In life, all the rewards go to those who actually get things done. They go to those who have the discipline to do what they have set out to do. The rewards go to you.

Decide right now, what it is that you want, and what behaviors will give it to you.

Once you have decided what needs to be done, there are five steps to developing the discipline needed to do it. I've shared when to get things done, now let's look at how.

Step 2: How Now that you have decided what needs to be done and you have decided when to do it, the next step is to determine the guidelines on how it is going to be done.

This may sound simple, but it can actually be a little bit tricky. The reason is that even the most disciplined people and organizations often require flexibility to deal with changing situations on the front lines.

So when it comes to the "how," there is a choice that needs to be made.

Some things need to be carried out in accordance with predetermined procedures. There is little room for variation. The procedure must be followed.

Other things need to be carried out based on established principles. There is more flexibility here for individual thought and decision making at the time of execution so long as the principles are adhered to and the end results are achieved.

Discipline requires a decision: Should behavior follow a predetermined process? Or, should it be empowered based on established principles?

In either case, for discipline to be effective, principles and procedures need to be established in advance to guide people's behavior.

You can think of it this way:

Principles are rules or ideas that guide people's behaviors, such as "Treat the customer with respect," "Always act with integrity," or "Put quality first."

Procedures, on the other hand, lay out in detail what actions need to be taken and in what order, such as "Seal the envelope, apply a 25¢ stamp to the upper right-hand corner of the envelope, and then place the envelope in the postbox."

Principles are used to govern behavior in situations where people are highly competent and where a great deal of leeway is required on the ground to adapt to changing circumstances.

Procedures are well suited to situations where more consistency is required, where people lack the competence to make decisions on their own, or where the environment is fixed and little adaptation is required.

About the Author

James Skinner is a world-renowned business man and philosopher. He is recognized as one of the world's foremost business thinkers and appears regularly on Japanese television. He has built two global financial groups that manage billions in client assets. His success is limitless, and he can show you how to achieve your own greatness. Get his valuable insight at http://www.IdeasThatCanChangeYourLife.com.