How to Create a Leadership Credo

It was my privilege to facilitate a series of meetings on how to create a leadership credo for Berger Hargis. We held three separate one-hour meetings to develop the credo. I begin the first meeting by defining a leadership credo.

How to Create a Leadership Credo

What is a Leadership Credo?

A Leadership Credo is a simple outline of your personal and professional beliefs – what is most important to you as a leader and for the organization. So, it’s a statement of values, purpose, and intention, a vision of how you and your leadership team intend to lead.

Next, the leadership team, a group of ten, discussed the following:  

• What are the principles that you value the most?

• What values or principles are important to you and your company?

• Why are these values and principles essential to you and the company?

• What’s your purpose and that of the business?

• How will you show up and be that person?

• How can you clearly communicate those values and actions to the people around you?

• Who do you want to be, and what culture do you want to create?

• What words do others use to describe you? So, how do you want others to view you as a leader?

• What do you want teammates and customers to know about your values, beliefs, and how you lead?

• What makes a good leader?

• If you were to write down the 10 most important principles that you live by, what would they be?

The discussion took up two of the meetings. Every team member didn’t have an answer for every question. However, I filled two paper easels with the teams’ ideas during the talks. I also shared an example of a leadership credo. After the second meeting, I put together a rough draft of the credo, which I sent to two of the leadership team members to review.

Before the third meeting, I sent the following:

Leadership Credo Meeting

“On Wednesday, I hope to finalize, approve, and take action on the new Berger Hargis Leadership Credo. We will discuss the following:

1. Any changes you’d like to make in the credo, including edits, eliminations, and additions.
2. Pick a step of the credo you will champion, meaning you will embrace, support, promote, and be the example of that part of the credo.
3. Recommend people who aren’t in this room as examples of any particular number on the doctrine and help us champion this point.”

We made a couple of changes to the credo, everyone picked a step to champion, and we made a list of teammates who could help promote particular steps. Below is the completed credo. Feel free to use it for your organization or use this example to create your own.

Berger Hargis Leadership Credo 

1. Honesty, integrity, dependability, commitment, and optimism are the foundation of our leadership philosophy.
2. Service is leadership, which starts by being available.
3. Listening to understand, showing respect, flexibility, generosity, sincerity, acceptance, and enthusiasm are keys to successful leadership.
4. The foundation of the Berger Hargis leadership culture is family values, the pursuit of happiness, and positivity.
5. Our leadership goals are driven by the desire to help others: customers, teammates, and each other.    
6. Leadership by example is more than words; it’s a commitment.
7. We believe in sharing the truth by focusing constructive criticism on helping, not hurting.   
8. We strive to see more in people than they see in themselves and help them grow as individuals and as employees.
9. Leadership training is never-ending. We must be willing to support, help, and mentor our staff.
10. As leaders, we must remain open-minded and always ready to learn.
11. Leadership should always look for improvements to make things better and easier for all.  
12. Leaders leave negative energy at the door and bring positivity and happiness with a smile and a kind word.
13. At Berger Hargis, leaders believe actions speak louder than words and that you can’t talk stuff done.
14. Leaders don’t fret over what cannot be done but concentrate on what can be done.
15. Leaders must take the time to learn how others learn, how they communicate, and what motivates them.
16. True Leaders control their anger, don’t hold grudges or keep score, and own their mistakes.
17. Leaders develop a reputation as someone who can be counted on by caring, being helpful, and consistent.   
18. We must all understand that no business survives unless it is profitable. Profit should always be considered a part of any operation, but we should always gain profit through delivering quality to customers.

*The key to a successful leadership credo isn’t how to create a leadership credo it’s number 13 – taking action once the credo has been created. 

How Can We Help You?

Berger Hargis has a company philosophy of providing personal excellence for all our services. Our growth and success have been due entirely to our commitment to honest, excellent customer service. The company has been built on the referral business we have received due to this philosophy.

If we can answer any questions about how to control grubs, please don’t hesitate to Contact Us. 

And if you’re looking for a career where you can have fun at work, give us a call at (317) 243-0100.  

About the Author

Randy Clark is a speaker, coach, and author. He publishes a weekly blog at Randy Clark Leadership.com. Randy is passionate about social media, leadership development, and flower gardening. He’s a beer geek, and on weekends (after COVID-19), he can be found fronting the Rock & Roll band Under the Radar. He’s the proud father of two educators; he has four amazing grandchildren and a wife who dedicates her time to helping others. Randy is the author of the Amazon bestseller The New Manager’s Workbook, a crash course in effective management.

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