ambitious we may never reach it. Our mission gives us a guide to follow day by day, to ensure that every decision we make as leaders will be congruent with our values and vision. Both vision and mission are essential leadership tools, but Vision should always come first; mission follows.
Conscious before decision
We make thousands of decisions every day. Sometimes, whether in our personal life or in our business, we are faced with making a decision that could have huge outcomes. At that level especially, the decision-making process needs to start with being conscious of our values, our goals, the ways we want to convey the significance of what we can offer. Once we are conscious of all the implications, then we can examine the practicalities and finally make our choices. Conscious has an important seat at my table.
Completeness before purpose
Once you are sure of your values and are in alignment with your purpose, that positive feeling will stimulate and motivate you, making you a strong, appealing and compelling person to follow. You can't hope to achieve your purpose if you come to it feeling you're not good enough, or feeling frustrated or even angry. First find your sense of completeness, feel grateful for it and push on to fulfil your purpose. Give Completeness a seat at your table and you might find it life changing.
Trust before influence
Trust, or rather the lack of it, is a significant problem for big businesses, organisations and political parties these days. The major challenge for companies is to win the hearts and minds not only of their consumers but also of their employees. The most effective way to do this is for individuals to demonstrate through everything they do that they are trustworthy. Only then will they be able to influence others effectively. That is why Trust has a seat at my table.
Values before action
Actions are essential. Your days are filled with the actions you take based on the decisions you make — in the workplace and at home. But what happens when your actions lead you to the wrong place in your life, or when you're faced with a major decision and are not sure which way to go? What guides you as a leader and influencer that people want to follow? The answer is your values. It's your values that inform your actions. For that reason, Values occupies one of the 12 seats at my table.
Loyalty before opportunity
Everyone starting out in business needs to be open to new opportunities, some of which can lead to great things. As an entrepreneur myself, I love it when opportunities arise and I get to assess whether to seize them with both hands or to pass. But Opportunity doesn't have a seat at my table. I've given that seat to Loyalty. So often in life and your career you'll see how important it is to stay loyal to your vision, to your expertise, to your staff and mentors, and not to pass over them in order to chase the next new thing. There will be many times when you will benefit from staying loyal rather than running towards that shiny new opportunity.
Significance before success
Success is great. We celebrate successful people, look up to them and follow them. But success can crash overnight. Significance lasts. If we have made a positive impact on people's lives, we will always be significant to them, even after we're gone. I wish for your success, but my respect will be based on your significance. So Significance belongs at my table.
Small before big
In an era when the environment is crying out for our care, when millions of people have too little while a few have far too much, there are so many reasons why we should choose small before big. One is really practical: when we do the small things well, giving them our full attention, we often find they grow into something much bigger, something that has a major impact on our life or business. I celebrate Small and welcome it to my table.
Why before how
Whatever task we take on, we need to start by finding out why we need to do it. Only then can we work out how to do it. Our teams will come on board only once they understand why we are doing this. And when we can clearly articulate why we have to, need to or want to achieve something, then we can start to find different ways to do so. We can experiment with the what and how in our organisation or company, or in our own life. Why is one of the first things we should ask of ourselves and of others, so Why definitely has a seat at my table.
Story before data
We all want to make emotional connections with others. For better or worse, we think with our hearts as well as our brains, and to create these emotional ties there is nothing better than a story. We need precise data and comprehensive information too. You can't run a business or a country without knowing all the facts and figures; you need the analysis and the objective reasoning. But to trigger an emotional response, share a story. For me, Story rules supreme, so it always has a seat at my table.
Now look around at the 12 seats at your table and you'll see the support team you need if you're to be a successful leader today and in the future of influence.
It's your choice
It's up to you to choose how you'll fill the seats at your table and what priority you'll give to each one, and you need to choose wisely. Unfortunately, some people bring the wrong emotions, actions and traits to their table. Offence and anger definitely have no place there. Some people bring bad habits or addictions, some an insistence that they are not good or worthy enough. Some believe they are not loved or don't belong at the table, or simply don't know what to do there.
To help work out what you should focus on and what best suits your situation, seek advice from people you trust. At Speakers Institute I have an advisory board I rely on and trust. These are people who have achieved things I haven't done yet. They have attained a place in their career that I have yet to reach. Also, I have observed their character and how each of them work for others in their own businesses — how they respect people and live according to their own values. These people listen to me and we work together to decide which attributes, emotions and actions I should bring to my table and how I can use them every day.
When looking for your own mentors and advisers, ask these questions:
Do they have experience and success in areas where you have yet to build experience?
Is their character and integrity evident in their actions?
Can you learn from and grow through them?
Will they hold you accountable?
It's essential to be accountable to someone. So many people think they can become influencers on their own without actually being transparent or accountable to anyone else. That's not sustainable; we can't make real progress on our own. We all need someone to challenge us on what we believe in, to ask us why we are doing something or acting in a certain way. And to ask practical questions: Are we meeting our goals and targets? Are we treating our staff well? Are we leading successfully?
