From watching many leaders in action, I've observed that they have a pretty good checklist mentally, but in practice they fail to apply it. It's the knowing-doing gap.

It's one thing to know the principles and express them verbally. But it's a behavioral leap to translate those principles into what you actually do. It's a fast-moving world, and you have to and complexity. A checklist that you review daily can trigger action. If you aren't mindful of doing this day to day, you're going to lose some of your edge. You will be less able to get people to stay focused.

When life is good and unchanging, the discretionary impact that leaders have is modest. The consequences of someone in a position of responsibility failing to lead right now are greater, whether that's at a hospital, in a community, at the head of a business or a country.

Being very determined to know what your own checklist should be and having it ready to apply has become more vital.