5 Core Leadership Principles for Building Resilience and Achieving Results: Purpose, Pride, Patience, Persistence, and Perspective

There will always be time of abundance as well as challenge. When you have a core set of principles to lead you through any situation, you can take comfort that you will find success on the other side. Ken Blanchard wrote in a 2021 article about the importance of ethical leadership. This was an extension of his early work with Norman Peale in The Power of Ethical Management, and introduced five ethical principles of leadership. Those five Ps of ethical leadership also have broader meaning in everyday leadership. They can help push through the resistance every leader will face and ensure you achieve the results you seek.

And note: I think all leadership is (or should be) by definition ethical. If someone is not acting with integrity and a strong moral compass they are not a true leader.

Purpose

Every leader needs to have their purpose defined and well understood. This is your why. It is the driving force behind what you do, or don’t do. It is the foundation for your vision, and your goals. Unlike goals, though, your purpose is ongoing and drives you to your next objective and the next after that.

Pride

The best leaders take pride in what they do and accomplish. They also understand the limitations of pride. Pushing too far can become arrogance and hubris. That will lead to poor decisions, broken relationships, and can easily take a good leader down a dark path. We should be proud of what we are doing, how we treat others, and the successes we share. Creating pride among others for you, for your team, and for themselves comes by building broader successes that are not defined by only accomplishments that come at the misfortune of others.

Patience

This can be one of the most challenging competencies for any person or any leader. Not everything will go exactly according to plan. Those around you will not always do what you expect, ask, or guide towards. There will be occasions where it does require steps back to move forward in the future. Patience is rooted in learning and growth. It is a necessary step in developing strong resilience when times get tough. It will also teach that it is worth it — patience pays off. The best success comes from having to work through difficult situations and knowing you were patient enough to get to where you knew was possible.

Persistence

This goes hand in hand with patience. Great leaders know that when they hit barriers that it will take additional effort, time, and a strong will to push forward. Our purpose must drive us forward, our belief in ourselves, and patience with others are all the fuel needed to press through those obstacles that stand between us and our desired outcomes. Productive persistence will yield significant dividends.

Perspective

Are you keeping the big picture in focus at all times? Are you seeing the situation from all angles? Perspective is critical for maintaining long-term success. You need to continually update your vantage point and resources to ensure you have the best view for the time to address concerns or challenges to achieve your objectives.

These five Ps will not only help maintain a moral compass, they are at the core of ensuring you are continually strengthening your resilience and ability to achieve positive results. They can often be overlooked for their simplicity, but should never be ignored for the practical aspect they bring to everyday leadership and developing strong teams.

How do you keep these 5 Ps at the core of your leadership?

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Photo by Michael Dziedzic on Unsplash