Leader: In the book ‘Extreme Ownership: How U.S. Navy SEALs Lead and Win,’ written by Jocko Willink, there is a training story where seven Navy SEAL trainees form a team and carry a rubber boat weighing over 100 kg on their heads. Usually, one team would finish first and another last, but the team members stayed the same, and only the leaders were swapped. As a result, the team that finished last moved to first place, and the team that was first became second. What changed was that only the leaders were replaced; the rest of the team remained the same. It’s important to note that, although a leader’s ability greatly influences success, the key point is that the team that was initially first was moved to second place, not last, even though the leader from the last team took over the first team. This is because, under the previous leader, team members developed a winning habit, which persisted even when the leader changed. The most crucial element in an organization is the leader itself....
DuPont, a global chemical company, has one core value: Safety. The company is well known for adhering to its core values which stem from its historical background. DuPont began as a gunpowder manufacturer during the American Civil War. In 1884, DuPont's CEO, Lammot du Pont, was killed in an explosion. This accident stimulated the catalyst for DuPont's realization that safety should be a core value of the company. Here's a true story as an example. Two DuPont employees were on an overseas business trip and needed to take a taxi to a meeting, but the taxi only had seat belts on the passenger side. They would be late for the meeting, but DuPont policy dictated that only one person be put in the cab while the other took a different cab. Core values represent a company's identity and mission, and complying with them is a crucial challenge for any organization. - Joseph’s “just my thoughts”