None of John Mattone’s “laws” is a head-snapper but all of them are anchored in a wealth of human experience that can be traced back at least three millennia to the Aecheans’ siege of Troy. In fact, I do not view them as laws; rather, as core principles, values, and insights that serve as reminders of what a leader must be and do to attract followers and then sustain their support.

1. “Only align yourself with people of character and competence.”
2. “It is the disciplined pursuit of less that will give you more.”
3. “Have the guts to look inside and admit that while you may be good, you are not the best
you can be.”
4. “Go forward everyday committed to worthy achievement, being altruistic, and building rewarding relationships with the people in your life.”
5. “The key to unlocking your massive potential is making the decision to be vulnerable.”
6. “You have the choice to either accept or reject feedback; however, if you reject feedback you also reject the choice of acting in a way that may very well bring you abundant success and happiness.”
7. “Great leaders commit to becoming more capable, committed, and connected today than they were yesterday.”
8. “Success has nothing to do with money, titles and possessions; success is only about committing — every day — to becoming the absolute best you can be.”
9. “The greatest irony of success is that it is often the first step to failure.”
10. “Great leaders engage in quiet, daily reflection asking themselves what they did today that brought extraordinary value to their people, teams and family and then making the commitment to bring even more value tomorrow.”
11. “If you want others to be happy be courteous, compassionate and altruistic; if you want to be happy, be courteous, compassionate and altruistic.”
12. “Your presence is determined by your reputation; your reputation can spiral “up” or “down” based on your “wow” factor: do you fall short or just meet people’s expectations or do you “wow” people”?
13. “Nobody sees your inner-core except you, if you choose to see it; but, if you choose to see it, that’s key to unlocking your true greatness.”
14. “The health and vibrancy of your inner-core predicts the health and vibrancy of your outer core, which is what the world sees.”
15. “Your character won’t determine your destiny; it will determine your ultimate destiny.”
16. “The best predictor of your future is not past performance; it is the combination of your past, your willingness to accept your gifts and deficiencies, your willingness to commit to a plan in which you leverage your gifts and address your deficiencies, your willingness to execute your plan, your willingness to be vigilant to the results you achieve, and most importantly your willingness to “course correct” continuously.

©JohnMattonePartners, Inc.

John Mattone is widely regarded as one of the most influential leadership andtalent management authorities in the world. He has been recognized by the prestigious Thinkers50 as one of the world’s leading management thinkers and by Leadership Excellence magazine as one of the world’s top independent leadership consultants, executive coaches, and speakers. His latest book is Intelligent Leadership: What You Need to Know to Unlock Your Full Potential, published by AMACOM (April 2013).