These are the pillars of our operating procedures and strategic guidelines. They may seem simple but I use them constantly to assess whether we are on the right path, as individuals, and as a team.

I never use my job title when I introduce myself. Instead of reciting your HR job title, tell others how you add value the organization.

Life does that to us, doesn’t it — come at inconvenient times in inconvenient ways asking more of us than we think we’re ready to give. Great leaders know that inconvenience transforms us and pushes us out of our comfortable box into unlimited potential.

Are you a people leader or people eater? And then I realized, sometimes those things are the same.

When you promote from within your company you’re not starting from scratch. You’re bringing over the passion and knowledge and values of your company to this new position. You’re using a bit of the sourdough starter you’ve been brewing on the counter for years.

How often do we do that? Stop too soon. Fail to take one more step. Fail to do the one last thing that will put us where we need to be. Fail to plot our course.