Seven Disciplines of A Leader

4Disciplines and Practices of Highly Effective Leaders

As shown in the following chapters, highly effective leaders practice the Seven Disciplines to first achieve personal and professional greatness and then to lead teams and organizations.

These Seven Disciplines, developed, maintained, and practiced on both a personal and organizational level, lead to and sustain high performance. Indeed, these seven disciplines are keys to sustainability—meaning, sustained high performance over time.

In your roles and relationships, you need to gain the power to influence people and then exercise and expand your influence over time in your own circles to gain and sustain desired results in personal, team, and organizational contexts.

New Paradigm of Discipline: Intrinsic and Extrinsic Motivation

As with motivation, there is both intrinsic (self- or internal) discipline and extrinsic (imposed, invited, social, cultural, environmental, or external) discipline. In most organizations and societies, discipline tends to be developed using extrinsic motivations and rewards (carrots and sticks). A dedicated and loyal follower tends to rely more on extrinsic discipline. A capable and competitive leader relies more on intrinsic discipline.

Dedicated discipline is practiced by people:

1. Who are being coached or mentored or taught.
2. Who belong to a team, club, or organization.
3. Who are united (perhaps even wear a uniform, often with their name on it).
4. Whose performance is measured and reported.
5. Who compete ...