Week Eight: Loyalty and Leadership

In a reading this week there was an example of a man who was a courier to President McKinley. The man was asked to deliver an urgent message to a diplomat of another country. He didn’t ask questions or assemble a team to analyze the situation. He acted on the request. He took the mission on and accomplished what the President asked.

This kind of employee is needed more in the workplace. Time is not wasted in meetings and deciding how to act. This employee acts and is able to execute with minimal direction.

I really enjoyed this thought from the courier reading to go with the above comments:

“And the man who, when given a letter for Garcia, quietly takes the missive, without asking idiotic questions, and with no intention of chucking it into the nearest sewer, or of doing aught else but deliver it, never gets “laid off”, nor has to go on strike for higher wages. Civilization is one long anxious search for just such individuals. Anything such a man asks shall be granted; his kind is so rare that no employer can afford to let him go. He is wanted in every city, town, and village – in every office, shop, store, and factory.”

Frank Levinson

Ethics: people are decent. They don’t think about it, they just do the right thing. Moral has a broader connotation – being nice, caring about each other. Morals are a standard, or they should be. Morals are not an option. The whole goal of business is to weld customers to you and part of that is treating them as you’d like to be treated.

Guy Kawasaki

Trust people, and they will trust you. Be willing to be the one to trust first. Zappos offers free shipping both ways giving the customers their trust first and this returns the customer’s trust in them and creates loyalty. Don’t forget to be willing to give a little to get something bigger. Default to “yes” - when you meet people think how you can help that person.

One of the most important thoughts this week was having the ability to execute. Those who execute with minimal direction are achievers and get things done while others wait for motivation and direction to get started. The following tips were given to develop the right attitudes, habits and instincts for crisp execution:

1.     Accept the mission and get started

2.     Be curious

3.     Immediately sketch out a plan

4.     If you need resources don’t be afraid to ask

5.     Enlist help when needed

6.     Report back and show your work

7.     Underpromise and overdeliver

8.     Expect to make (small) mistakes and own up to them

9.     Put results before schmoozing
10. Replace the voices in your head with positive ones