Leadership Stories — How to lead with memorable messaging.

Leaders, I have noticed, tell stories.

Those stories aren’t always long-form. Often, it's a pithy, repeatable phrase that packs a lot of meaning. It is message discipline in the form of aphorisms (a pithy observation that contains a general truth) and axioms (a self-evidently true statement).

Denny Strigl, the former CEO of Verizon Wireless, who oversaw its meteoric growth, had a few. “Inspect what you expect” was an exhortation of accountability and attention to detail. “Shadow of a leader” was a phrase that packed a lot—the idea that everything we do as leaders communicates and has an outsized influence on the team and organization. His successor, Lowell McAdam, employed, “There’s always a higher gear.” An ode to iteration and constant improvement. At Mastercard, former CEO and Chairman Ajay Bhanga encapsulated his vision in “A world beyond cash.” Elon Musk, at SpaceX, goes even bigger—to “make life multiplanetary.”

This truth—that leaders boil down teaching and messaging to a few simple phrases has been around for a long time. It’s not just Stephen Covey, “beginning with the end in mind,” or Tony Robbins, “raising your standards.” The O.G. of leadership maxim-ization adorns the $100 bill—Ben Franklin.

On returning from England in 1726, Franklin started the Junta—a self-help group. He made his fortune in printing, publishing “Poor Richard’s Almanac,” and penned his own leadership guide, “The Way to Wealth,”  in 1751.

Franklin preached practical wisdom and simple rules.

Diligence is the mother of good luck.

This aphorism from Poor Richard’s Almanac in 1736 encapsulates the idea that hard work pays off. It’s an idea that’s been around for a while.

Seneca, the Roman Stoic Philosopher,  said, "Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity." Thomas Jefferson may have picked the sentiment up from Franklin; he said, "I'm a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it." The notion has transcended industries and disciplines. Sam Goldwyn, the film producer, said, “The harder I work, the luckier I get.” Golfer Gary Player borrowed and altered the quip, “The harder I practice, the luckier I get.”

However you phrase it—there’s no substitute for a good work ethic. Emphasizing the value of hard work is never a bad thing. Creating a culture of proactive effort and perseverance improves the odds of success.

Either write something worth reading or do something worth writing.

Franklin wrote this in Poor Richard’s Almanack in 1738. It reflects his belief in making a significant contribution—contributing something valuable and lasting to the world.

The modern version of this is Steve Jobs’s, “We're here to put a dent in the universe. Otherwise, why else even be here?” It’s a refrain you hear in various covers: To make your life a story worth telling. To do work that matters. To inspire and be inspired.

The aphorism elevates the twin virtues of communication and action. Encouraging innovation and creativity, leading by example, and building a legacy. It’s a notion that connects personal contribution and organizational success.

An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.

Another of Franklin’s philosophies from the 1758 edition of Poor Richard’s Almanac—that learning, or knowledge, is the best investment.

Franklin was an avid learner. While he undoubtedly discovered this first-hand, the concept goes back to Aristotle in the 4th century BC, “The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet.” Francis Bacon knew that “Knowledge is power.” Da Vinci was convinced that “Learning never exhausts the mind.” Franklin himself had another—perhaps better— axiom for this, “The only thing more expensive than education is ignorance.”

It’s an idea that’s repeated by Malcolm X, Gandhi, and B.B. King. Be a student. Be a teacher. Leaders who invest in learning and know-how create a footing for future success. Curiosity is the driver of innovation and the foundation of resilience.

Speak little, do much.

Franklin has been credited with other similar sayings; “Well done is better than well said.” —which sadly doesn’t hold as much water as it used to, and "Speak little, listen much, and learn all you can."

This proverbial wisdom of actions outwitting and outweighing words goes back to Confucious, “The superior man is modest in his speech, but exceeds in his actions.” The Roman playwright Plautus picked it up with “Let deeds match words.” In modern idiom, it’s “lead by example,” “walk the talk,” and “show, don’t tell.”

In leadership, showing, not telling, is an astute idea. I’ve written before of the Art Doctrine: “Do something, declare victory, and move on.” Franklin’s commentary is a critical reminder that “the most effective way to do it is to do it.” (Although this version is a cautionary tale, it’s Amelia Earhart’s.)

If you would be served, serve others.

Although not appearing in Poor Richard, this is often attributed to Franklin.

The encouragement of service as a calling dates back to Lao Tzu, “A leader is best when people barely know he exists. When his work is done, his aim fulfilled, they will say: we did it ourselves.” Humble leadership is reflected in the sayings of Gandhi, “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others,” Albert Schweitzer, “The purpose of human life is to serve, and to show compassion and the will to help others,” Martin Luther King, “Everybody can be great, because everybody can serve,” and Mother Teresa, “Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.”

“If you would be served, serve others” is a maxim that promotes servant leadership, builds strong relationships, encourages engagement and a positive work culture. It underscores responsibility and reciprocity.

We must, indeed, all hang together, or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately.

Reputedly, Franklin said this in 1776—a declaration to teamwork and collaboration, spiced with ominous threat.

Again, it’s an old opinion. “United we stand, divided we fall” comes from one of Aesop’s fables, The Four Oxen and the Lion. “All for one and one for all” comes from Dumas’ The Three Musketeers. Shakespeare had it slightly differently, and for once, not quite as catchily, “one for all, or all for one.” Presidents have used it. Abe Lincoln, “A house divided against itself cannot stand.” Kennedy, “United, there is little we cannot do in a host of cooperative ventures. Divided, there is little we can do.”

Variations are a staple of modern leadership axioms. “There’s no I in team.” Collaboration and teamwork are principles laid out in employee handbooks everywhere, from Verizon’s credo: “We know teamwork enables us to serve our customers better and faster,” to Allstate’s shared purpose, “Collective Success,” and “Collaboration: Being united helps us reach collective goals and brings out the best in each of us individually.”

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