	Leadership Leadership and management are different. Leadership has to do with direction setting and guiding change while management has to deal with complexity, sorting out processes and creating stable systems. There are a number of theories about leadership, all of which are essentially rooted in an overarching view of societal culture. What is being proposed here is a form of leadership called principled leadership. This is based on the premise that organizations have fallen prone to the concepts of utilitarianism and situationism – basically that the ends justify the means – and that this can be best remedied through principled leadership. For example, within utilitarianism there is no wrong or right way to do something, but is a calculation of harms & benefits, in other words calculating and / or rationalising about an issue, which can fall into the trap of seeking out precedence about that issue ultimately leading to acceptance of what could well be an inappropriate course of action. While principled leadership is clearly applicable for all types of leadership in the social sphere, it has been adapted to commercial organisations, including for profit organizations. Such a principled approach is not based on being "nice" but is very much focused on achieving success in the world of work but within ethical means – and where those ethics / principles have stood the test of time. The role of the leader is to: Establish a vision / set overall direction. Solve problems, particularly long term problems that cannot be solved by prudential judgement or common sense or by the setting up of some form of algorithm / mechanism. Set standards / the agenda for quality, not just in respect of an organization's products or services and corporate performance, but also the ethos and values of the organization and expectations of people and their accountability for their work. Motivate teams / establish the esprit de corps, so that one can maximise the resulting synergy from those teams. This requires two way communication, respect and trust, as well as mentoring and training to enable people meet their respective challenges. Establish an ongoing balance between stakeholder return, the overall good, and resource allocation. Principled leadership works as follows: Initially by means of the Silver Rule, which has minimalist connotations, and is similar to a physician's commitment of doing no harm. There is significant value in communicating to customers and other stakeholders that some current approaches to business is not acceptable within a particular organisation! Secondly by means of the Golden Rule, which has maximalist connotations, for example when dealing with employees a leader places: Contributions before comparisons (in a situation where the comparative is normally the default drive of an individual). Trust before suspicion – unless there is good reason for otherwise. We are happy to provide training / mentoring in respect of the wider list of principles attached to the Silver and Golden Rules and within the context of our overall services in Lean Transformation, Change Management and Innovation. A recent book titled "The truth about Leadership" by Kouzes and Posner involved distilling the experiences of a large number of leaders and was the culmination of 25 years plus of research by the two authors. It included the following findings: You have to have a belief that you can make a difference Credibility is the foundation of leadership Values drive commitment Focusing on the future sets leaders apart You can't do it alone Trust rules – you have to give trust before you get it ( trust is earned by those who have integrity – consistent behaviour and clear values) Challenge is the crucible for greatness You either lead by example or you don't lead at all The best leaders are the best learners Leadership is an affair of the heart (agape) Leadership is not a quick fix – it is a long term project

Leadership

Leadership and management are different. Leadership has to do with direction setting and guiding change while management has to deal with complexity, sorting out processes and creating stable systems.

There are a number of theories about leadership, all of which are essentially rooted in an overarching view of societal culture. What is being proposed here is a form of leadership called principled leadership. This is based on the premise that organizations have fallen prone to the concepts of utilitarianism and situationism – basically that the ends justify the means – and that this can be best remedied through principled leadership. For example, within utilitarianism there is no wrong or right way to do something, but is a calculation of harms & benefits, in other words calculating and / or rationalising about an issue, which can fall into the trap of seeking out precedence about that issue ultimately leading to acceptance of what could well be an inappropriate course of action.

While principled leadership is clearly applicable for all types of leadership in the social sphere, it has been adapted to commercial organisations, including for profit organizations. Such a principled approach is not based on being "nice" but is very much focused on achieving success in the world of work but within ethical means – and where those ethics / principles have stood the test of time.

The role of the leader is to:

Establish a vision / set overall direction.
Solve problems, particularly long term problems that cannot be solved by prudential judgement or common sense or by the setting up of some form of algorithm / mechanism.
Set standards / the agenda for quality, not just in respect of an organization's products or services and corporate performance, but also the ethos and values of the organization and expectations of people and their accountability for their work.
Motivate teams / establish the esprit de corps, so that one can maximise the resulting synergy from those teams. This requires two way communication, respect and trust, as well as mentoring and training to enable people meet their respective challenges.
Establish an ongoing balance between stakeholder return, the overall good, and resource allocation.

Principled leadership works as follows:

Initially by means of the Silver Rule, which has minimalist connotations, and is similar to a physician's commitment of doing no harm. There is significant value in communicating to customers and other stakeholders that some current approaches to business is not acceptable within a particular organisation!

Secondly by means of the Golden Rule, which has maximalist connotations, for example when dealing with employees a leader places:

Contributions before comparisons (in a situation where the comparative is normally the default drive of an individual).
Trust before suspicion – unless there is good reason for otherwise.

We are happy to provide training / mentoring in respect of the wider list of principles attached to the Silver and Golden Rules and within the context of our overall services in Lean Transformation, Change Management and Innovation.

A recent book titled "The truth about Leadership" by Kouzes and Posner involved distilling the experiences of a large number of leaders and was the culmination of 25 years plus of research by the two authors. It included the following findings:

You have to have a belief that you can make a difference
Credibility is the foundation of leadership
Values drive commitment
Focusing on the future sets leaders apart
You can't do it alone
Trust rules – you have to give trust before you get it ( trust is earned by those who have integrity – consistent behaviour and clear values)
Challenge is the crucible for greatness
You either lead by example or you don't lead at all
The best leaders are the best learners
Leadership is an affair of the heart (agape)
Leadership is not a quick fix – it is a long term project