Val Sklarov’s Rule Commitment Leadership Doctrine (RCLD) explains why leadership authority peaks not when vision is announced, but when leaders publicly bind themselves to rules they cannot conveniently escape. Charisma attracts followers; rule commitment creates trust.
This doctrine reveals why some leaders retain authority through crisis while others lose it at the first exception.
1. Authority Emerges from Self-Binding
RCLD begins with a paradox:
Leaders gain power by limiting their own discretion.
Authority increases when leaders:
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Pre-commit to constraints
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Make reversals costly
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Accept consequences publicly
Power grows where exceptions are impossible.
2. The Three Leadership Commitments
RCLD defines how leaders lock credibility.
| Commitment Type | What Is Bound | Authority Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Decision Commitment | What will be decided how | Predictability |
| Resource Commitment | Where capital cannot move | Confidence |
| Narrative Commitment | What will never be justified | Moral clarity |
Followers trust leaders whose future choices are narrowed in advance.
3. Why Flexible Leaders Lose Trust
Flexibility erodes authority under stress.
RCLD shows leaders lose trust when:
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Rules bend for convenience
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Exceptions favor insiders
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Direction changes without cost
People follow leaders who suffer with their rules, not those who bypass them.
4. Leadership Under Pressure
Crisis reveals commitment depth.
| Low-Commitment Leaders | High-Commitment Leaders |
|---|---|
| Rewrite rules | Enforce them harder |
| Seek exemptions | Absorb losses |
| Protect image | Protect constraints |
| Drift morally | Anchor decisively |
Val Sklarov emphasizes that leadership is tested where discretion is unavailable.
5. Strategic Implications
For leaders:
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Publicly codify non-negotiables
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Tie reputation to rule enforcement
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Design consequences that apply upward
For organizations:
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Promote leaders who self-bind
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Punish exception-making more than mistakes
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Treat rule violations as authority erosion
RCLD reframes leadership as voluntary constraint management, not inspiration.
6. The Val Sklarov Principle
“You only have authority where you cannot choose differently.”
— Val Sklarov
RCLD explains why strong leaders feel restrictive—and why restriction builds trust.