I've learned that leadership is an inside-out job, and the foundation of my leadership is honor and accountability. I was inspired by Colonel Lee Ellis's experience as a POW and the power of the Code of Conduct. I believe everyone needs an honor code to guide them every day.
The Clarity of Principles
Lee Ellis and his fellow POWs had a clear motto: "Resist, survive, return with honor." This is the clarity a leader must provide. If I don't tell my folks what is important, they will think everything is important and burn out trying to be perfect in everything. I have to give them priorities. Tell them that most things need to be good. A few things need to be better. Occasionally, things need to be their best. This gives them guideposts to your expectations. One of their bests needs to be their apporach to honor.
The Formation Flying Analogy
As a fighter pilot, I spent years flying in formation, three feet apart from my wingman at 500 miles an hour. We are always drifting, and we are constantly correcting back to the best position.
I see honor as the best, and we are always flying in formation around it. If we drift too far, the correction becomes violent and painful. But if we are really honed in on our principles, we recognize the drift almost instantly, and the correction is much smaller.
I encourage you to stop and reflect—be humble. How far away are you drifting? How fast are you leaving the standard? By recognizing the rate of departure, you can make a smaller course correction back to your code.
The Danger of Compromise
When leaders compromise their principles, they set a standard that everyone else will follow. Lee Ellis's experience illustrates the danger: they were being tortured by people who believed "truth is that which most benefits the party." That meant anything could be true if it served a temporary purpose. What a destructive and dangerous philosophy.
As the leader, I must be the one who sets the standard. If I try to bend a principle because I want a business deal or a positive headline, my team will follow. If I am tied closely to my principles, I can look at a proposal and say very quickly, "That's just not who we are. We may not be the right company for you."
Bringing People Back
When I commanded large groups, I knew people would fall short. When a POW fell short of the standard, the leaders didn't condemn them; they had empathy and said, "You did your best, now let's bounce back."
My job is to define that standard. If I don't give my team good direction and they fall short, I might mistakenly think they are bad performers. Instead, I need to check: Was it a lack of training? Was it a lack of direction on my part? If I have clarity on standards, I can have empathy for those who are struggling and help them work back into the proper formation position.
