.

Make your ideals the framework of all your communication. Empowering leaders learn to talk in a way that motivates people. What do empowering leaders talk about to win the hearts of their team members? Empowering leaders talk about what is important, where we are headed, and what we stand for.

Inspire people to overcome the inclination to play it safe. Mission, vision, and values provide the context for tough decisions, changes of course, risks you take, downsizing, upsizing, outsourcing, streamlining, capital investment, acquisitions, investiture, and expansion. When you stay focused on your ideals, you will keep your team on the right track.