Leadership Quality and Standards

Hey team, all right, so here we are, Monday Message. I’ve got another quote for you: “The quality of the leader is reflected in the standards they set for themselves.” That hits pretty hard.

“The quality of the leader is reflected in the standards they set for themselves.”

I’m talking about leadership now. Talking about me, talking about other leaders that we have in the company, and more importantly, I’m talking about me.

The quality is set by the character and who I am. What do I set as goals and benchmarks for myself? What do I do? I would like to think that I’m doing a better job than I’ve ever done before. I know that I still have improvements to make. But as I look back and start thinking about where I’ve come from and how far I’ve gone, the disciplines and the things that I put into my life. The fact that I get up early in the morning both to exercise and to spend time bettering me, whether it be reading in my Bible or reading a good book.

Currently, I’m reading a John Maxwell book. I just finished a book on conversation called “Difficult Conversations.” So, I’m putting time and effort into building a better me so that I can be a better leader. These are important things. They go with our core values: be valuable because nothing less will do. A vessel that’s empty has nothing to give, so I must have something to be able to pour out into the lives of men and women that work here with us at Northwest Enforcement.

What standards do I set? What kinds of things do I strive for?

Am I a “do as I say, not as I do” kind of person, or am I a “follow me as I do these things”? I need to set those standards for myself first in order to uphold those standards in the rest of the company. Every leader here needs to be thinking about that. You, yourself should be thinking about that for your family. You want your kids to follow you, you want your kids to do things. Things that maybe you never even did.

You need to start doing things differently yourself, something that I’ve had to face and do.

I come from a blue-collar family. My dad worked hard, and I knew he loved me, but my dad didn’t sit down with me and read at night. I sit down and read with my boys every night. My mom and dad didn’t read with me in the morning. I sit down and read every morning. And I don’t think I really ever heard my father tell me he loved me. I knew he did, and I think I heard it a couple of times in my life, but he didn’t say it often.

It’s kind of that same old thing: “Well, of course, I love you, and if it changes, I’ll come and tell you.” Nobody likes that. Again, I’m not faulting my dad. My dad’s a great man. I love him dearly, and I am the man I am today many times over because of the disciplines and the things that he instilled in me. But I am doing things differently because I recognize that people need to be loved, and they need to be told that they’re loved. They need to be shown that they’re loved and that they’re cared for.

I try to say it at work. Many of you have heard me say I love you and I care for you and I appreciate you. Appreciation goes a long way. That’s setting that standard as a leader that we are a company of appreciation, gratitude, generosity, love, and respect. These are bedrock things that I think any man or woman should be able to wrap their arms around and understand the importance of.

We are a company of appreciation, gratitude, generosity, love, and respect.

I want to set that standard on a consistent basis. That I love you and I appreciate you, and I appreciate everything you do. I know how hard it is to get up at 10 o’clock at night and go work all night long, then go put your kids to school or stay home with your kid because they’re sick all day, and then try to go back to work at 10 o’clock at night. I know what that feels like, and so because I do, I appreciate you for the sacrifices that you make for your family and for our team.

Thank you, and as we’re moving into this summer, I appreciate you. God bless you. Have a wonderful rest of your week. I can’t wait to see you next week, and we’ll talk again. All right, I’ll see you. Bye.