A leader’s amazing way to end a call or meeting

Secretary of the Navy Dan A. Kimball, (right), inspects a model of the Navy’s atomic submarine, the Nautilus after presenting Captain Hyman George Rickover, USN, (left), the Gold Star at ceremonies in his office at the Pentagon. (Military.com)

Hyman G Rickover the longest serving member in US armed forces history oversaw the important and risky work of creating the nuclear navy. Where it was (obviously) important to get it right.

One of his keys was recruiting people with potential and then training them to be great.

And, if you have great people, then you should empower them to do the right thing.

After the information had been given, he would end calls and meetings with the simple phrase “do what is right”. By this simple phrase, he would empower his people with a simple concept, “do the right thing”.

He probably didn’t think of the word “empower” or modern business when he said this. But so many teams I’ve worked with would be improved by this simple empowering phrase.

Forget all the BS, all the politics, ego, and so on. Merely, do what is right.