Discipline: The Choice That Makes The Difference
Do you have the discipline you need to achieve what you really want?
If you find this weeks post helpful hit the ❤️ button at the top of this email so that more leaders can find it.
Flexibility is something many of us crave - whether it’s more control over our schedules, the freedom to focus on what really matters, or the space to pursue personal ambitions alongside professional responsibilities.
But here’s the catch. If you want more flexibility, you need more discipline.
Flexibility and discipline are two sides of the same coin. The more freedom you give yourself, the more you’ll need to manage competing demands, stay focused, and hold yourself accountable. It’s about making intentional choices that align with what you want to achieve - both in your work and in your life.
Think about it: if you want freedom in your diary, you need the discipline to set boundaries and prioritise what matters most. If you’re aiming for financial freedom, you need the discipline to save and spend wisely.
The relationship between flexibility and discipline might look something like this:
For leaders, discipline isn’t just a personal trait; it’s a leadership superpower. It allows you to stay clear-headed in the face of competing demands, model focus and commitment for your team, and drive meaningful progress towards your goals.
In fact discipline is one of the underlying, yet often unspoken behaviours really required for success. Organisations place a lot of emphasis on establishing clearer, smarter KPI’s; embedding reporting frameworks, and fixing deadlines. But strip these all back and at their core, what those frameworks and processes are often are trying to replace is discipline.
The challenge is that all of these layers, structures and systems exist to keep people accountable often result in more emphasis being placed on compliance and rule following; rather than valuing the behaviour of discipline; where people act because they want to.
Netflix is an interesting case study here with which you may well be familiar; their expenses policy is just five words long; ‘Act in Netflix’s best interest’.
That much freedom relies on discipline; not just from individual team members, but also the discipline of managers to trust, and not overly manage or control.
Most organisations will never go this far, nor will they want to.
Yet it poses a question about what level of self discipline is needed for you - and your organisation - to sustain the optimum working levels needed to succeed?
Here are four things to help you think deeper about discipline today.
Wise words: Jim Rohn famously said:
Take a moment to think about your own habits and priorities:
What are the top three goals you’re working towards right now? What kind of discipline do they require from you?
When have you shown great discipline in the past? What did it take to stay on track?
What small changes could you make to build more discipline into your daily routines?
Discipline Equals Freedom: Jocko Willink, a former Navy SEAL, sums it up perfectly: “Discipline equals freedom.” This idea applies at every level of leadership. The more disciplined you are, the more space you create - for innovation, growth, and the flexibility you value so highly.
Freedom doesn’t come from having no structure - it comes from having just enough discipline to keep you moving in the right direction. For leaders, that means showing up consistently, making intentional decisions, and staying true to your long-term goals.
If this is true, reflect on the level of freedom you want. What level of discipline are you prepared to embrace to achieve it?
You can find a link to Jocko’s book by clicking on the image below.
Lead it: Discipline doesn’t have to feel restrictive or heavy. It’s not about micromanaging yourself or your team. It’s about focusing your energy where it matters most and being consistent, even when it’s hard.
Introducing a new strategy is never sufficient on its own to drive culture change. Transforming a culture starts with the executive team and leaders demonstrating the behaviours you want first, consistently. So if you want more discipline, it starts with you.
Think about your day to day working practices, your internal communications and major programmes. Ask yourself:
Where would you place your Executive Team and leaders on the spectrum of discipline?
What behaviours would you see more of if it moved to the left?
And what would that make possible for your business?
Create: Discipline isn’t about giving up freedom - it’s about creating it. It’s the foundation that helps you turn ambitions into achievements, while still leaving room for flexibility and growth.
So, as you think about the year ahead, ask yourself:
What level of discipline will it take to achieve your goals?
How will you balance freedom with focus to get there?
What’s one small change you can make today to build the discipline you need?
If you find this helpful, please share it with your friends and colleagues.
Meantime if you haven’t already, you can subscribe to receive the next issue straight to your inbox.
