The third no-cost leadership principle is Growth. Investing in growth and development is crucial for success at the individual and organizational level. However, fostering growth without breaking the bank necessitates a strategic approach.

The second no-cost leadership principle is Trust. When there’s trust, people feel valued, respected, and empowered to contribute their best efforts. From my perspective, trust matters simply because we spend so much of our lives at work. It’s a long time to spend feeling uncertain and unsafe. This is a big topic, and for many folks it’s an unfortunate reality that trust does not seem possible.

On March 2, 2020, I started in a new role heading up a new team – I was thrilled for the opportunity, and ready to dive in. Two weeks later, as we wrapped up the day on Friday, March 13, I said to a co-worker, “You might want to forward your desk phone to your cell phone. I don’t think we’re coming back on Monday.”