Leadership is all about one enduring quality: character.
I’d tend to disagree — given the plethora of political and business leaders whose seem to lack every virtuous character trait ever identified. But then I realized that it’s all in the definition.
In this lesson, Gary Ryan Blair is using the term “leadership” to mean far more than just someone who controls a group organization. He’s using it to describe the act of being moral compass, a good example, or someone to whom others can look for direction and inspiration.
Leaders are stewards of nation, company, team, or family ideals. Leaders exist to protect cherish values and core beliefs, to sustain and inspire hopes, and, most importantly, to drive positive results for all.
A steward is a caretaker, someone who holds something in trust on behalf of others. And it it not a behavior motivated out of self-interest.
In that sense, merely holding a leadership position, does not make someone a real leader in any moral sense of the word. Real leadership requires principles, honesty, and esteem for others.
This is another very refreshing lesson in goal setting and life success. How many times a day do you hear, “For leaders to be effective there must be uncompromising emphasis on integrity of character”? Or how often do you hear, “A steward is an individual who upholds what is best for everyone… even if it may not be in their best interest”?
My guess: zero. Almost no world leaders proclaim — let alone exhibit — sound virtue in public or private
In a world where politicians buy votes with favors and goodies, make one set of rules for everyone else and another for themselves, name landmarks after themselves, and live lives of extreme hypocrisy, where celebrities marry and divorce with predictable regularity, use drugs at will, and get arrested on cue, where professional athletes have no moral code, the models of “success” that we have — and that our children have — are pathetic.
It is up to us to show a different model of success that defines leadership as existing only in the confines of moral virtue.
Join me in the 100 Day Challenge!
lisalisa February 5, 2013 at 10:13 am
Oh for the day when we demanded virtue in our leaders. Maybe they never really had virtue anyway, but at least the pretended to publicly so we weren’t always explaining to our kids why they shouldn’t be horrible people even though it pays off.
ponderme1 February 5, 2013 at 12:09 pm
With all the talk of stopping gun violence, no one seems to understand that in a community that won’t teach character (because it’s “offensive” and “religious”), this is bound to happen.
Leon February 7, 2013 at 9:27 pm
Leadership is all about one enduring quality: character. <<< That is one powerful quote. Definitely posting that on my FB and linking to this article. Thank you for an inspirational read.
Leon recently posted…Make Your Special Day An Unplugged Wedding
Alison Moore Smith February 10, 2013 at 8:26 pm
lisalisa, true in so many ways! John Kennedy was a scoundrel and I have no respect for him at all, but at least he tried to give the appearance of decency.
ponderme1, we spend all our time debating whether or not the second amendment should take a hit, when we should be discussing how to teach people how to be decent, loving, kind, honest, and caring. But that’s forbidden, because it would be “religious.” And off we go down the toilet.
Leon, thanks for the link.
A return to character would do us all a world of good.
Alison Moore Smith recently posted…WordPress 3.1 Infographic