INTRODUCTION

“Leaders establish the vision for the future and set the strategy for getting there.”

—John P. Cotter

Your ability as a leader to master the 12 Disciplines of Leadership Excellence explained in this book can do more to help you rise to the top of your field than perhaps any other single factor.

Self-discipline is the essential quality for success in any endeavor. After 22 years of interviews and research into the 500 richest and most successful men in America, Napoleon Hill concluded that self-discipline was the “Master Key to Riches.” With self-discipline, everything is possible. But without self-discipline, virtually nothing is possible.

The leadership disciplines described in this book are learned qualities that require tremendous determination and persistence to develop and maintain. The good news is that each of these disciplines is learnable with repetition and practice. As Goethe wrote, “Everything is hard before it is easy.”

The development of an essential discipline is hard work and more hard work initially, involving two steps forward and one step back. But once you have developed a particular discipline, it becomes automatic and easier to practice throughout your career.

Self-discipline is the essential quality of character—the ability to withstand the temptation to compromise in any area. It is the true test of the person you have become to this date. Is it worth it? Jim Rohn wrote, “Discipline weighs ounces; regret weighs tons.” Al Thomsick, the teacher and trainer, once wrote that “Success is tons of discipline.”

Develop a Long Time Perspective

Dr. Edward Banfield of Harvard conducted more than 50 years of research into the reasons for upward socioeconomic mobility in the United States and in other countries. He concluded that the most important single factor to predict success was what he called “long-term perspective.” He defined long-term perspective as the ability to think forward into the future, and then to come back to the present day, the present moment, and use that future vision or goal as a criterion against which to measure present actions or decisions.

Leaders have a long time perspective. They project forward 1, 2, 3, 5, and even 10 or 20 years into the future when deciding on a current course of action. They take the time to carefully consider the potential consequences of an act or a behavior before they engage in it. They practice “back-from-the-future” thinking.

Denis Waitley, the business speaker, wrote about top people and time perspective by saying that, “They plant trees under which they will never sit.” The difference between a politician and a statesman is that the politician plans for the next election; the statesman (or woman) plans for the next generation.

One of the top business books of the 1990s, Competing for the Future, by Gary Hamel and C. K. Prahalad, said that the major job of the executive or leader was to determine the “future intent” or long-term goals for the business. They said that clarity about future intent sharpens and improves current decision making.

Peter Drucker said that the primary job of the executive was to “think about the future, because no one is tasked with this responsibility.”

Milton Friedman wrote, “The quality of your thinking is determined by the accuracy of your ability to predict the long-term consequences of your current actions.”

Henry Hazlitt, the economist, said that the ability to determine the secondary consequences of your actions is essential to good decision making.

Self-Discipline Is a Learnable Quality

Many people feel that they lack self-discipline in certain areas and they often assume that, “That’s just the way I am.” Are some leaders born with natural qualities and abilities that make self-discipline easy for them? Peter Drucker addressed this question when he said, “There may be such a thing as natural-born leaders, but there are so few of them that they make very little difference in the great scheme of things.” He went on to say that “Leaders are made by development, primarily self-development.”

The fact is that you can develop any discipline or habit that you consider to be desirable and necessary. For some people it will be easier, and for others it will take more time and effort. But each person has the inborn ability to shape his or her character and personality in a positive way by being clear about his or her future intent and determined enough to press forward through the inevitable difficulties, resistance, and setbacks.

Develop the Disciplines You Desire

The process of developing a leadership discipline is simple, though not easy. Nothing worthwhile is easy.

First, decide upon the one discipline that can be most helpful to you in your career at the moment. Don’t try to change several things about yourself at one time or to develop several disciplines for yourself simultaneously, no matter how attractive and desirable they may be.

Your basic need is to focus and concentrate on the development of a single discipline until it is locked in and becomes a part of your personality. Then you can move on to the development of the next discipline on your list.

The good news is that every act of discipline strengthens and reinforces all your other disciplines. At the same time, every weakness in discipline weakens your other disciplines. You must be vigilant. Everything counts!

Your first discipline could be something as simple as punctuality, or pausing before immediately replying in a conversation or a meeting. It can be as simple as flossing your teeth each day, or arising early and exercising each morning before you begin your day. The cumulative effect of developing small disciplines enables you to develop larger, more important disciplines later.

Program the New Discipline Into Your Mind

Once you have chosen a discipline to develop, begin to think about how you would behave if you had this discipline or habit already. See yourself acting or reacting in a situation where you want to practice this discipline.

Then, create a positive affirmation for yourself to continually reinforce the new discipline. You will actually become what you say to yourself about yourself over and over again.

For example, you could repeat the affirmation “I am always early for every meeting and appointment.” Each time you think of a meeting or an appointment, or find yourself delaying, repeat those words over and over again; “I am always early for every meeting and appointment.” You could also say, “I stop, pause, and think before I reply.” In each meeting or discussion, say these words to yourself to remind yourself to think before you say anything.

Launch Your New Discipline Strongly

Once you have decided on the discipline you are going to develop, the key is for you to launch strongly on your new discipline. Resolve to never allow an exception until it becomes permanent. If you “fall off the wagon,” immediately restate your affirmation or command to yourself and begin again.

Tell others that you are working to develop a particular new discipline. Telling others and knowing they are watching you will motivate you to practice the discipline. Give them permission to remind you if you forget from time to time, as you probably will.

Promise yourself that you will persist in the development of this new discipline until it becomes a habit. The key to success has always been to “Form good habits and make them your masters.”

Resolve to persist in the development of your new discipline for 21 days, without exceptions. Twenty-one days is the average time that it takes for you to develop a new habit pattern of medium complexity. But be aware that for some people, the development of a leadership discipline may take weeks or months, or even years.

The good news is that what was difficult at first will become natural and easy over time.

Fight the Temptation of the Path of Least Resistance

The great enemy of self-discipline is the natural human tendency toward taking the path of least resistance, toward expediency. Most people spend every moment seeking the fastest and easiest way to get the things they want right now, with little or no concern for the secondary consequences of their actions.

The only brake on this human drive toward immediate gratification is self-discipline and the qualities of character, which we will talk about later in this book.

Remember the importance of a long time perspective. Consider the consequences of your words or behaviors before you act. Don’t be impatient with yourself or expect to change the habits of a lifetime quickly and easily.

Instead, settle in for the long term. In one year, which will pass quite quickly, by developing one new discipline per month, you can develop each of these leadership disciplines and remake yourself into a completely different person.

Persistence and Self-Discipline

The best part of this process of developing leadership disciplines is the direct relationship between self-discipline and persistence. The more you persist, in any endeavor, the greater self-discipline you will develop. It has been well said that “Persistence is self-discipline in action.”

Another direct relationship can be seen between self-discipline and the qualities of self-esteem, self-confidence, and personal pride. The more consistently you practice your chosen disciplines, the more you will like and respect yourself. You will feel more confident and optimistic. You will become more effective in every area of your life.

When you develop the disciplines of leadership excellence, you will become a more powerful and resourceful leader, get more done, and succeed at higher levels in everything you attempt.

Let’s begin.