21st Century
Leadership Manifesto

Business is facing a crisis in employee engagement. Loyalty is low; turnover is high. Employees are disconnecting from their work. Many business consulting firms seem to be about teaching leaders how create a vision and to speak to the crisis they’re facing with employees. But we’re not in this crisis because leaders are saying the wrong things. We’re in it because they’re doing the wrong things.

Employees are so disengaged they are no longer listening. Many don’t even show up at all-hands meetings to hear the messages anymore because leadership credibility is at an all-time low. Intentional or not, actions are not lining up with words.

Are you ready to try something different? There is no time to waste with more talk. We must do. If you are ready to do something, begin by adopting these five tenets as core beliefs at your company...

  • Employees come first. Before shareholder value. Before customers. Happy employees stay longer, are intrinsically motivated, and innovate better products and services; better products and services make happy customers; Happy customers increase our bottom line.

  • Loyalty cannot be commanded or bought. It bounces back at us when we send it downward through our organizations. If it’s not bouncing back at us, we’re doing something wrong.

  • Credibility comes from saying what we’ll do, then doing it. Over and over. When we have it, we don’t waste any time convincing those we lead. When we don’t, our words don’t move anyone or anything. Earning and protecting credibility is the foundation of 21st century leadership and the beginning of a trusting relationship between our employees and the company’s leaders.

  • We will not make the right decisions affecting employees if we use euphemisms that abstract us from their humanity. They’re not resources, headcount, or capital. They’re people.

  • Employees’ home lives are directly and significantly impacted by the large portion of their lives spent at work. Happy, healthy, fairly-paid, fulfilled employees show up as better citizens, partners, spouses, family members, and parents, which benefits all of society for decades beyond today. This isn’t merely correlation, it’s causation.

Every process and organizational structure in our company supports these tenets.
They inform how we hire and promote leaders. They guide the creation and structure of our policies and incentives. They are the compass we use to navigate business challenges.

If you agree that this is the foundation of a great company, contact us to find out how we can help you ensure that your company’s policies, incentives, and leadership behavior are aligned with them.

Let us help you attract talent to your company rather than to your competitors.