The Titan® Leadership checklist.
This list will help leaders and aspiring leaders to understand the concepts of leadership. Use this list to
check your own conduct and see, how well you are demonstrating leadership.
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Embodiment: Embody the values, ethics and behaviors you wish to see in
others through your own conduct. Example: If demanding excellence, put in the long
hours yourself and be the hardest worker.
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Make tough decisions in difficult situations - Don't shy away from making the critical
calls, even if unpopular. Example: Eisenhower's decision to launch D-Day despite
poor weather forecasts.
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Take responsibility for successes and failures - Never shift blame, own up to
shortcomings and failures of the team. Example: JFK accepting responsibility for
Bay of Pigs failure.
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Remain calm under pressure - Project an aura of control and confidence in high-
stress scenarios to settle those around you. Example: Capt. Sullenberger calmly
landing jet on the Hudson.
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Communicate clearly and concisely - Articulate instructions, objectives and
reasoning in a clear, easy to comprehend manner. Example: Simplifying initiatives
into 3 word mantras - "Stay hungry. Stay foolish."
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Encourage disciplined initiative - Allow subordinates to take ownership, but within
established guidelines and boundaries. Example: Google's policy of employees
spending 20% of time on own projects.
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Promote integrity and ethics - Ensure your team embodies the highest standards of
moral conduct through reinforcement. Example: Extreme vetting of Navy SEAL
candidates for character.
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Foster innovation and improvement - Challenge assumptions, and create a safe
space for experimentation and creative thinking. Example: 3M giving employees
work time for pet projects.
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Empower subordinate ownership - Delegate responsibilities and allow subordinates
to take charge in their roles. Example: CEOs creating separate business units.
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Provide vision and purpose - Articulate a clear, inspirational vision that gives your
team's efforts meaning and direction. Example: JFK's "We choose to go to the
Moon………" speech.
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Adapt strategies tactically - While holding the strategic vision firm, be agile in
updating tactics based on conditions. Example: Military revising battle plans based
on enemy movements.
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Prudent risk management - Have a keen sense for calculated risks worth taking
versus those that are reckless gambles. Example: Investors like Buffett analyzing
risk/reward carefully.
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Value diversity - Cultivate teams with diverse backgrounds, perspectives and
skillsets as a force multiplier. Example: The varied expertise of NASA's mission
control.
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Promote teamwork and unity - Foster an environment of cohesion where
subdivisions are still bound to the greater team. Example: Sports teams doing group
activities.
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Diplomacy and coalition building - Bring together disparate groups through tact,
emotional intelligence and seeking common ground. Example: Forming the Allied
coalition in WWII.
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Thorough preparation - Gather all available intelligence, leaving no gaps or
unknowns to chance. Example: Months of planning and training preceded the
Normandy invasion.
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Remain flexible - Be willing to audible and change plans when genuine reasons
arise versus stubbornly sticking to the original plan. Example: Entrepreneurs pivoting
business models.
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Leverage unique talents - Maximize each person's specific skills and strengths by
putting them into fitting roles. Example: Sports teams positioning players in
specialized roles.
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Mental toughness - Push through pain, exhaustion and adversity through sheer
determination and resilience of spirit. Example: Surviving brutally harsh Navy SEAL
training.
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Project confidence - Display an outward aura of certainty and conviction to inspire
faith in your leadership. Example: FDR's confidence-boosting inaugural address and
fireside chats.
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Sound decision making - Gather and analyze all available data before coming to
informed, pragmatic decisions. Example: McKinsey-style management consulting
analysis.
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Lead from the front - Put yourself amongst your people on the frontlines when
challenges arise. Example: Alexander leading cavalry charges from the front.
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Uncompromising resolve - Exhibit unwavering commitment and determination to
completing the mission. Example: Churchill's "We shall never surrender" speech.
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Strategic pragmatism - Apply pragmatic strategies and solutions rather than holding
to unrealistic ideals or dogma. Example: Eisenhower's "Middle Way" policy between
hawks and doves.
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Principled loyalty - Retain loyalty to core principles and values that underpin the
greater mission. Example: Refusing unlawful orders that violate ethics or rules.
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Value sacrifice - Recognize those who make great personal sacrifices in devoted
service to the cause. Example: Medal of Honor recipients who gave their lives.
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Order and discipline - Maintain an organized, disciplined unit that follows the
procedures and chain of command. Example: Structured training and indoctrination.
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Courage under fire - Display fearlessness and bravery when under extreme duress
or facing great personal risk. Example: Soldiers braving enemy fire to protect
civilians.
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Inspirational rhetoric - Speak with conviction and clarity in speeches that stir hearts
and motivate action. Example: MLK's "I Have a Dream" speech.
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Refuse to surrender - Maintain a mentality that failure and quit are not options no
matter how bleak the circumstances. Example: Churchill vowing to never surrender
in WWII.
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Bold, decisive action - Be willing to take well-calculated risks and make critical
judgment calls at pivotal moments. Example: Truman's decision to drop the atomic
bomb.
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Strategic vision - See the larger picture beyond the present and anticipate multiple
steps or scenarios ahead. Example: USSR stretching resources with Space Race
efforts.
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Confident exterior - Do not outwardly betray doubt or anxiety, instead project an aura
of calmness and control. Example: Pilots underplaying emergencies to keep
passengers calm.
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Learn from failure - Treat failures as potent teaching opportunities to evolve
approaches. Example: Edison saying he found 1000 ways NOT to make a lightbulb.
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Demand excellence - Never settle for mediocrity, constantly push people to operate
at their highest potential level. Example: Demanding product perfection before
launch
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Put the right people in place - Build teams with complementary strengths by aligning
roles and responsibilities. Example: Assigning management positions based on merit
and ability.
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Vision and creativity - Blend innovative thinking with a cohesive guiding vision to
pursue groundbreaking goals. Example: Disney's "Imagineers" and creation of new
theme parks.
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Game-changing innovation - Don't just optimize, pursue wholly new methods or
technologies that dramatically shift paradigms. Example: Apple's multi-touch iPhone
shattering norms.
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Persuasion and buy-in - Effectively communicate your ideas in a way that sells
others and gets their vested commitment. Example: Soliciting stakeholder input early
and often.
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Obsession with quality - Never compromise on quality standards, even if it results in
delays or higher costs. Example: Elon constantly pushing teams for perfection.
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Cultivate unique culture - Foster a distinct corporate ethos and identity that people
feel part of a greater whole. Example: Zappos' focus on culture-fit hires over skill.
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Customer centricity - Relentlessly focus on enhancing the customer's experience
and prioritizing their satisfaction. Example: Amazon's "Customer Obsession" mantra.
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Intelligent risk - Don't be afraid to take calculated risks with potential for high
rewards. Example: Bezos' willingness to operating at near $0 profit if growing market
share.
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Challenge assumptions - Don't accept long-held beliefs at face value, be willing to
question entrenched assumptions. Example: Rethinking established business
models.
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Long-term outlook - Maintain the perspective to persevere through short-term duress
for larger, longer-lasting strategic aims. Example: Investors riding out temporary
volatility.
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Continuous optimization - Perpetually analyze and seek ways to refine, augment,
and optimize all processes. Example: Toyota's Kaizen philosophy of incremental
improvement.
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Data-driven decision making - Rely on empirical data, market research and
measurable KPIs over gut feelings. Example: A/B testing in marketing campaigns.
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Intellectual humility - Avoid arrogance, remain open-minded and be willing to update
beliefs when presented with new information. Example: Effective leaders still
seeking mentors.
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Transformative ambition - Pursue audacious, game-changing goals with potential for
lasting, transcendent impacts. Example: Musk's mission to make humans multi-
planetary with Mars colony.
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Mission-driven talent - Attract people who are united by and passionate about the
overarching goals and mission. Example: NASA employees unified by space
exploration.
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Rapid pace and disruption - Be willing to move fast and shake up established norms
and practices. Example: Netflix rapidly innovating and disrupting the video streaming industry. ng entertainment.
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