3-D MRC Values  


The Three-Dimensional Leader: Negotiating Your Mission, Resources and Context (MRC) is a value system designed to motivate a focus on three essentials.  The most effective leaders 

1. stay focused on the mission the organization wants accomplished;
2. inspire, train, motivate and support people as the chief organizational resource necessary to achieve it, and 
3. understand the context of relevant variables to which the organization continually must adjust to amend operations to fulfill its goals. 

While the “mission, resources and context” model seems simple, sustaining a MRC focus is challenging and rare.  This is because people either fail to fully realize their organization’s mission, or they lose sight of it very quickly in the heat of the moment and when faced with the numerous temptations that distract us to pursue private interests or initiatives. 

Three-dimensional Leaders keep a long range view of the organization’s MRC’s.  Two-dimensional leaders only see one or two of the MRC elements. One-dimensional leaders do not care about their organization’s mission, and instead use their positions to pursue personal agendas.  One-dimensional leadership is all about “me,” not the mission.

What Kind of Leader Are You?   

Even though you may be amazingly talented and charismatic, if you can’t get groups of people to achieve the mission, you are not a 3-D leader. Two-dimensional leaders also fail to treat all the people in the organization objectively. As they play favorites, they set up “us vs. them” dynamics, needlessly pitting members of the organization against each other. 

See In 3-D

Three-Dimensional Leaders discern the context and encourage others to use their gifts, talents and abilities to solve problems that accomplish organizational goals. The 3-D MRC management system improves, oversight, workplaces and organizational performance by promoting better leadership and goal-focused employee behaviors.

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What do you think,? Are these, indeed, the most important leadership values?  

Three-dimensional leaders have these capacities: 

1. to focus long term on the mission the organization is relying upon them to achieve, while avoiding distractions; 
2. to rally resources so people reach their collective potential, and 
3. to convert within the context by strategically guiding the organization to adjust to the ever-changing relevant variables that impacts how the business must operate.  It is this mission, resources, and context (MRC) focus that provides tremendous outcomes for organizations. 

Two-dimensional leaders only perceive just one or two of the MRC operational elements. One-dimensional leaders do not focus on their organizations’ missions, but are enticed by distractions, overwhelmed by insecurities and/or consumed with name recognition, and the perks of power and control.  One-dimensional leadership is all about “me” – not the mission!

Great leaders demonstrate the character and competence to achieve the MRC three-dimensional capacity.  Leadership character means 

• resisting temptations to move the organization in directions that detract from its mission and purpose for existing; 
• knowing how to work with others in open, honest, and selfless ways to motivate what makes the organization successful; and 
• objectively analyzing variables to know which are relevant, and pursuing effective courses of action in relation to them.  

To achieve this three-dimensional leadership capacity requires the ability to “Submit Ego to the Mission” (SEM).  


Many people talk mission, but few keep the best interest of the organization at heart and walk out processes that are consistent with that day in and day out.  Many people say they make the best use of organizational resources, yet they mistreat people, who are the most valuable resource.  Many say they are objective, yet they allow others to leverage relationships to undermine what is best for the organization.  Are you a SEM master?

To get teams to perform well requires leadership to obtain synergy from the members’ diversity, so they work together to achieve “collective competence” as a team.  Consider football teams.   A football team needs people whose physical nature and psychology make them excellent offensive linemen.  It also needs some people whose bodies and mental chemistry make them good defensive linemen.  Teams need quarterbacks that are good at throwing, and tight ends and wide receivers whose bodies have longer limbs and arms that are great for running swiftly and catching things coming at them from various angles. Football teams also need running backs who bodies are powerful and agile to dart in and out of tight spots to outmaneuver others. There are other smaller, skinny people on football teams who are good at kicking.  Without this diversity, a football team cannot be successful. 

The challenge for a team getting synergy from its diversity is that each of the different players approaches the mission from varying psychological viewpoints.  An offensive lineman is wired to protect. The running back is wired to avoid others and run over those who can’t be avoided. The mind-set of a defensive lineman is to catch and tackle others aggressively. The mental focus of a quarterback is to hang tough and do whatever it takes to deliver the ball to another player.  A kicker is focused on accurately placing the ball onto various sections of the field or through the goal posts.  

A leader must understand the gifts, perspectives and roles individuals can contribute, and must motivate and inspire them to participate as effective team members. to achieve the mission that matters most. Are you the type of leader who can coach your team’s diverse perspectives and viewpoints so they achieve cooperative synergy to win for the organization?

The Penn State scandal has people calling for board oversight reforms.  Changes only are as effective as the character of the people they involve.  Character results from the values that motivate behaviors. The Peter Principle results when people get promoted but fail to learn new values and skills to handle the new responsibilities. 

Power Drunk People

The Three-Dimensional Leader: Negotiating Your Mission, Resources and Context, asks: “What is the difference between someone who is intoxicated on power and someone who is on drugs or alcohol?  You get erratic behaviors from both, including loss of mission focus, lying and mismanagement.” 

Success Stimulated the Peter Principle 

Perhaps leaders at Penn State became drunk on success, which blinded them to holding accountable convicted child molester, Jerry Sandusky, who was perceived as contributing to and perpetuating it.  Thus Joe Paterno, and three other former top university officials failed to report a 2001 incident, which could have halted Sandusky’s abusive activities.

Character Cultivates Culture 

Culture is at the core of these types of challenges that Penn State and other organizations face.  The Three-Dimensional Leader notes: 

The quality of leadership determines the quality of followership. For the members of an organization to attain the collective achievement for which they have been gathered together ... requires them to be led at all stratums by leaders ... who understand the corporate mission, appreciate the complexity of their human resources, and know how to negotiate the context so the resources effectively are positioned to achieve their goals.  Because people only can do what they know, it is essential ... [they] be learners ... of [III-D] managerial leadership.

Three-Dimensional Leadership provides a system of values that guides people to understand how to negotiate the context of what makes the organization great by doing their specific, individual parts to contribute to what supports its overall objectives. 

This cultivates human capital with the cultural fit to contribute consistent conduct from the boardroom to the mailroom, thus securing the organization’s long term effectiveness.