I Believe: A Management Credo

[Note: This list represents many of my core beliefs about management and leadership.  I wrote it quickly – in about 15 minutes – to capture my raw, unedited thoughts.  It is a work in progress.]

I believe that our beliefs drive our actions. It’s difficult to adopt behaviors that conflict with our beliefs.

I believe that seeds of failure are sown in every success and that seeds of success are sown in every failure. Don’t be overconfident in success. Learn from failures and move on.

I believe that managers are called to serve their team. We’ve been issued a challenge to help everyone we come in contact with do their best work.

I believe that insecure people often attempt to make themselves feel better by pushing down the people around them. Great leaders have the self-confidence to lift others.

I believe that a leader is someone that others choose to follow.

I believe that diverse teams are more resistant to groupthink and more attractive to great talent. And that having true diversity means you’ll spend some amount of your day feeling uncomfortable.

I believe that healthy tension – respectful differences of opinion – is necessary to build great products.

I believe that trust between team members is among our most valuable business assets. Distrust is friction in the system.

I believe that it takes a healthy ego to be good but informed humility to be great.

I believe that good managers treat others like they themselves want to be treated. Great managers treat others like they need to be treated.

I believe we give people monetary compensation for the work they do but we give people respect because they are fellow humans.

I believe that using one’s position power should usually be the method of last resort. Too many managers resort to management-by-edict when they’re unable to adequately explain their position.

I believe that genuine, active listening and open, honest expression are the currency of healthy teams.

I believe that team members value leaders who are honest, forward-looking, inspiring and competent.

I believe that we are what we repeatedly do.