December 6, 2008 | 0 Readers Recommended This | from: Neil Ducoff
A number of years ago, I began using the term “no compromise” in my lectures, consulting work and writing. I used it to communicate, without question or misinterpretation, a leadership style that is resolute in its commitment to consistency, accountability and integrity. It seemed the more I used no compromise, the more it seemed to strike a deep and resonating cord in business leaders. I heard stories about leadership team and staff meetings targeting key issues with no-compromise as the non-negotiable outcome. Business owners and managers would tell me how no-compromise thinking helped them decisively deal with difficult situations, problem employees or tasks they previously avoided. Today, barely a day passes without receiving a no-compromise story or reference to how it impacted a customer’s personal thinking and business.
Joined together, these two simple words immediately establish a higher standard of leadership thinking and behavior. Think of no compromise as a powerful internal compass that keeps you and your company steadfastly on course. In his latest book, The Success Principles: How To Get From Where You Are to Where You Want to Be, Jack Canfield talks about a concept he calls, “99 percent is a bitch, 100 percent is a breeze.” In an interview with Strategies, Canfield explained, “I brush my teeth every day; I have a 100 percent commitment to dental health. I don’t have to think about it. It’s a done deal. ... If I commit 99 percent, almost every day I have to re-decide. If you commit to answering your phone calls within 24 hours, don’t go to bed without doing it.” 100 percent commitment, that’s the essence of no-compromise leadership.
No-compromise leadership is all about the thinking, behavior and accountability that support all leadership results and business outcomes. By design, no compromise cuts through the myriad excuses, emotional blockages and procrastination that silently infect leadership performance. If no compromise becomes the mandate — the guiding principle upon which all other leadership behavior emanates — the resulting business outcomes will be nothing short of breakthrough. –Neil Ducoff
Ducoff is the founder and CEO of Strategies, a business training and coaching company located in Centerbrook, CT, and the author of the best seller No-Compromise Leadership: A Higher Standard of Leadership Thinking & Behavior, the definitive book on get-it-done leadership and creating no-compromise business cultures.
To learn more about Ducoff, his keynote presentations and opportunities to connect with him, visit www.nocompromiseleadership.com and email him at neil@nocompromiseleadership.com.
