Committed, Competent, Consistent, Courageous, Community, and Character. Donnie’s framework connects the effort it takes to perform with the responsibility people have to one another.
He developed the model by examining what made his own workplace distinctive. In his account, the difference came from people’s daily conduct: how they prepared, followed through, helped, and treated one another.
Give the work the effort you say it deserves.
For Donnie, commitment asks something of you: time, preparation, effort, and sometimes sacrifice. Saying a goal matters is the beginning; choosing to study, practice, and contribute gives that statement substance. Leaders set a demanding standard by taking their own responsibilities seriously and making room for others to do the same.
Ask yourself
What are you making time for that shows your team what matters?
Prepare. Practice. Keep learning.
Capability grows through preparation and repeated practice. Donnie connects competence with the willingness to keep working at the skills a team needs. Leaders have a responsibility to provide tools, feedback, and opportunities to learn; each person has a responsibility to use them. Good intentions need the ability to follow through.
Ask yourself
Which skill does your team need you to develop next?
Meet the standard again tomorrow.
Trust depends on what people can count on each day. Donnie emphasizes the ordinary discipline of preparing, doing the work, and meeting expectations repeatedly. A leader can encourage that discipline and make expectations clear, but each person has to act on it. Consistency turns an occasional strong performance into a dependable contribution.
Ask yourself
What can colleagues reliably expect from you on an ordinary day?
Work beyond the edge of your comfort zone.
Donnie describes courage as the willingness to stretch in order to improve. It can mean attempting unfamiliar work, asking for help, or entering a conversation you would prefer to avoid. Growth requires enough honesty to recognize where you need to change and enough resolve to take the next step.
Ask yourself
Which useful step have you postponed because it feels uncomfortable?
Make service part of an ordinary day.
Community begins with noticing what needs doing and helping. Donnie speaks about service as an everyday responsibility: supporting a colleague, caring for a shared space, or lending a hand without waiting for a formal charity event. Those small actions make responsibility for other people visible and connect the workplace with the wider community.
Ask yourself
Who could use your help today, and what can you do now?
Bring your words, decisions, and actions into line.
Character gives the other principles their direction. Donnie asks leaders to consider whether their conduct matches their stated values, especially when a decision is difficult. One practical test is whether you could explain the choice openly to people whose judgment you respect. Integrity requires taking responsibility for the decision and its effect on others.
Ask yourself
Could you explain your next decision openly to someone you respect?
Preparation supports competence. Repeated follow-through makes commitments credible. Courage asks you to do the difficult work. Community turns service into a habit. Character keeps words, decisions, and actions aligned.
The questions above are a starting point for reflection. Explore the model through The Invisible Foundation, or discuss how to bring the ideas into a speaking session, workshop, or consulting conversation.
Discuss your team
The Six C’s Crew
Educate. Motivate. Inspire.
These questions from Donnie’s leadership discussions are edited for clarity. Use them to open a conversation about how your team works, or explore them with Donnie.
