The Principles of Leadership

Whether you are the CEO of your firm or a front line service rep you’ve had to deal with leaders at some point or another in your career. Some good, some bad.

What separates the good from the bad? Is there a set of traits that helps define a good leader? In a word, yes. They are known as the Principles of Leadership. These are 10 short but impactful rules of conduct developed by the Canadian Army to help inspire their troops to be the best.

For the first instalment in this series I’d like to simply introduce you to the 10 principles. Each article that follows will take one of these principles and examine it further, showing you how you can apply it in everyday situations to help optimize your professional and personal life.

1. 1. Lead by example
   2. Make sound and timely decisions
   3. Seek and accept responsibility
   4. Achieve professional competence
   5. Know your troops and promote their welfare
   6. Develop leadership potential in your followers
   7. Train your troops as a team and employ them to their capabilities
   8. Appreciate your own strengths and weaknesses and pursue self-improvement
   9. Keep your team informed of the mission, the changing situation and the overall picture
   10. Ensure your followers know your meaning and intent and lead them to the accomplishment of the mission

These 10 principles of leadership, if followed, create an environment of accountable and responsible team players.