Becoming Your Best: The 12 Principles of Highly Successful Leaders

Steven Shallenberger’s book is an excellent read for everyone who wants to become the best they can be. The 12 concepts are summarized into 3 key ideas:

Transform Your Leadership and Management

High Performance Teams and Solid Relationships.

Transform Your Life

Four Principles to Transform Your Leadership and Management.

1. Strength of Character: We all make decisions. All day, every day, both big and small. It is vital to be strong in those moments of choice: to do the right thing! We all know what it is and when we don’t do it, we feel it!… HARD. Stand up and be counted as a leader with integrity.

2. Lead with Vision: Keep the ‘satellite view’ of your business life in the forefront in everything you do.

3. Plan from Roles and Goals: Transformational plans flow from your life roles; entrepreneur, parent, friend etc. The best plans are those with SMART objectives at the top and 3 columns below headed ‘who’ is responsible for doing… ‘what’ and by ‘when’. Plans are useless unless they’re shared continuously with all those involved.

4. Prioritizing Your Time: Makes sure you know and do the high quality and quantity things necessary to be the best you can be. Start every week with a ‘pre-week plan’. 4 steps to this: (1) Review your vision and goals. Plan first things first. (2) Look ahead some months. Anything this week to prepare for future milestones? (3) Diary this week’s events and commitments. Make time for meditation (see principle 11 below). (4) Identify priorities for each role.

Four Principles for High Performance Teams and Solid Relationships.

5. Kindness: The golden rule must underpin your every action…Treat others as you want to be treated; or even better, The Platinum Rule: Treat others as THEY wish to be treated. There is no better way to build customer loyalty – that most precious of business assets.

6. Build Trust: Make only promises you can keep, and keep them. Be consistent and share your thoughts and feelings. Ask open questions, especially of your own assumptions and stereotypes. Trust is a person to person cycle. You have to give it, in order to get it. Work on being honest, fair and consistent. Ask others for feedback on your performance, and accept it without judgment.
For more on this topic, see our blog post: ‘We are…ALL of US, in the People Business’.

7. Be an Effective Communicator: This begins with listening, authentic, empathic listening. There can be no understanding without it. Always repeat back and test for understanding. Recognize effort and not just success. Master the art of effective feedback. It has to be timely, true, and based on evidence, not hearsay.

8. Innovate Through Imagination: Be sure to use your amazing imagination in every situation. One of the best questions you can ask yourself in every role and task is; ‘what does my best look like?’ When you find yourself focusing on barriers you know you’ve taken your eyes off your goal. Step back and try brainstorming. Allow ideas to incubate and don’t jump on your first thoughts’ bandwagon

Transform Your Life with these Four Principles.

9. Accountability: It’s all about taking responsibility and when things don’t go well, learning from our mistakes. We all make them. Exercise control over what is within your sphere of influence. Work out formal relationship agreements with everybody important to you. Break your procrastination habits and follow through on your commitments.

10. Knowledge: Take on board the ideas and perspectives from at least one new source every month. Invest a minimum of 3% of your income in learning. Associate only with people who stimulate and inspire you to be the best you can be.

11. Peace and balance: Assess the balance of 6 facets in your life: physical/emotional, spiritual, financial, intellectual, security/safety, social relationships. Build peace of mind through daily meditation – plan for it pre-weekly. Give yourself a good talking to, by changing your inner dialogue to positive self-affirmations.

12. Persistence: Never give up! And get the habit of ‘one more try’. 9 out of 10 salespeople stop after 4 contacts. But 80% of sales occur after 5 contacts.

There are so many great ideas, stimulating examples and useful tips in this Steven Shallenberger book that I can only scratch the surface here. The author recommends focusing on one principle each week and making it a habit. Then after 3 months, start at the beginning and you will repeat this cycle 4 times a year. This is certain to help you to achieve your best! But remember, if you want to be the best you can be in business and at home, it starts today. It’s what PBC is all about.

For a free consultation on these or any other business issues, call us today.