This is a continuation of my blog series on Personal Leadership

The 9^th Law is the Law of the Ladder.  This ties to John Maxwell’s Law of the Lid.  Your organization can only grow to where you are in leadership.  If you have a cap on your leadership then your business growth will reflect that cap.  The same is true personally.  Character growth determines the height of our personal growth.  We all must have a solid foundation.  Just like my house, if the foundation isn’t built on solid rock, level, and firm, then the house will sway with the wind, storms, and weather.  We are the same way.  If your character isn’t firm, we aren’t firm on our character and values.  Each new idea, situation, and opportunity will cause the ladder of our life to sway and sometimes fall.  I often see this in business.  Owners have a firm course of action until something comes along that is a new bright shinny object.  Their focus, thoughts, and activity follow this new shinny object.  Then we wonder why the results desired aren’t what we wanted, we aren’t getting ahead, and the profits we depended on are negative and not positive.

What is your character?  What are your values?  I look at these as nonnegotiable.  These are the items that if you had to compromise, a piece of you would die.  A value to me is my spiritual compass and guide to a fulfilled and meaningful life.

My values are:

Relationships:  With God, Family and Friends and clients

Freedom:  One reason I own my own business, desire to have control, ability to travel

Congruent:  Being true to my word

Mental Growth:  Desire to learn

Health:  Desire to not be dependent on others as I age

Financial Independence:  Desire to not be in debt, not rely on others for financial matters

Structure:  Desire to have things in their place and be clean

Challenging:  Never wanting to be bored, always ready to step out of my comfort zone, ready to do new things

So what are yours?