Character

Theodore Roosevelt once said… “Character, in the long run, is the decisive factor in the life of an individual and of nation’s alike.”

Real leadership begins with individual character. Whether you’re leading an organization or leading your own life, character defines the quality and capacity of that leadership.

Effective leaders demonstrate and develop these seven character attributes: Faith, Justice, Temperance, Hope, Wisdom, Love and Courage.

If you want to develop these attributes, begin by making sure they’re present and sufficient in your character. Then, take actions that demonstrate your character every day.

Competition and Collaboration

Leaders who build effective organizations and teams consistently promote collaboration instead of competition within their ranks. They understand that the time and energy team members spend competing with one another detracts from the organization’s overall success.

When teamwork is truly valued over internal competition, leaders must guard against unwittingly promoting the latter. Throughout the organization, leaders’ behavior and all of the rewards and reinforcement systems must be aligned to credibly demonstrate that we collaborate inside our organization and compete outside it.

Promote collaboration by consistently making clear that teams and their members have more to gain by helping achieve the organization’s shared goals than they do by pursuing their own narrower agendas that might ultimately conflict with the common good.

People, the End or the Means?

Philosopher Immanuel Kant said, “Always recognize that [people] are ends, and do not use them as means to your end.”

In business, it’s easy to view people as assets to be used toward the attainment of business goals.

People know the difference between leaders who genuinely care about them and those who care only about the talents they offer. They become devoted to leaders who care about them while quickly deserting leaders who don’t.

Caring is not complicated. It simply means spending time with the people you lead, knowing their names, listening to their ideas and concerns, smiling, sharing a kind word, asking about their health, families, and interests.

Value other people first as human beings and then for what they can contribute to your organization. Remember, your success depends upon how much they care about following you.

How's Your Leadership Attitude?

“The winner’s edge is all in the attitude, not the aptitude,” according to psychologist Dennis Waitley. “Attitude is the criterion for success.”

Attitude is the perspective through which we view and react to our surroundings and circumstances. Our attitude determines how we think and behave; it has a profound affect on our success and the success of those around us.

Think of the people you know and work with. Some view their world negatively, exhibiting debilitating characteristics such as cynicism, criticism, defeatism, and self-pity. Others are perpetually positive, demonstrating constructive traits such as optimism, collaboration, perseverance, and pride.

A leader’s attitude is contagious; it infects and affects individuals and entire organizations. What kind of attitude are you projecting and what impact is it having on your team’s performance?

Cultivate Wisdom

Wisdom is an important leadership characteristic, but one that we may not sufficiently recognize or value. The mere mention of the word can conjure up images of white-haired old men telling tales to bored faces. However, cultivating wisdom is essential to productive living and leading.

Wisdom is applying our accumulated knowledge to life. We become wiser over time as we learn to discern reality from fantasy, and what works from what doesn’t. Wisdom is developed by people who learn from their failures and successes.

People tend to follow individuals they believe to be wise. The wise leader demonstrates thinking that is simple, common sense, and practical. The wise leader cuts through the noise and gets to what really matters in dealing with life’s challenges.

The Capacity to Forgive

You can listen to my interview with Public Radio on the subject of integrity, transparency and forgiveness.