6 Principles of Human-Centric Leadership

Google the word leadership and you’ll get 129,000,000 results in .38 seconds. At last count there are some 50,000 books published every year on the subject and with over 100 million blogs currently active, well we can only imagine how many are dedicated to leadership. And with all this extraordinary thinking and content at our fingertips, CEOs globally are still saying that human capital, most specifically the leadership gap, is their number one concern as they look to the future. So what are we missing? Maybe it’s nothing, but then again maybe it’s something so close, so simple that we are looking right past it.

Dr. Stephen Covey used to tell a great story about his line of work as a consultant, speaker, teacher, and writer. In short, he would say that had he been alive in the first 150 years of our independence, he would have been out of a job since at that time, work and life were guided by what he refers to as universal principles. In his book [easyazon_link asin=”145589348X” locale=”US” new_window=”default” nofollow=”default” tag=”achievstrate-20″ add_to_cart=”default” cloaking=”default” localization=”default” popups=”default”]Principle-Centered Leadership[/easyazon_link] Covey defines these principles as “laws of the universe that pertain to human relationships and human organizations, and part of the human condition, consciousness, and conscience.” He goes on to say that over the last 75 years we have drifted from these principles and in doing so, find ourselves reaching out for help to people like himself.

CEOs globally are still saying that human capital, most specifically the leadership gap, is their number one concern as they look to the future.

Honesty, integrity, fairness, trust, hope, and grace are a few of these principles – self-evident and self-validating natural laws that don’t change or shift, providing true north direction for our lives. All are elegantly simple words that much like a compass, always show us the way.  So simple however, that maybe, just maybe they are getting buried in the complexity of modern day leadership and life. Could this be what we are missing, what we are looking past when it comes to the leadership gap? I’ll let you be the judge.

1. Honesty

Being truthful and staying true to what you said you were going to do regardless of the situation.

2. Integrity

Aligning actions with values – doing what you say, saying what you mean, and being what you seem.

3. Fairness

Making judgments that are free from discrimination – treating people without prejudice.

4. Trust

Relying on or place confidence in someone or something without the expectation of anything in return.

To value oneself and, at the same time, subordinate oneself to higher purposes and principles is the paradoxical essence of highest humanity and the foundation of effective leadership.

5. Hope

Believing in and sharing the idea that the future will be better than the present.

6. Grace

Honoring someone (or something) by one’s presence – an ethic of kindness, generosity, concern, and care.

Covey goes on to say, “to value oneself and, at the same time, subordinate oneself to higher purposes and principles is the paradoxical essence of highest humanity and the foundation of effective leadership.” And in a world where the pace of everything –  especially the pace of change – is exponential, it’s hard to learn and sustain basic disciplines of humanity, keep promises, be faithful, be hopeful, exercise courage and be genuinely considerate of the feelings and convictions of others.

So call me crazy but is it possible that what we have been seeking all along relative to leadership is simply being first a good person, a good human being? I know it seems kind of obvious right? Or does it?

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Mark Fernandes

Having a passion for inspiring people to believe in themselves and become everything they are capable of becoming, Mark is charged with transforming Luck Companies into a global Values Based Leadership (VBL) organization. In his role as Chief Leadership Officer, he serves as a thought leader for the ongoing development of the VBL ideology and model, and is responsible for the integration of VBL within Luck Companies. Mark’s work also extends beyond Luck Companies’ doors and includes sharing the VBL model through mentoring, speaking, teaching, and coaching with organizations of all sizes, across all industries and all geographies. As a result of his work to take Luck Companies’ message global, Mark was recently selected by Inc. Magazine as one of the 100 Top Great Leadership Speakers. He is also a two-time recipient of Trust Across America’s Top 100 Thought Leaders in Trustworthy Business for 2014 and 2015. Additional honors include being named as a ExchangeGain Top 75 Human Business Champion and member of their League of Extraordinary Thinkers. For Mark, his own leadership journey continues as he truly believes that long before he can activate the extraordinary potential in others, he must first work on himself and live his life in such a way that he is an example for others to follow.