The Timeless Leader Oath

Would you follow this 14-point code of conduct?

Hi Timeless Leaders,

A while back I had a spark of inspiration - what if part of the reason leaders struggle to perform consistently is a lack of a consistent code of ethics?

Professions swear by this approach - Doctors arguably were the first to standardize around the Hippocratic Oath, and now have the AMA Code. Lawyers have the ABA Model Rules of Professional Conduct. Politicians swear to “support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.”

Leaders can reference the professional context to guide their behavior. They can reference their religious teachings for further guidance. In general, business doesn’t align on one code of ethics (at Stanford we only had one mandatory five session ethics class, and it was graded Pass/Fail) - but maybe we should.

Leaders who care pull together these codes, and then rely on one or many leadership frameworks to guide their behaviors. Usually they come up with their own recipe for leadership. Leaders who care less may disregard the exercise entirely, and make decisions based on the context of the moment, a personal goal, or merely gut instinct.

What if there was a code of ethics for Timeless Leaders to help steer us on the journey to build a positive, lasting legacy? Would that help us create a sustainable, democratic ownership society?

Generated image ‘oath of office pledge swear diverse people”

Today, I wanted to share with your my first pass on this code, which I call the Timeless Leader Oath.

Take a look and I’d love to know - does this resonate? Would you follow it? Is there anything you’d add, change, or take away?

The Timeless Leader Oath

1. I will not try to save the world by myself. I understand progress is a joint effort.

2. I will pursue only as much power as I need to achieve my mission, and nothing more.

3. I will not sacrifice my health, my family, my workers, or my community in the service of a selfish or ego-driven goal.

4. I will dedicate more time to teaching others than I will to directly doing the work, unobserved or unstudied.

5. I will measure my success more by how far I help a movement progress, than by how immortal I render a siloed institution.

6. I will walk away from roles as soon as there's someone else ready and willing to steward its people and mission. I empower others.

7. I will constantly be on the lookout for those people ready to carry the torch.

8. I will lead out loud, and invite criticism. I'll listen and express appreciation when it is given in good faith.

9. I will take responsibility for my actions, own my mistakes, and strive to minimize my individual footprint.

10. I will believe in the potential of all people to do good and focus on making that as easy as possible.

11. I will stand up to bullies and butchers, and will do everything in my power to stop evil with peaceful, democratic means and minimal force.

12. I am more concerned for the safety of others than myself. As I age, I increase my comfort with the reality that I will soon die, and from there I source my courage.

13. As long as children are starving, I will never become a billionaire. I won’t wait to give away my wealth, and I’ll fight to make sure that one person’s avarice is never treated as more important than another person’s right to life.

14. I live with levity. Life is too short to take everything so seriously.

This Week’s Recommendation

Major movements are happening all around us to take responsibility for the fate of our country and not leave it in the hands of a small band of oligarchs.

The next nation-wide day of gathering is Thursday. Check out the map and find a rally to join! As I wrote last week, We the People have tremendous power. Let’s use it.

See you next week,

-Joe “Solemnly swearing” Ballou

PS. We’ve got our next Basecamp call on Thursday. Would you like to join? Upgrade your subscription and you’ll get access to a full year of monthly private group coaching and networking in the Timeless Leader community… and a chance to help shape what we’re building here together.