It is a rare occasion that a highly visible Fortune 500 CEO puts their personal values out for all to see. One such individual is Bob McDonald, CEO of Procter & Gamble.
If you go to the P&G website, and search for his biography, you will also find a section called Values-Based Leadership. It includes a PowerPoint presentation on leadership and an outline of his values called What I Believe In.
Here are the ten principles Bob McDonald believes deeply in and strives to demonstrate in his daily behavior:
- Living a life driven by purpose is more meaningful and rewarding than meandering through life without direction.
- Companies must do well to do good and must do good to do well.
- Everyone wants to succeed, and success is contagious.
- Putting people in the right jobs is one of the most important jobs of the leader.
- Character is the most important trait of a leader.
- Diverse groups of people are more innovative than homogeneous groups.
- Ineffective systems and cultures are bigger barriers to achievement than the talents of people.
- There will be some people in the organization who will not make it on the journey.
- Organizations must renew themselves.
- The true test of the leader is the performance of the organization when they are absent or after they depart.
So my question to you as a leader is this does your team know what you believe in? Have you taken the time to develop your personal purpose and principles for leadership? If your team does not know what you stand for, how effective will you be as a leader?
Kudos to Bob McDonald for setting the pace. Check out his guide for developing your own values-based leadership at:
0 Responses
Cheryl,
Thanks for shining a spotlight on Bob’s leadership with purpose. I love this list and especially #10, the test of time is one real test of effective leadership – what happens after you’ve left the organization?
I’m hoping this becomes a noble trend — where values-based leadership and people-centric power structures become the foundation for true, long-term corporate profitability. It seems the surest way for business leaders to become the “stewards of civilization” that Max Stackhouse envisions.
Kevin