Four P's of Greatness:
1. Productive
Attitude and hard work are important but they will never be a substitute for skills and ability. You don't have to be a superstar to be Productive, but you do have to be good at what you do. And this, of course, is often much easier said than done.
2. Positive
As simple as it sounds, not everyone believes or is capable of doing this. Many feel if they are Productive, they shouldn't need to be Positive. And while being Positive is like breathing to some, it truly can be very difficult for others. But we believe it is central to greatness. No single thing has so significantly transformed us than the implementation of the Positive P. And it is not like we were so negative before! This emphasis on Positivity has given us new energy that now accompanies everything we do, and it is this energy that fuels us in our quest for greatness. One more important point about Positive? Neutral is not positive. Only Positive is Positive. If you are not actively lifting people up, you are not being Positive.
3. Principle
We all have our beliefs, but one thing we can all agree on is to treat others as we would like to be treated ourselves. When someone is principled, you know how he or she is going to act and you know they can be trusted. There can be no real communication without trust and without communication, nothing can get done. How do we want to be treated? This can also be a tricky thing sometimes. Some like the direct approach. Others prefer a little more subtlety and encouragement. What do we all want? Respect, feedback that is job focused and not personal, encouragement, and a little compassion.
4. Proactive
OK. So someone is great at their job and is positive and principled. To be truly great, however, it is not quite enough. To be truly great you need that something "extra", and that quality we capture in our final P, Proactive. A proactive person doesn't just do his or her job and react to whatever comes at them. By instinct and nature, question, learn, push, and strive. Proactivity is the special sauce of Greatness! It is what causes a person to stop and pick up a piece of trash instead of walking right over it, and it is what causes a boy scout to stop while rushing the way to the ball field to help an old lady across the street. Proactivity is at the heart of our humanity and is ultimately where all innovation and positive change comes from.
One final note on the 4 P's. Perfect is definitely not on the list. We all possess the Four P's to various degrees. One thing we now discuss regularly is that we all have our strong P and our weak P, and how can we work accordingly to look for help from others where we are weak and help others where we are strong. No one gets a perfect score on all four P's though, and that is not only OK, it is actually great, for that is what keeps life and work interesting and fun - the constant challenge to learn, grow and improve.
