Principle-Driven Leadership

Rami, you have been recognized by numerous organizations for exemplary leadership, what are your guiding principles for leadership success? Is there a Rami Rahim playbook?

I don’t know if there’s a playbook, per se. I do think I abide by a certain set of principles in what I do day in and day out. I think maybe I’d start with just being authentic. I think the chemistry that binds teams together is trust. And to make trust a value in your team, in your organization, in your company, you need to really be authentic. And in fact, it’s not even enough to be authentic, you need to champion authenticity, when you see it, you need to celebrate it.
I think the second thing is to lead by example. And I know it’s a bit cliche, but words only go so far. And at the end of the day, it really comes down to what you do and how you do it. If you want people at your company to operate and work with integrity, then you’ve got to do the same. If you want people to be honest and to speak up and share what’s on their mind, then you’ve got to do the same. I also think, being kind, I think you still have to make the tough decisions as a leader. And those tough decisions might affect people negatively. But you can always do it with respect and to do it with dignity.
And then maybe last is just being optimistic always. You know, there’s sort of two types of people in the world: those that suck energy and those that exude energy. And as a leader, you have to be a generator of energy, because people thrive off of that energy. And I think that energy starts with optimism. Even in the face of adversity, you have to believe that a path forward, that success is possible. And I think that’s a really important principle that I always abide by.