Leading The Sustainable Organization – 7 Principles

Charismatic Role Rejection – The leader rejects merging of the organization with his/her person. A corollary of this is that interests and issues should trump parties. Thus the active member with aspirations to lead will define and clarify interests and issues related to the whole, rather than form a splinter group that arrogates to itself a special knowledge or relationship to the mission. (Constitutional Convention)
Detached Statesmanship – The leader makes decisions based on the organization’s canon and viability, not on personal advantage. (Public Servant)
Cooperative With External Principled Power Centers – The leader resists rejection of other power centers provided they share 5-7 below. Thus, members from different belief systems (institutions, faiths) can be members in good standing. (Doctors Without Borders)
Flexible or Non-Intrusive Process Management – The leader actively supports a separation of processes from principles, so the organization can adapt readily to changes in the context or matrix of which it is a part. (G.E.)
Contained and Constrained Set Of Principles/Standards Applied Equally To All Members – The leader adamantly supports as few principles and rules as are necessary and sufficient for the organization to maintain an identity consistent with it’s founding mission. (March of Dimes)
Permeable Membership Boundaries – The leader is inclusive of all who can subscribe to 1-5 above. (Israel’s Right of Return, Mandela’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission)
Merit Driven Distribution of Authority, Status, And Power – The leader supports open access for any member who is capable of 1-6 above. (Athens)