On Sunday, there was an article in the Cincinnati Enquirer that caught my eye. I have read about Bob McDonald before and I am intrigued with the new CEO and chairman of P&G.

Somewhat by design and somewhat by chance, I have had opportunities to lead others both professionally and in other areas. I have always felt that there is a difference between 'leadership' and 'management.' Although the two are often intertwined, if I had to choose one over the other I would choose leadership.

It is nice to see some of my thoughts and ideas validated by someone of McDonald's stature. There are a couple of points from the article that think are better quoted verbatim as I don't think I could do them justice.

First,

In fact, McDonald rejects what he calls "charismatic leadership," symbolized in the movie "Patton" by George C. Scott standing in front of the American flag delivering a macho, profanity-laced pep talk to the troops.

"That's not leadership," McDonald said.

Instead, he practices "servant leadership," the management practice espoused by author Stephen Covey and others that calls for leaders to put the needs of their colleagues and organizations first.

"Humility is a key leadership trait we need to have," McDonald told a recent gathering of P&G general managers in Cincinnati. "How can we be empathetic to consumers if we're not humble?"

It is nice to see some of my thoughts and ideas validated by someone of McDonald's stature. There are a couple of points from the article that think are better quoted verbatim as I don't think I could do them justice.

Second, this was a side bar in the article and these 10 tenants are printed on cards and are frequently handed out to senior leadership in P&G.

''What I Believe In''

Bob McDonald keeps a one-page, double-sided handout titled "What I Believe In" that he gives to P&G managers and others. It contains these principles that he says influence him:

Living a life driven by purpose is more meaningful than meandering through life without direction.

Character is the most important trait of a leader.

Everyone wants to succeed, and success is contagious.

Putting people in the right jobs is one of the most important jobs of a leader.

Diverse groups of people are more innovative than homogenous groups.

Ineffective systems and cultures are bigger barriers to achievement than the talents of people.

Recruiting is top priority.

There will be some people in the organization who will not make it on the journey.

Organizations renew themselves.

The true test of the leader is the performance of the organization when they are absent or after they depart.

Below is a link for the whole article. A nice read for a Sunday afternoon.

http://communitypress.cincinnati.com/article/AB/20100115/BIZ01/1170310/0/NEWS0103/P-G-chief-Humble-leadership