The Ballard Rules
Small Unit Leadership
by
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Everyone Wants to Be on a Good Team
No one shows up on the first day and says,“I think I’ll be the worst employee I can be.” It just doesn’t happen. Most people want to work for a company in order to provide for life’s necessities, to connect with a certain community, or possibly to improve themselves. Some people join organizations, such as nonprofits, in order to further a cause in which they believe. In any case, absolutely no one joins a company or an organization to do a bad job. No matter what circumstances caused a person to join a company or an organization, a person inevitably walks in the door wanting to do a good job for what he or she hopes is a top-notch outfit. Poor performance is usually a learned, or even worse, an expected behavior.
The very important corollary to this thought is that good people want to be around other good people. They don’t want to belong to an organization that tolerates bad behavior or lack of direction, and they will actively seek to move out of the organization if at all possible. This has enormous implications for volunteer organizations, but also impacts for-profit companies if the economy is doing well.Therefore, it’s incumbent on the leader of any organization to realize he or she must strive to develop a good team that people actively seek out. This means setting realistic standards of behavior and objectives for productivity; good, motivated workers find standards and objectives comforting because they are not ambiguous. It also means creating a positive atmosphere where people feel comfortable to work and develop. Ideally, employees should want to come to work because the work environment is enjoyable. A good work environment also enhances performance.
If you don’t create the proper work environment, then your good, talented people will leave as soon as another opportunity presents itself.If I ever had another lightbulb moment in leadership, this was it:
As the commanding officer of a recruiting station, I had a number of very competent recruiters. However, I was being forced to accept as a substation commander a senior noncommissioned officer (staff NCO in the Marines) who had burned too many bridges at another recruiting station in the Midwest.
Within the first month, this new staff NCO committed an ethics violation. As was my custom with sensitive issues, I discussed this matter with my trusted advisors, one of whom was my senior recruiter trainer. He was an exceptionally professional Marine with a great sense of humor. When I asked him what he thought I should do, he looked me dead in the eye and said, “Sir, I don’t want to belong to a unit that would have a guy like him in it.”That got my attention. I realized right then that if I did not deal with the unethical behavior, I would soon be losing the trust and respect of all my very competent, professional staff NCOs. Certainly performance throughout the command would suffer.
I had multiple courses of action available to me, but I did what I thought was right for all concerned. The disciplinary action I took allowed the Marines to maintain pride in their unit, thereby saving the performance and morale of the command. Once my senior recruiter trainer told me he did not want to belong to a unit with unethical personnel, the choice was clear, because everybody wants to be on a good team.
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About the Book
“Lots of people write leadership books, but Greg Ballard had the confidence to put his own advice into practice personally. This new edition is full of great counsel, all road-tested in one of the toughest leadership challenges our society has to offer”
-Mitch Daniels, former governor of the state of Indiana and president of Purdue University
“Greg Ballard has formulated a remarkable list of rules for successful leadership and demonstrated their validity with historic service as mayor of Indianapolis”
-Richard G. Lugar, United States senator [ret.]
“Greg Ballard was an extraordinary mayor. He was an exceptional leader and served with humility, passion, creativity, integrity, inclusion, and the highest possible aspiration for his city. He did all of this with compassion, kindness, and unusual commitment. He and his wife are great parents and, working together, gave our community terrific leadership”
-James T. Morris, vice chairman of Pacers Sports & Entertainment
Drawing on his experiences in the US Marines, in the corporate world, as a coach, and as a small-business owner, Greg Ballard now publishes his concise yet definitive guide for new, junior-, and middle-level leaders. In addition to the realities, traits, and principles explained in the book, he also details the two overarching responsibilities of leadership and gives the three indicators of effective leadership. He also explains the relationship between responsibility, accountability, and authority. Additionally included are fourteen other thoughts, which are of great value.
The accumulated knowledge in this valuable book will greatly benefit not only individuals in positions of responsibility but also those companies or organizations that have multiple levels of leadership.
About the Author
Grag Ballard graduated from Indiana University. He served twenty-three years in the US Marine Corps, is a distinguished graduate of the Marine Corps Command and Staff College, also receiving his master’s degree in 1997.
After transitioning to the corporate world, Greg ran for public office, serving two successful terms as mayor of Indianapolis.
In his book, The Ballard Rules: Small Unit Leadership, Greg presents the leadership ideas he utilized as a marine, in the corporate world, and as mayor. He and his wife, Winnie, live in Indianapolis. They have two grown children, Erica and Greg Jr. Visit his website at smallunitleader.com or contact him on Twitter at @smunitleader.