Leadership … Continued Discussion 11/1/09

In this post I want to touch on chance-taking.  We all have our comfort zones, those places wherein we tend to rebuff change for the sake of personal safety, but leaders need to be willing to take chances and to move in new directions if they are to make their intended difference.  Ovid captured this well in writing that “Chance is always powerful.  Let your hook be always cast; in the pool, where you least expect it, there will be a fish.” And Emerson said very much the same, “Do not go where the path may lead … go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” Successful leaders are gamblers to a degree … fully informed gamblers I would hope, but gamblers nonetheless.  Running in place simply allows the competition to gain on you or to advance beyond you … especially in this day wherein technology fuels change at an amazing rate.  Successful leaders continuously embrace change.

And this is where I will quote Eleanor Roosevelt, “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” Leaders believe in themselves and in their dreams, and they know how to inspire others to believe as well.  And I will also quote Jane Gentry, “Dare to be remarkable.” Remarkable leaders reside outside of traditional comfort zones … they routinely take calculated chances.  They do not hesitate to cast their fate into the hands of those who reside above them so that their mission or that of the organization they serve might be furthered.  They put their dreams and visions above personal safety.

So, what is it inside of us that gives us the will to embrace risk for the sake of something greater?  Character, dedication, commitment and a number of other words come to mind, but the short of it is that leaders need to make a difference and are willing to put themselves in harm’s way to make it happen.  And here is where I will quote T. S. Eliot, “Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far they can go.” To succeed as leaders, we must be willing to take chances and to risk personal jeopardy in the process.  Taking chances, and being fully transparent and accountable in the process, is a huge part of realizing success within the leadership ranks … regardless of the rung on the ladder on which we might be standing.

Author Cross-reference:

Ralph Waldo Emerson: Also see post 5/26/10

Ovid: None

Eleanor Roosevelt: None

Jane Gentry: None

T. S. Eliot: None

Key Word Cross-reference

Chance Taking: Also see posts 12/12/08, 3/25/09, 7/7/09, 3/12/10, 3/29/10

Character/Integrity: Also see posts 2/3/09, 2/6/09, 3/16/09, 5/1/09, 6/5/09, 8/17/09, 12/5/09

Leadership … Continued Discussions 10/26/09

In this post I want to discuss a quote from Henry David Thoreau that I feel represents one of the keys to being able to lead others successfully.  It is not flashy, not even poetic; it is a simple statement of what makes almost all of us tick … of what makes us want to follow another, to embrace a strategy, and to want to make a difference.  The quote is as follows, ” The greatest compliment that was ever paid me was when someone asked me what I thought and attended to my answer.”

In order t0 lead there must be those who would follow our lead.  But it is difficult to want to follow someone’s lead if you do not feel that you are valued … that you can contribute and make a difference.  To be sure there are many other reasons for wanting to jump onto someone’s bus, but I feel strongly that there is no greater reason than that stated above.  An effective leader is an inclusive leader … someone who proactively seeks out the thinking of others and seriously considers that input.  And for that would-be follower, there is no greater enticement to jump onto that person’s bus than to know that your input is valued and will contribute in some way (even if just to be genuinely considered) to decisions made.

This is a win – win thing that I am talking about.  For the leader, input, especially when diverse, truly will paint a clearer picture of what is real or will likely materialize … thereby enabling clearer decisions to be made.  For the follower, knowing that you are part of what is happening and that to a degree you are invested in decision making  that may even help to determine your own fate is central to feeling that you are making a difference.  We all need to be needed, whether we admit it or not.  The inclusive leader focuses on that need and continuously nurtures a response to it.

But there is another element of this reality that is absolutely crucial.  Such leaders must understand and believe that they do not possess all of the answers and that absolutely anyone within the ranks could have at their fingertips that critical piece of information that can lead to a better decision.  If their belief in this is shallow or non existent and input received is input quickly discarded, disenchantment will soon follow.  People understand when a request for input is genuine, and when it is not … that input will soon cease to surface.

I have experienced association presidents who listen to input, seem to consider it carefully and even embrace it, and who repeatedly rejoin the conversation the next day with a brand new direction arrived at overnight.  I have also worked with executive directors and other senior staff who seek-out the input of others but, likewise, seem to consistently revert to their own thinking in the end.  Independent epiphanies most certainly can occur and individuals in leadership roles will often have the better view of things, but when there is consistency attached to going down your own road while leaving the input of others on the sides of those roads … this is when those below the leadership ranks begin to lose their enthusiasm to participate.  And, when that happens, team energy and synergy suffer attrition as well.

Leaders grow those around them by believing in them and involving them.  In the process, they grow their own effectiveness.

Author Cross-reference:

Henry David Thoreau: None

Key Word Cross-reference:

Authentic/Believable/Genuine: Also see posts 1/2/09, 1/28/09, 2/18/09, 2/25/09, 3/16/09, 12/5/09, 1/4/10, 2/24/10, 5/26/10

Inclusive/Open/Honest/Transparent: Also see posts 12/12/08, 4/20/09, 5/1/09, 7/7/09, 8/3/09, 11/11/09, 1/29/10, 2/24/10, 5/26/10

Listening: Also see posts 8/3/09, 9/9/09, 1/29/10, 3/29/10

Mentoring/Nurturing/Developing: Also see posts 12/8/08, 12/12/08, 1/13/09, 2/6/09, 2/28/09, 6/5/09, 7/7/09, 9/9/09, 9/15/09, 12/5/09, 1/6/10, 3/29/10

Leadership … Continued Discussion 9/26/09

In this post I want to break tradition and discuss part of a leadership definition that I coined several years ago, “… a leader is someone who wants and needs to make a difference … a person with passion and commitment.”

Through better than three decades in nonprofit management, I have witnessed a full range of leadership qualities … some good, some bad and just about everything in between.  And one quality that has always been evident in the best of the leaders with whom I have worked has been a genuine love of what they do … an absolute passion if you will.  For some, this has simply been a deep-rooted need to make a difference.  For others it has been a love of the profession of association management.  And for still others the passion has been centered around the cause or profession served by the organization.

For me, it has been a mix of all three.  I cannot just do, I need to be doing things that will make a difference.  I also love what I do … nonprofit management is a difficult line of work (for the CEO, as each year brings a new president to the board of directors so too does it bring a new boss for the chief staff executive … which can make life quite interesting), but it is a wonderful and very rewarding line of work.  I cannot imagine doing anything else.  And, it is important to me that I work for an employer in whose mission I can thoroughly invest myself.

But this post is not intended to be about the road I have traveled but to focus aspiring leaders on the importance of being thoroughly committed to the work one does.  Whether at the bottom of the ladder or the top, the response should be the same … doing the best job possible so as to maximize the quality of the impact made.  I cannot emphasize enough how important this is … to feeling good about oneself and to paving the way to new opportunities.  If you genuinely care and unselfishly put yourself into what you do, you will make a greater difference and your efforts will stand out.  As well, your level of commitment will improve the game of those around you … especially if your efforts are of the unselfish sort.  Care about what you do and care about those with whom you work.  Genuinely caring makes all the difference in the world.

I have worked with some outstanding managers who have been more focused on themselves than others, none of whom reached their full potential.  I have also worked with some very good managers who consistently exceeded expectations … because they never put themselves first.  And this gets back to the importance of needing to make a difference and of putting oneself fully into the pursuit … of being passionately committed to the cause.

Care about what you do, and you will make a difference.  And in my book there is nothing more important in work life than to utilize one’s talents to the greatest extent possible to make a difference.  This is what shapes a person into the leader-aspired-to-be, and this is what paints a person for all to see.

Author Cross-reference:

Steven H. Davis: Also see posts 5/11/10, 5/26/10

Key Word Cross-references:

Commitment: None

Making a Difference: 2/24/10

Passion: Also see posts 6/26/09, 12/5/09, 2/24/10

Leadership … Continued Discussion 9/15/09

In this post I want to follow up my 1/28/09 post wherein I quoted Scott Geller, a Virginia Tech professor.  Specifically, I want to focus on this last part of the quote given in that earlier post, “authentic leaders … demonstrate self-discipline to continuously improve.” And in following up, I want  to provide several quotes from Remarkable Leadership, a book authored by Kevin Eikenberry.  The first quote is, “What makes us remarkable are those skills at which we truly excel.” And the second quote I want to share, under a section titled Strengthening Strengths Versus Working on Weaknesses, is “… it makes sense for you to spend at least as much time strengthening your strengths as working on your weaknesses.”

It is so very important to continuously work toward improvement, whether we are at the first rung on our employment ladder or the last.  But that pursuit needs to be thoroughly thought out so that the impact on one’s growth will be all that it can be.  That said, for much of my professional career, as I am sure is the case for many others, I focused on my weaknesses … thinking that overcoming them would get me further down the improvement road than working on those skills I already possessed.  But I had it all wrong, as Eikenberry clearly points out.  One certainly needs to work on their weaknesses, but it is equally important if not more important to focus on growing those abilities at which we already excel.  No matter how good we are at something, there is always room for improvement.  And not pursuing that improvement lessens the opportunity to maximally impact our goals and objectives.

And this leads me to share another book, Strengths Finder 2.0, by Tom Rath.  This text and an accompanying online assessment tool are built on 40 years of Gallup data on the subject of human strengths.  The following quote underscores Eikenberry’s contention, “Society’s relentless focus on people’s shortcomings had turned into a global obsession.  What’s more, we had discovered that people have several times more potential for growth when they invest energy in developing their strengths instead of correcting their deficiencies.” Focusing ongoing energy on growing strengths should be a part of every leader’s development plan.

But this is not the end of this line of thinking … it is equally important to ensure that leaders have a similar focus when mentoring and growing (and utilizing) those whom they lead.  Rath underscores this in the following statement, “… our studies indicate that people who do have the opportunity to focus on their strengths every day are six times as likely to be engaged in their jobs and more than three times as likely to report having an excellent quality of life in general.” In guiding their employees and followers in their own pursuit of improvement, leaders should ensure that there is an adequate focus on growing strengths, and then those leaders should ensure that those employees have as much opportunity as possible to tap those strengths in their day-to-day activities.

Growing and utilizing strengths are critical components of success, pure and simple.

Author Cross-references:

Scott Geller: Also see posts 12/12/08, 2/18/09

Kevin Eikenberry: 11/20/09, 1/4/10

Tom Rath: None

Key Word Cross-references:

Engaging: Also see post 8/3/09

Growth: Also see post 1/28/09

Mentoring/Nurturing/Developing: Also see posts 12/8/08, 12/12/09, 1/13/09, 2/6/09, 2/28/09, 6/5/09, 7/7/09, 9/9/09, 10/26/09, 12/5/09, 1/6/10, 3/29/10

Leadership … Continued Discussion 9/9/09

In this post I want to surface a quote from Ken Blanchard, the author of The Heart of a Leader, in which this quote appeared, and other important texts in management and leadership.  And the quote I want to discuss is, “An effective leader will make it a priority to help his or her people produce good results in two ways: making sure people know what their goals are and doing everything possible to support, encourage, and coach them to accomplish those goals.” This quote fits hand in hand with the D. Michael Abrashoff quote given in my 5/17/09 post, “A great leader defines excellence and then inspires his team to exceed it by encouraging creativity and innovative business practices.” Both quotes speak to providing clear and specific guidance and then inspiring and supporting excellence in the pursuit of goal attainment.

I am a strong believer in hiring the “right” people, growing them to another level, and providing them with everything they need to succeed at their jobs, whether that be providing resources or empowerment or encouragement.  And this touches on yet another quote from Blanchard, “… the best leaders are those who understand that their power flows through them, not from them.” To grow the kind of workplace environment that breeds success, leaders must be openly and honestly invested in those whom they lead.  They must grow and mentor their charges whenever possible … not just when it is most convenient for the leader.  They must make them part of the decision-making process.  They must empower them to utilize their abilities and take action.  And, they must encourage them through good times and bad.  Effective leaders are part of the answer, not the answer.  They facilitate, encourage and inspire.

It is too, too easy for a leader to overly lean on their successes and believe that they alone have the true vision necessary to define the road to success.  When I have witnessed this occurrence in staffs and boards alike, especially if a reoccurring theme, I have also witnessed diminishing involvement on the part of those who would follow such a leader.  And once the input of others becomes minimized, so too do decisions-made become less rich.  The diversity of opinion to be found within a stakeholder community can paint a very different picture than the one that a single person would arrive at.  An effective leader proactively seeks the input of others and modifies his/her thinking accordingly.  To do otherwise diminishes the opportunity for success to be achieved and diminishes the strength and vibrancy within a following … further impacting success.

Looking again at Blanchard’s opening quote in this post, involving others in the process and providing a very clear definition of what success looks like creates a strong foundation upon which success can indeed be built.  Then, it is an ongoing process of the leader serving as an effective sounding board and ensuring that all necessary resources and support are provided to ensure that his/her charges have every opportunity to succeed at their pursuits that ensures such.

Author Cross-references:

Ken Blanchard: Also see posts 3/29/10, 4/19/10, 5/11/10

D. Michael Abrashoff: Also see posts 5/17/09, 7/7/09

Key Word Cross-references:

Communication/Effective Speaking: Also see posts: 12/12/08, 3/4/09, 5/17/09, 6/26/09, 7/7/09, 11/20/09, 1/4/10, 1/29/10, 2/24/10

Empowerment: Also see posts 12/12/08, 1/16/09, 2/18/09, 5/17/09

Encouragement: Also see post: 1/13/09, 3/29/10

Inspiration/Motivation: Also see posts 1/16/09, 2/3/09, 2/18/09, 2/25/09, 5/17/09, 6/5/09, 6/26/09, 2/18/10, 2/24/10, 5/11/10

Listening: Also see post 8/3/09, 10/26/09, 1/29/10, 3/29/10

Mentoring/Nurturing/Developing: Also see posts 12/8/08, 12/12/08, 1/13/09, 2/6/09, 2/28/09, 6/5/09, 7/7/09, 9/15/09, 10/26/09, 12/5/09, 1/6/10, 3/29/10

Workplace Environment: Also see posts 12/12/08, 1/28/09, 2/6/09, 2/19/09, 7/7/09, 8/3/09, 1/6/10, 4/19/10

Leadership … Continued Discussion 8/17/09

In this post I want to visit a quote from Abigail Adams, in a 1780 letter from her to her son John Quincy Adams (as it appeared in the introduction to the 2003 revised edition of Warren Bennis’ On Becoming A Leader).  The quote reads as follows, “It is not in the still calm of life or the repose of a pacific station that great characters are formed.  The habits of a vigorous mind are formed in contending with difficulty.  Great necessities call out great virtues.”

How correct her words!  Character does not simply evolve … it is shaped by the experiences one has, and what greater experience than to be tested in difficult and trying times.  Today’s economy is a fine example … how leaders respond to declining revenues, a declining customer or membership base, and the need to economize uncomfortably will separate true leaders from those who are would-be or pseudo leaders.  These are the life-tests that either build character and shape a leader or strip away the emperor’s clothes for all to see the true essence of the person.  Leaders emerge from these trials stronger than when they entered them.  Leaders make the difficult decisions and inspire their followers forward.

And true leaders do not avoid these difficult times.  They do not look for trouble, but they do not shy away from it either.  Albert Einstein pointed the way in saying that “in the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.” With an eye toward the bigger picture, leaders usher their charges through the detritus of the moment and keep them focused on the opportunities that certainly also exist.   And just as leaders grow from each such encounter with things gone wrong, so too do they model the way for those whom they lead.

Stuff happens, and it happens a lot.  Leaders learn how to deal with it.  And with each new experience, their arsenal of counter measures grows.  Their toolbox gets more full.  And they handle adversity better than most because of all the “stuff” they have had to deal with through the course of their professional and personal life.  Each encounter indeed makes them stronger.

This becomes evident in one’s career when the occasion is taken to revisit prior experiences and decisions-made.  How often, built on intervening experiences, we realize how differently we might have acted in those earlier encounters had we been armed with these additional experiences.  Truly, “it is not in the still calm of life or the repose of a pacific station that great characters are formed.”

Author Cross-references:

Warren G. Bennis: Also see posts 1/14/09,  2/6/09, 5/1/09, 11/11/09, 2/18/10, 2/24/10

Abigail Adams: None

Albert Einstein: None

Key Word Cross-references:

Character/Integrity: Also see posts 2/3/09, 2/6/09, 3/16/09, 5/1/09, 6/5/09, 11/1/09, 12/5/09

Setting the Example: Also see posts 12/12/08, 1/13/09, 3/16/09, 5/1/09, 5/17/09, 6/5/09, 7/7/09, 2/24/10

Leadership … Continued Discussion 8/3/09

In this post I want to share  several quotes from Henry Mintzberg that appeared in an “Opinion” column in the November, 2004, Harvard Business Review.  In this column, Mintzberg speaks critically of leadership.  The column title says it quite clearly, “Enough Leadership.”  But in this column Mintzberg also provides key elements of what comprises good leadership.

The first quote I want to discuss is as follows, “The assumption is that every company with a problem needs new leadership, more leadership.  But I think many have had too much leadership.  They need less leadership, maybe even an older king of leadership: just enough leadership.” This is always a tough call; when do leaders reach a point wherein they are simply overly involved?  This is a critically important question, because when a leader (or a governing board) become too controlling … this is when staffs and other followers begin to disengage.  This is when creativity and chance-taking ebb.  And this is when a company or organization is most vulnerable to falling behind.

Mintzberg provides important guidance here in saying that “Instead of isolating leadership, we need to diffuse it throughout the organization.” Amen, brother!  None of us has all the answers.  The best of decision making occurs when every stakeholder has the opportunity to speak to the issue at hand.  And it has often been my experience that the very best input is that which comes from the people in the trenches … those people who are on the front lines of dealing with the situations needing to be resolved.  Effective leaders engage others in the process.  Effective leaders listen as well as they speak.  And when this occurs … when the workplace environment is open and every voice is listened to, this is when total teams emerge and when opportunity is unbounded.

And this is where I will quote Mintzberg a final time in this post, “Such leaders care a lot more than they cure, they connect a lot more than they control, they demonstrate a lot more than they decide … These leaders are not perched ‘on top.’  They work throughout.” I fully believe that the best leaders are those who promote inclusiveness in the workplace and ensure that decisions are fully informed.  Perhaps the greatest downfall for would-be leaders who do not achieve their potential is reaching a point wherein they feel only they have the answers.  This sort of arrogance, and that is precisely what it is, can bread contempt and certainly leads to decisions based on minimal input … greatly increasing the chance for wrong or less effective decisions to be made.

Effective leaders understand the balance that is called for … they find that right mix of leading the way and listening to others.  And it has been my experience that this is much more a learned trait than one that comes already part of one’s package.  In time, trial and error grow the correct philosophy in those who will ultimately lead most effectively.

Author Cross-references:

Henry Mintzberg: None

Key Word Cross-references:

Inclusive/Open/Honest/Transparent: Also see posts 12/12/08, 4/20/09, 5/1/09, 7/7/09, 10/26/09, 11/11/09, 1/29/10, 2/24/10, 5/26/10

Listening: Also see post 9/9/09, 10/26/09, 1/29/10, 3/29/10

Team: Also see posts 1/13/09, 2/18/09, 4/20/09, 1/6/10, 4/19/10, 5/26/10

Workplace Environment: Also see posts 12/12/08, 1/28/09, 2/6/09, 2/19/09, 7/7/09, 9/9/09, 1/6/10, 4/19/10

Leadership … Continued Discussion 7/7/09

In my 6/26/09 post I discussed the importance of communication in effective leadership.  In this post I want to narrow that topic to a discussion of how an effective leader communicates about and responds to failure.  The quote that I want to share on this subject is from the previously quoted Captain D. Michael Abrashoff, the author of It’s Our Ship.  The quote is about the very successful NFL coach Bill Walsh and his approach to handling failure and reads as follows, “One of the great lessons that the late Bill Walsh taught his 49ers was that a failure is less important than what you do to correct it.”

To error is to be human.  We all make mistakes and we all use poor  judgment on occasion.  How we react to failure, our own and that of others, is a defining quality.  You can lead with a roar, but how many are going to want to follow you and for how long?  In my March 16, 2009, post I shared the following quote from Sir Winston Churchill, “Leadership is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm.” Maintaining a positive attitude in the face of failure is a part of what Bill Walsh and Captain Abrashoff are speaking to, but more importantly they speak to utilizing failure constructively … helping others to learn from their mistakes and to grow in the process.  That is leadership.

An effectively led staff will rebound from mistakes-made and will forge on.  An effectively led staff understands that success is often built on a foundation of failure.  And an effectively led staff knows that there is no better way in which to learn than to learn from the mistakes we make.  But none of this will exist if the leader does not set the example … through transparency re their own errors-made and through mentoring others to learn from their mistakes.  Leaders do not point fingers  … they willingly take ownership of their missteps and those made by the people they lead.  In doing so, they create a workplace environment that is open and honest, which is absolutely essential to surfacing errors and corrective actions .  All must understand that it is alright to make mistakes as long as we learn from those mistakes.

Once that environment exists, wherein everyone understands and believes that it is OK to make mistakes … this is when creativity and chance-taking flourish.  And this is when the stage is set for unparalleled progress.  But it all begins with the leader, who indeed prepares that stage.

Author Cross-references:

Captain D. Michael Abrashoff: Also see posts 5/17/09, 9/9/09

Sir Winston Churchill: Also see post 3/16/09

Key Word Cross-references:

Chance-taking: Also see posts 12/12/08, 3/25/09, 11/1/09, 3/12/10, 3/29/10

Communication/Effective Speaking: Also see posts 12/12/08, 3/4/09, 5/17/09, 6/26/09, 9/9/09, 11/20/09, 1/4/10, 1/29/10, 2/24/10

Creativity/Innovation: Also see posts 5/17/09, 1/4/10, 1/6/10, 3/12/10

Failure-Dealing With: Also see post 3/25/09

Inclusive/Open/Honest/Transparent: Also see posts12/12/08, 4/20/09, 5/1/09, 8/3/09, 10/26/09, 11/11/09, 1/29/10, 2/24/10, 5/26/10

Mentoring/Nurturing/Developing: Also see posts 12/8/08, 12/12/08, 1/13/09, 2/6/09, 2/28/09, 6/5/09, 9/9/09, 9/15/09, 10/26/09, 12/5/09, 1/6/10, 3/10/29

Optimist/Positive Attitude: Also see posts 2/19/09, 3/16/09, 3/25/09, 12/5/09, 2/24/10

Setting the Example: Also see posts 12/12/08, 1/13/09, 3/16/09, 5/1/09, 5/17/09, 6/5/09, 8/17/09, 2/24/10

Workplace Environment: Also see posts 12/12/08, 1/28/09, 2/6/09, 2/19/09, 8/3/09, 9/9/09, 1/6/10, 4/19/10

Leadership … Continued Discussion 6/26/09

In this blog I want to share a quote by Gilbert Amelio, President and CEO of National Semiconductor Corp., which I surfaced in John C. Maxwell’s book, The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader.  The quote is about communication and is as follows, “Developing excellent communication skills is absolutely essential to effective leadership.  The leader must be able to share knowledge and ideas to transmit a sense of urgency and enthusiasm to others.  If a leader can’t get a message across clearly and motivate others to act on it, then having a message doesn’t even matter.” In this blog, I want to focus just on spoken communication.

I have known leaders who were great communicators and those who were not so great, but in every instance those who were most effective were those who communicated exceptionally well.  And this is not just about the words spoken, which are very important to be sure, but also about the way in which the words are spoken.  The most effective leaders I have witnessed are those who speak with genuine passion.  Many can speak the word, but effective leaders live the words they speak.  Their words are convincing because these individuals believe in what they say, which comes across in the strength of their delivery … from passionate emphasis to pregnant pause.  These orators make you want to listen to their words.  Their words tether you to them … make you want to hear more … make you want to be a part of what drives them … and make you want to follow their lead.

Very few of us seem to have this commanding ability to rally others through our spoken word, which every great leader seems to be able to unleash with ease.  However, every leader has the capacity to grow their effectiveness as a speaker, which should be a primary goal of everyone aspiring to lead.  I am a keen believer in writing a speech down to the individual word and then practicing it again and again.  This approach works for some, but for others the presentation is simply outlined and then spoken from the heart.  It makes no difference which approach is utilized, as long as the end result is a presentation that is listened to and that has the desired impact.  Great communicators speak clearly and distinctly to the point.  They say what needs to be heard.  And, they speak genuinely from the heart.

To be effective in leading others, growing one’s communication skills is absolutely essential.  And the more one utilizes those skills the greater the opportunity to perfect those skills … as long as the door remains open to such.  And that brings about a significant charge for us all … each of us needs to embrace the reality that our communication skills will never attain perfection and that we need to work tirelessly to bring about improvement.

Author Cross-references:

Gilbert Amelio: None

John C. Maxwell: Also see posts 12/8/08, 6/5/09, 6/26/09, 11/20/09, 3/29/10

Key Word Cross-references:

Communication/Effective Speaking: Also see posts 12/12/08, 3/4/09, 5/17/09, 7/7/09, 9/9/09, 11/20/09, 12/5/09, 1/4/10, 1/29/10, 2/24/10

Inspiration/Motivation: Also see posts 1/16/09, 2/3/09, 2/18/09, 2/25/09, 5/17/09, 6/5/09, 9/9/09, 2/18/10, 2/24/10, 4/19/10

Passion: Also see posts 9/26/09, 12/5/09, 2/24/10

Leadership … Continued Discussion 6/5/09

One of my favorite authors on the subject of leadership is John C. Maxwell.  In this post I want to share thoughts from his book The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader, specifically on the subject of character.  In forwarding his discussion on character Maxwell quotes Bernard Montgomery, a British Field Marshal of World War II fame, who described leadership as follows, “leadership is the capacity and will to rally men and women to a common purpose and the character which inspires confidence.” Maxwell then goes on to describe four specific aspects of character: 1) “Character is more than talk.” 2) “Talent is a gift, but character is a choice.” 3) “Character brings lasting success with people.” And, 4) “Leaders cannot rise above the limitations of their character.” Together, Montgomery’s leadership quote and Maxwell’s character qualifications point to character as an indispensable quality that evolves within the successful leader over time and ultimately defines that leader.

Character is a living, breathing thing … it cannot be fabricated, or suppressed,  or forgotten.  It must be embraced at all times and grown at every opportunity.  And at the heart of character is ethics.  A true leader is ethical beyond reproach.  A true leader lives by the golden rule, does the right thing, is fully transparent and sets the example.  Through their display of character, effective leaders inspire and mentor others to grow their own character.  And this is when leaders become most effective … when all within a team or a staff equally embrace ethics and strength of character as essential qualities.  This is when success has the opportunity to grow to its greatest potential.

Truly, a leader’s character is what binds a following together and inspires a sense of belief in even the faintest of heart.  In its absence or if that character is flawed … team commitment, loyalty and trust have no foundation upon which to grow.  And in their absence, discontent and discord are sure to follow.  Maxwell and Montgomery are most correct, leadership is all about quality of character.

But character can often be confused with charisma, which is a very different thing in my mind.  Charisma is a special charm that draws people to an individual, which is a wonderful attribute for a leader to have.  But character is something different … something much less superficial.  Character is at the very core of a person … it is what drives an individual in everything from decision making to actions taken.  And for the leader who cultivates and matures their character, there is the opportunity to evolve to another level of effectiveness.  Leaders live and breath who they are … their character is what defines them in their own hearts and in the eyes of others.

In choosing which leader to follow, I will take quality of character over anything else.

Author Cross-references:

John C. Maxwell: Also see post 12/8/08, 6/5/09, 6/26/09, 11/20/09, 3/29/10

Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery: None

Key Word Cross-references:

Character/Integrity: Also see posts 2/3/09, 2/6/09, 3/16/09, 5/1/09, 8/17/09, 11/1/09, 12/5/09

Ethical/Principled: Also see post 1/14/09

Inspiration/Motivation: Also see posts 1/16/09, 2/3/09, 2/18/09, 2/25/09, 5/17/09, 6/26/09, 9/9/09, 2/18/10, 2/24/10, 4/19/10

Mentoring/Nurturing/Developing: Also see posts 12/8/08, 12/12/08, 1/13/09, 2/6/09, 2/28/09, 7/7/09, 9/9/09, 9/15/09, 10/26/09, 12/5/09, 1/6/10, 3/29/10

Setting the Example: Also see posts 12/12/08, 1/13/09, 3/16/09, 5/1/09, 5/17/09, 7/7/09, 8/17/09, 2/24/10