Make an Impact

My guiding principle is to continuously create an impact, no matter the scale, to ensure that every step I take adds value to the world around me. Whether it’s lending a hand to a stranger by giving their car a jumpstart or steering a significant policy shift within my organization, I believe that each positive action contributes to a larger collective improvement.

• Every Action Counts: From the mundane to the monumental, I approach each task with the intent to leave things better than I found them. Whether it’s offering a helping hand or introducing a new process at work, I see every action as an opportunity to make a difference.
• Value in Variability: I recognize that the value isn’t just in the grand gestures. Even small acts of kindness or efficiency can have profound effects. For instance, helping someone with a car issue might be a small act, but it could prevent a cascade of stresses for them, allowing them to continue their day with peace of mind.
• Corporate Influence: When it comes to my professional life, I aim to not just meet expectations but to exceed them by initiating changes that benefit the company’s culture, efficiency, or bottom line. Introducing a company-wide policy might seem daunting, but if it leads to better workplace satisfaction or operational improvements, it’s worth the effort.
• Community and Beyond: I extend this mindset beyond my immediate environment. I participate in community activities, volunteer work, or even simple acts of kindness in my daily interactions. Each of these steps forward is like planting a seed for a better tomorrow.
• Encouraging Others: I don’t just focus on my actions; I also aim to inspire others to act similarly. By leading by example, I hope to ignite a chain reaction where individuals recognize their potential to effect change, no matter how small their contribution might seem.
• Feedback and Evolution: I’m always open to feedback, using it as a tool to refine my approach. Understanding how my actions have impacted others helps me to tailor future efforts for greater efficacy.
• Sustainability of Impact: My goal is not just to make an impact once but to create changes that are sustainable and can grow over time. This might mean setting up systems or teaching skills that allow others to continue the work I’ve started.
• Personal Growth: To ensure I keep adding value, I invest in my personal and professional development. Learning new skills, staying informed about global issues, and understanding different perspectives all enhance my ability to contribute meaningfully.
• Health and Balance: I strive to maintain a balance so that my well-being supports my endeavors. After all, a healthy, balanced life ensures I have the energy and focus to keep making positive impacts.
• Innovation as a Catalyst: I’m always looking for innovative solutions to problems. Sometimes the most significant changes come from rethinking how things have always been done, pushing boundaries, or integrating new technology.

By living with this ethos, I hope to contribute to a culture where positive change is not just an exception but a norm. If we all strive to move forward positively, step by step, we can collectively shape a world that’s incrementally better each day.

Fair Over Favor

As a leader committed to fairness, I’ve come to realize that maintaining impartiality in decision-making is both challenging and essential. Here’s how I approach this philosophy:

Embracing Fairness through Objective Decision-Making:

• The Importance of Consistency: It’s critical to recognize that to hold everyone accountable to the same standards, you must treat all requests with equal consideration. If you’re prepared to take disciplinary action against an employee for poor performance, you should also be prepared to acknowledge and reward excellence. This balance ensures that your approach to management is not just punitive but also supportive.
• Avoiding Emotional Bias: I’ve learned that our natural tendency is to let emotions influence our choices. For example, when two employees request the same day off, it’s tempting to weigh their reasons against each other. However, this introduces subjectivity into what should be an impartial decision. By deciding on a first-come, first-served basis, I remove personal bias from the equation, ensuring that neither individual’s reason for wanting the day off is judged superior or inferior.
• Understanding the Impact of Choices: Each decision made in leadership has ripple effects. When I choose one employee over another for time off, it’s not just about granting leave; it’s about potentially sending a message regarding what activities I value. By sticking to a logical system, I avoid inadvertently communicating that one person’s life choices are more worthy than another’s.
• Reducing Leader’s Stress: Leaders often juggle numerous responsibilities, and adding subjective decision-making to the mix can be overwhelming. By using a clear-cut method like FCFS, I alleviate the burden of deciding based on personal judgments, which can often lead to second-guessing and stress over whether the decision was ‘fair’ or ‘right.’
• Logic as Fairness, Not Coldness: There’s a misconception that logical decision-making lacks heart. On the contrary, I’ve found that logic can be incredibly empathetic when it ensures everyone is treated equitably. It prevents the leader from becoming the arbiter of personal value systems, which can be fraught with unintentional bias.
• The Value of All Personal Time: I hold the belief that every person’s reason for taking time off is valid to them. Whether it’s for family obligations, personal relaxation, or socializing, it’s not my place to value one activity over another. This perspective reinforces the equality of all team members.
• Policy as a Guide: By setting clear, logical policies for granting time off, I create an environment where decisions are transparent and predictable. This not only reduces conflict but also empowers employees to plan their lives without fearing the whims of management.
• Reflecting on Leadership Impact: I continuously remind myself that my decisions have a broader impact on team dynamics and morale. By choosing logic over emotion, I aim to foster a workplace where fairness is the norm, not the exception, and where every employee feels their personal time is respected.

In essence, my practice of leadership involves a deliberate choice to embrace logic as the cornerstone of my decision-making process. It’s not about being cold or uncaring; it’s about creating an environment where fairness isn’t just an ideal but a lived experience. Through this approach, I ensure that while I might have to occasionally deny requests, it’s never about devaluing the person or their choices—it’s about maintaining an equitable standard for all.

Failure is Always an Option

In my approach to fostering a healthy work environment, I’ve come to understand that failure is not merely an event to avoid but a fundamental part of growth and innovation. Here’s how I view this principle:

Embracing Failure as a Path to Improvement:

• The Growth Mindset: I believe that if we don’t experience and learn from failures, our personal and professional development stalls. Every mistake or failure is a lesson, a chance to dissect what went wrong and to improve. This mindset shifts the focus from fear of failure to the potential for growth.
• Creating a Safe Environment for Honesty: In evaluating workplace cultures, I often pose the question, “Do you feel safe in admitting mistakes to your leaders?” The response provides a window into the trust level within the organization. If employees fear for their job security or face harsh repercussions for errors, it’s a sign that the culture is stifling rather than nurturing.
• The Cost of Silence: When people are afraid to speak up about their mistakes, it leads to a hidden backlog of issues. This can multiply the time and resources needed for troubleshooting as others must uncover and address problems without the benefit of knowing where things initially went awry. This inefficiency is costly, not just in terms of productivity but also in terms of trust and morale.
• Failure as a Catalyst for Innovation: I view each failure as an invitation to innovate. It’s an opportunity to re-evaluate processes, refine equipment, or enhance skills. By acknowledging and analyzing our failures, we can pinpoint weaknesses and implement solutions that not only fix the current issue but also prevent future ones.
• Empowering Through Transparency: I strive to create an atmosphere where employees are not just permitted but encouraged to come forward with their failures. This empowerment comes through:
  • Encouraging Ownership: When individuals take responsibility for their mistakes, they’re more likely to be invested in finding solutions.
  • Collaborative Problem Solving: By involving those who failed in the resolution process, we foster a sense of ownership over the improvement.
  • Recognition of Learning: Celebrating the lessons learned from failures rather than the failures themselves reinforces the positive outcomes of such transparency.
• Building a Culture of Continuous Improvement: By treating failure as a stepping stone rather than a stumbling block, we cultivate a culture where:
  • Time and Money are Saved: Swift acknowledgment and resolution of errors reduce the need for extensive investigations.
  • Productivity Increases: When people aren’t encumbered by the fear of failure, they’re more likely to take calculated risks that can lead to breakthroughs.
  • Team Cohesion Strengthens: A culture that supports honesty and learning from mistakes leads to stronger team bonds. Employees feel supported, which in turn, boosts their engagement and loyalty.
• Leadership’s Role: As a leader, it’s my responsibility to:
  • Model Behavior: I must openly share my own mistakes and what I’ve learned from them.
  • Provide Constructive Feedback: When failure occurs, the focus should be on constructive improvement, not punishment.
  • Celebrate Growth: Recognize and celebrate when an error leads to a beneficial change or when an individual shows significant improvement.

In summary, I believe that by reframing our perception of failure, we can transform it from a career threat into a constructive part of our work life. This shift not only leads to better outcomes in terms of product or service quality but also in the development of a workforce that is resilient, innovative, and deeply committed to continuous improvement.