20 Helpful Principles To Boost Your Courage To Speak Up

Video Transcript

When I worked at Johnson & Johnson, I learned how powerful a credo is.

A credo is a set of principles that reflect founding values and beliefs. Your principles are your strength. For example, J&J prioritizes people over profits. They also made their credo public.

Leaders at J&J consulted their credo to deal with difficult situations.

• When the strategy plan was unclear
• During crisis management
• When making difficult decisions
• When solving diverging views

Here are some of the critical moments in their history that was guided by their founding values shared in their credo.

• When they went public, they communicated their credo to shareholders saying their commitment to consumers, employees, and community came before shareholders.
• During the great depression, not only did they not lay off their employees, they also advocated on behalf of all American workers by writing to the president at the time to request for higher wages and lower working hours.
• When 7 people died while consuming their Tylenol medication, they recalled 31 million bottles of that medication worldwide and offered replacement free of charge, costing them more than $100 million dollars. Then they focused on R&D to create a the first tamper-evident packaging.

Ray Dalio, the founder of the hedge fund Bridgewater Associates,  also created and published the set of principles that guide his company and his own life. He even wrote a book about it.

Do you have your own credo? Are you clear on what your principles are? Do you have a list of principles that can help you boost your courage to speak up for what’s important to you?

If not, let me help you create one. Here are 20 principles that can guide you to become more courageous, confident, and assertive. Choose what you like the most and change it to suit your own principles and beliefs.

IDENTITY

1. I am thoughtful, kind, and respectful but without omission.
   • I am nice in my approach but honest in my message.
2. I seek respect not liking.
   • I seek respect instead of trying to make everyone like, approve, and agree with me. I am not just a nice girl or a nice guy. I am much more.
3. I am exclusive, not generic.
   • I am not for everyone, therefore I am more exclusive. I’m not a generic, I’m a brand name. I know my value and my worth.
4. I value myself so I commit to “me” moments every day.
   • I get to know myself incredibly well. I am my best friend, that is why I am my best advocate. I treat myself to daily gifts and special moments. I focus on my well-being.

SPEAK UP

5. I make myself
   • I take it upon myself to ensure others know and understand my ideas, desires, and goals. I am responsible for communication that serves me.
6. I speak my mind, heart, and soul when it matters.
   • I speak up for what I believe in. I will express my ideas, feelings, and dreams.
7. I agree to disagree.
   • I am ok with disagreement. I understand disagreement is often the path to agreement, innovation, and breakthroughs.
8. I cultivate courage every day to express my personal freedom.
   • I speak up and ask for help when needed.

OWNERSHIP

9. I champion my dreams even if others don’t like it.
   • I refuse to kill my dream or my character because of what others think. I believe in myself.
10. I protect my energy and time like there’s no tomorrow.
    • My time is my life and my energy is my most precious resource. I will honor and protect them from anything that is not aligned with my values, purpose, and dreams.
11. I own my power, decisions, and happiness; I don’t seek permission.
    • I won’t let anyone eclipse my sun. I own my life and career. I will not give away my power to others. I don’t diminish myself for those that have a problem with my success.
12. I don’t react; I give myself the time I need to respond.
    • I give myself permission to pause, delay, and think before replying to requests or responding to criticism, even if just for a minute.

MINDSET

13. I get excited with uncomfortable conversations because of what lies on the other side.
    • Uncomfortable conversations precede comfortable relationships. Some of the best things in life are on the other side of uncomfortable conversations. I will overcome my discomfort to advance my dreams.
14. I crush my relationship dramas with
    • I don’t create or accept drama. I understand drama is full of assumptions, blame, and judgement. Instead, I tackle drama with genuine curiosity so that I can get to facts and problem-solve.
15. I lead my decisions and actions with purpose, leadership, and integrity.
    • I focus on key values instead of the immediacy of my performance. I understand that I don’t need to excel on my performance to achieve my desired outcome. I will keep an eye on the prize, not on other’s judgement.
16. I lead with vision not fear.
    • I am the kind of leader that doesn’t fear the fear. I am the kind of leader that follows the vision no matter what.

ACTION

17. I bias towards action.
    • I overcome fear through action. I understand that action-taking gives me invaluable insights that helps me find clarity and confidence to continue to move forward. I don’t fear the fear. I fear the lack of fear.
18. I show up fully, show my talent, and play big unapologetically.
    • I will be authentic and will show case my gifts, work, and smarts. I will be successful even if it’s uncomfortable for others to see my success.
19. I seek cordial conflict.
    • Conflict is not the problem, conflict is the way to solve the problem. I understand that conflict is a good thing when dealt with in the right way. It can strengthen relationships and fix problems. Therefore, I seek it because I know how useful it can be.
20. I celebrate my progress.
    • I celebrate myself and I invite others to celebrate with me. I reflect on what went well every week.

Place your credo on your computer screen saver, print and frame it, or write it down on your journal. Revise it often. Share it with others. And incorporate them into your life.