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Character -- Why It Matters In Leaders
"Character is much easier kept than recovered." -Thomas Paine "The best index to a person's character is (a) how he treats people who can't do him any good, and (b) how he treats people who can't fight back." -Abigail van Buren "Good character is more to be praised than outstanding talent. Most talents are to some extent a gift. Good character, by contrast, is not given to us. We have to build it piece by piece?by thought, choice, courage, and determination." -John Luther Long ____________________________________________ Here is a simple tip for aspiring leaders It is far better to have character than to be one. I once heard Bob McEwen (former Congressman from Ohio) define character as the combination of morality and integrity. According to his definition, morality is not doing the wrong thing while integrity is having the strength to do the right thing. Based on this definition, character is not something you just have. You must work to build character every day. It is something that develops over time, but is destroyed in a moment. Why, as a leader, is character a big deal? Without even considering the moral and legal implications of character lapses, just look at the impact on your organization. As John Maxwell says, "Everything rises and falls on leadership." By this standard, your personal character will become the character of your organization. Consider these facts: ? 58% of workers surveyed indicated that employee fraud would decrease if managers (company leaders) were better role models (Oct 2002, Ernst & Young, "The CPA Letter") ? 80% of people surveyed indicated that they decide to buy a firm's goods or services partly on their perception of its ethics (2003, Wirthlin Worldwide) ? Unethical behavior leads to more sabotaging behavior in the workplace, such as: o Under delivering on commitments o Over promising to win a customer or gain support for a project o Wasting time and energy guarding turf o Lowering goals to avoid failure rather than striving for excellence o Padding the budget to look better o Fudging results to stay competitive o Hiding facts o Skipping over details o Withholding praise from others o Hogging credit o Shifting or buffering blame o Looking for scapegoats (Case Western Reserve University, Online Ethics Center for Engineering and Science) As you can see from the results of these studies, the character of the leader affects not only the behavior of the organization, but its results as well. I do not know all the details of the Enron or MCI WorldCom scandals, but I do know that the fallout hurt the companies and their employees. These examples are extreme cases of character failures, but many smaller ones happen in business and organizational life every day. As usual, I have a story to relate to illustrate my point. One time I hired a man to work in a department I managed. During the hiring process, I realized that a woman in the department, working in the same capacity, was significantly underpaid compared to both industry standards and the starting salary of the man we were hiring. I immediately went to my supervisor and attempted to negotiate a resolution plan. In response to my request to adjust her salary he asked, "Does she know that he will be making more than her?" This perspective floored me. It seems that her knowledge of the situation, rather than a determination of whether it was right or wrong, was the deciding factor on whether it should be addressed or not. At that moment, I remembered a statement I had heard long before: "Character is what you do when no one is watching." Unfortunately, I was unable to persuade my supervisor to take action in this case. This response severely damaged my trust and respect for both the person and the organization. I eventually left the organization for other reasons, but in retrospect, I probably should have left sooner. When it comes to character, leaders simply cannot compromise. You can staff your organization to compensate for skill and knowledge deficiencies. You must stand alone on character. Do not let short-term thinking entice you into small, subtle concessions on matters of character. Be a leader of high morals and impeccable integrity in everything you do. So, I encourage you to remember this simple tip . . . It is far better to have character than to be one. You may use this article for electronic distribution if you will include all contact information with live links back to the author. Notification of use is not required, but I would appreciate it. Please contact the author prior to use in printed media. Copyright 2005, Guy Harris Guy Harris is a Recovering Engineer. He works as Relationship Repairman and People-Process Integrator. His background includes service as a US Navy Submarine Officer, functional management with major multi-national corporations, and senior management in an international chemical business. As the owner of Principle Driven Consulting, he helps entrepreneurs, business managers, and other organizational leaders improve team performance by applying the principles of human behavior. Guy co-authored "The Behavior Bucks System(tm)" to help parents reduce stress and conflict with their children by effectively applying behavioral principles in the home. Learn more about this book at http://www.behaviorbucks.com Learn more about Guy at http://www.principledriven.com
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Coaching Peek Inside The Heads of Amazingly Successful Leaders Would you like to know what really goes on inside the heads of astoundingly successful leaders? Here is your chance. Part of the research for my book Absolutely Fabulous Organizational Change? involved highly successful executives filling-out my Abilities & Behavior Forecaster? pre-employment test. The SAMMER Test: Leading People To Get The Right Results At the Right Time In The Right Way As a leader, you do nothing more important than get results. But simply getting results can be easy. Act on Some of the Facts Making any decision without having all of the information and facts beforehand can be very tough. I spoke with a young man recently and he told me that some of his professors had changed the rules on him in the administration of his classes. The syllabuses of a couple of his classes had been altered, which switched exam dates. He was also notified of these changes after the semester's grace period. The grace period in which he could get his tuition money back after dropping a course had passed. Because of the changes, he would have two to three exams on one day. Being an Extraordinary Leader Through Tough and Challenging Times Tough and challenging times will surely come. That is a given. The question is what kind of leadership we will demonstrate during those time. Those who are weak leaders will see lasting damage done, if not see the organization fall apart completely. With Extraordinary Leaders at the helm, however, an organization can actually become stronger and thrive in spite of the tough and challenging times. That should be our goal so here are some idea on how to be an Extraordinary Leader in tough and challenging times! The Leader Within Each and every one of you has hidden deep inside a different person a person that is robust insightful originative, a person that you have forgotten that it ever existed. No matter what you believe that person lies within you, waiting for its awakening call. Leadership Skills and Ability What is true Leadership. Dont Be a Complainer Complaining. There's room for legitimate complaining, but if you let this deadly disease of attitude - complaining loose, it will conquer you. Complaining can take over your life. Destroy you and leave you without anything. Leadership Training: The Bit They Didn't Tell You About Changing! A willingness to change first is one of the major pre requisites for leaders! The Top 10 Questions for Socially Responsible Leaders The assets of your business traditionally include property, plant, equipment, and your customer base. Progressive organizations understand that business assets also include their good reputation, responsiveness to change, the ability to conduct a constructive dialogue with stakeholders, the ability to take advantage of networked resources, and a host of other non-traditional assets. Companies are increasingly adopting socially responsible business practices based on sustainable development to ensure efficiency, stimulate innovation, and create top-line growth. This "new" approach to business must reach into every area of the organization to ensure that goals and objectives are in alignment with the mission. To begin the discovery process, ask yourself these questions: 3 Es For Leaders - Engage, Empower, Encourage! "Enflamed with the study of learning and the admiration of virtue; stirred up with high hopes of living to be brave... and worthy..., dear to God, and famous to all ages." - John Milton Managing Monsters in Meetings - Part 1, General Strategies for Unproductive Behavior It happens easily. You're conducting a meeting and suddenly a small side meeting starts. Then someone introduces an unrelated issue. Someone else ridicules the new issue. Everyone laughs, except the person who mentioned the idea. Then someone insults the person who told the joke. Two people stand up and walk out. Others complain that the meeting is a waste of time. A Winning Choice for Leadership! "The only way to enjoy anything in this life, is to earn it first." -Ginger Rodgers Leadership In The Zone! "You do not merely want to be considered just the best of the best. You want to be considered the only one who does what you do." - Jerry Garcia The Synergy Effect Have you ever considered that everything you want in life comes from someone else? The greatest minds in any field are keenly aware of the value of working with and involving others in life plans, business, work and personal commitments. Shades of Grey: Government, Religion, & People Some think that everything is black and white. I'm beginning to see everything as different shades of grey. Visions of Leadership There are three stages to making the transition from chief cook and bottle washer (CC&BW) to CEO (source of the management and direction of the business). Leadership Lessons from Pope John Paul II "Heroes are rebels with a cause. Rebels because they challenge the traditional ways of thinking and refuse to follow the herd. They have a cause, a vision, that's larger than life." - Sharif Khan, author of Psychology of the Hero Soul Building Teams and Teamwork A tight knit team is a group of competent individuals who care deeply about each other and are fiercely committed to their mission. They are highly motivated to combining their energy and expertise to achieve the common objective. From our observation and studies on building teams, we have found three primary conditions that have to be met in order to attain higher levels of team performance and member satisfaction. Resources and Commitment Ownership and Heart Learning These three conditions are the heart and soul of teamwork but are not blueprints. Every team is unique, and the requirements and details of its teamwork have to be worked out separately. Let's look closer at condition number two Ownership and Heart. 7 AAA Ways To Succeed! [Abounding Abundant Ample Ways To Boost Your Growth!] 3 Aspects of Developing Leadership Skills Everyone knows that great leaders are made, not born. However good that statement sounds, we still want to know how we "make" or turn people effective leaders. And other questions need to be answered about the process of leadership development.
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