Most leaders don’t have a formal one. Many have never even heard of this before. But a Personal Leadership Philosophy (PLP) can make all the difference between an effective leader and one who isn’t as a confident, grounded and easy to follow.
For me, having a PLP has made every decision easier and every relationship stronger in business. That includes a very big decision I made 11 years ago. That’s when I decided to go into business for myself instead of taking a job offer that everyone else said was too good to pass up.
It was a great opportunity, double the salary I’d been earning and THE company everyone wanted to work for in 2006. I said “no” to the offer and founded People First Productivity Solutions instead.
The offer, incredible as it was, didn’t fit the commitments I’d made in my personal life. Raising a special needs child, I’d determined that I needed flexibility in my schedule. I had promised myself, in writing, that flexibility — above all else — would determine my next career move.
There was pressure to take that job. I was tempted to reconsider, and I started rationalizing how much that money could help us as a family. But I knew, in my heart of hearts, that it wouldn’t be right to make this move. I was committed to the course I’d set.
What I hadn’t done yet is communicate my values and committed course to others. That’s why they couldn’t understand my decision and challenged me to do something I did not feel good about doing.
Eleven years later, I can say this is the best thing I’ve ever done in my professional life. My son’s needs were met, my company was born and is thriving, and the financial rewards far surpass what I’d been offered. Best of all, I still worked for that company. I became a consultant to them and made more than I would have as their employee.
Having a Personal Leadership Philosophy and staying true to it has served me very well. The same is true for dozens of coaching clients who have developed their own PLP and seen their careers and personal job satisfaction soar as a result.
Would you like to develop your own Personal Leadership Philosophy? Here are 3 ways to get started.
3. Consider hiring an Executive Coach to help you develop your Personal Leadership Philosophy and boost your leadership effectiveness. This simple self-assessment will help you determine whether or not it makes sense for you to work with an Executive Coach at this point.
Deb Calvert is a certified Executive Coach, Certified Master with The Leadership Challenge® and architect of leadership development programs for nearly 100 organizations. She helps leaders at every level discover and achieve their leadership goals. Deb is the founder of People First Productivity Solutions, building organizational strength by putting people first since 2006.
