Leadership Action

It is the action, not the fruit of the action that is important. You have to do the right thing. It may not be in your power, may not be in your time, that there will be any fruit. But that doesn't mean you stop doing the right thing. You may never know what results come from your action. But if you do nothing, there will be no result. Mahatma Ghandi

The Character and Leadership of Parents

The following essay was written by my friend Kent Oram. He has graciously allowed me to share it with you. It is a wonderful testament to the power of character and leadership in parenting. Enjoy.

Honor and Action

My parents passed away during 2010. It has been interesting, challenging, and enlightening. I am aware of the importance our decisions have not only on our lives but on the lives of those around us. Never has this truth been more evident than it is as I consider the lives of my parents.

Until the day he died, my dad said "I am who I am.” If I work diligently, someday I might measure up to the life embodied by those simple words spoken by that simple man.

My mother said "be satisfied with what you have and who you are. If you want to change one of those, work on who you are."

They were imperfect people who raised imperfect children. They lived humble lives and were never pretentious. Their hard work and example shows those who knew them the pathway to real happiness is not lined with possessions or riches. It is lined with memories of a life where principles and beliefs are aligned with actions. Knowing they had faults helped them focus on capitalizing on their strengths. They called it “determination.”

If you asked them to do something, you never had to worry or follow-up.

Once in a very great while, you would hear a benign curse fall from their lips. Always, you would witness immediate regret for ill chosen words.

They had no difficulty determining right from wrong. At the same instant, they were not judgmental and always full of love. Now and then, I would hear “I love you but not what you are doing.” There was no dichotomy in those words when spoken by my parents.

They had their sight on a target. Like all humans, their vision was obscured now and then. Unlike many humans, they fought with all the fervor they could muster to regain their vision of their goal as quickly as possible and move towards it again. Their pursuit of their life’s goal was relentless.

I will miss them but I have their example to follow. Perhaps, if I work at it, 40 years from now, someone can write something like this about me.

Now, why do I write this to my friends? Recently, it has been troubling to watch as some around me struggle. Some behaviors are simply out of harmony with beliefs. Some attempt to offload accountability and find they cannot. One cannot talk about dignity and respect during the day and mock those values during the night.

As I have reflected, I have thought of my own imperfections. Together, let us resolve to align our actions to be more in harmony with our beliefs. Let us be kinder and gentler. Trust and be trustworthy. Be humble. Seek to make a positive difference in the lives of those who surround us at work and at home. Live a life we can happily hope others will follow.

I will follow my own advice and honor my parents’ legacy through my actions. What will you do?

Fallow and Fertile

It is my habit to listen to NPR when I am traveling. This week I caught part of an interview by Terry Gross of Fresh Air with Bruce Feiler. The point of the interview was Feiler's book The Council of Dads but during the interview the subject of rest came up.

It used to be the practice of farmers to let their fields lie fallow every seventh year. This year of rest would regenerate the land and allow it to be more fertile. Today, many farmers supplement the land with chemicals and nutrients to maintain productivity. This artificial fertility allows production to go on uninterrupted by rest.

If the land needs to be fallow to be fertile how much more do we need rest to be productive?

What Kind of Leader Am I?

The following question came to me after this person had completed The Character of Leadership assessment and received the situation worksheet. I thought it was a great question.

I thought after filling the questionnaire I would be placed as maybe a democratic leader, autocratic or whichever. In other words my question is what kind of a leader am I?

Here is my response:

That is a great question. I tried to stay away from the notion of classifying leaders into groups and rather pose a model that would have leaders contemplate their character components. One of my overriding principles is that leadership must fit the context in which it is demonstrated. Consequently I wanted to make sure I was not too prescriptive in what should make up a leader's character but rather to challenge leaders to consider that for themselves.

For instance there are certain leadership norms in the United States that would not translate well into another society. My hope is that organizations around the world will tailor the behaviors inside the model to fit their particular situation. Having said that I did want to provide leaders a model that would allow them to contemplate their character and leadership.

I hope that helps. If you want to explore this further just let me know.

Anthony Graves' Courage, Hope and Justice

Last week I heard a stirring radio story about Anthony Graves. Anthony spent 18 years behind bars including 12 on death row for a crime that he did not commit. Beyond the obvious indictment of a justice system involved in this story the evidence of courage, hope and the eventual justice done by the current prosecutor are inspiring.

I encourage you to read the story in Texas Monthlyhttp://www.texasmonthly.com/2010-10-01/feature2.php and then to watch the post prison interview http://www.texasmonthly.com/multimedia/video/home/15314 of Anthony Graves. You will be inspired but his grace, hope and his own sense of doing what is right even when it was difficult and potentially could have cost him his life.

The Character of the Senate Race in Illinois

Yesterday I watched Meet the Press. This is a program that I have watched intermittently for a number of years. Sitting in my office, working in the quiet of Sunday morning I listened casually as David Gregory introduced the program’s content. The program yesterday consisted of a debate between the two candidates, Mr. Kirk and Mr. Giannoulias for U.S. Senate in Illinois. I did not give the debate my full attention until Gregory turned the questions to matters of character. Mr. Kirk has been accused exaggerating his military record and Mr. Giannoulias accused of making loans through his family owned community bank to known mobsters.

Since these are not the typical matters of Senate races I paid attention to how each answered. Mr. Kirk took complete responsibility for the exaggerations of his record stating that it was his fault and no one else’s. He also stated he loved this country. However he did not answer the deeper question, why had he exaggerated his military record.

Mr. Giannoulias was asked directly if he had known that certain borrower from his bank were known members of the mob. His response was “I didn’t know the extent of their activities.” Again he did not answer the question implied buy not stated by David Gregory. To what extent did you know their activities.

Missing from each gentleman’s answers was a the frankness to answer directly how these mistakes happened, the circumstances within which they happened, and whether they would do the same thing again. We had a powerful glimpse into the character of each candidate yesterday and one can only hope that when the Illinois voters cast their ballots on November 2 that one of the choices will be “none of the above.”

280,690

We released The Character of Leadership: An Ancient Model for A Quantum Age one year ago and it has been a great year. I did not set expectations for the book and the model but I had hopes for its acceptance. Having learned over the years to moderate expectations I relied on my hopes as a way providing motivation to put The Character of Leadership Model in the hands of 100,000 people in one year. We established several channels through which we could pursue that goal. Those channels consisted of:

• Web site
• Book sales
• Assessments
• Speeches and presentations
• Published articles in trade publications and newspapers
• Our newsletter

Through those channels as we finish our first twelve months we have placed the model in the hands of…drum roll... 280,690 people in 90 countries and territories. The best part of these numbers however is that momentum is building for the model. I have four speaking engagements in the next month and two speaking engagements already booked for 2011. Book sales are increasing, free assessments have increased substantially and the reach of the model has expanded with sales in Australia and a recent conversation about translating the book for use in Uganda and Rowanda.

My purpose with this information is twofold; first to thank you for your support and encouragement. This year, when I became discouraged someone would call, send a note or comment that some aspect of The Character of Leadership had made a profound difference in their leadership.

My second purpose is to ask for your help. We have found a reception in the lives of leaders with our proposition that the fuel for great leadership is great character by offering a prospective and positive model for developing character and leadership. You can help me by telling your colleagues how to engage with The Character of Leadership, writing a book review on Amazon or Barnes & Noble, inviting me to speak to your groups and recommending organizations that would like to adapt and adopt this model as a way of forming the character to lead.

Today more than ever I am convinced that the challenges we face are not economic, environmental, social or legal; they are challenges of character and leadership. Let’s work together to meet those challenges with the expansion of The Character of Leadership. Let me know where and how I can help.

Thank you for your support. I am looking forward to another great year for The Character of Leadership!

The Guy with the Matches

Last week there was a media frenzy surrounding the firing of Department of Agriculture employee Shirley Sherrod. The news has covered what happened but has not focused on who started the fire. In his article for the Detroit Free Press, Mitch Albom rightly indicts the man responsible, Andrew Breitbart. He lit the situation on fire with an irresponsible portrayal of a good person as a racist. This was certainly a demonstration of Mr. Breitbart's character. Unfortunately, not the type of character we want emulated by leaders.

As I read Albom's article I was struck by how much character mattered in this whole situation and how it is that only person that displayed the character to lead was also the victim. Shirley Sherrod was composed, collected and clear as she dealt with the situation. She was was the picture of character under fire and yet maintained her dignity and integrity throughout. That is the character we should foster in leaders across America.

Well done Shirley and thank you for the great example of character.

The Value of Values

Values that serve us well are enduring principles that enable us to maintain our integrity and self-respect no matter the circumstances. Effective leaders routinely exhibit positive, constructive values in their words and deeds, even when the going is difficult.

In healthy organizations, values aren’t merely words on a poster or in a brochure. They are alive in the organization. You see these values at work everywhere you look. When actions run counter to the organization’s values, everyone knows.

We value the things we give most of our time, attention, resources, and reinforcement. This holds true for us as individuals and for our organizations.

What values drive your thinking and behavior? What are your organization’s real values? Are these values all they should be?

The Leader's Lack of Vision

Leaders may feel compelled to have a vision because they believe it’s what they’re supposed to do, or they may avoid a vision because they believe it has no real value.

Stephen Covey described vision as “seeing the end from the beginning.” Vision is a clear statement of what an organization seeks to become over time through the collective efforts of its members.

Many leaders mistakenly believe that everyone expects them to determine the vision alone. In fact, very few leaders single-handedly envision their organization’s future. As a leader, your job is to work with your team to collectively determine this future state of being. Creating the vision together develops unity and commitment.

Commitment

Legendary football coach Vince Lombardi said, “The quality of a person’s life is in direct proportion to their commitment to excellence, regardless of their field of endeavor.”

The same can be said for the quality of teams and entire organizations. That means leaders must inspire people to commit to be their best instead of merely complying with minimal performance standards.

Inspiring commitment requires creating conditions in which people choose to devote themselves to individual and collective excellence. Such an environment explicitly encourages, reinforces, and rewards optimal performance.

In the end, people commit themselves to a team or organization when they believe their leaders value them and the best they have to offer. They have to know that their best matters. The leader’s challenge is to show them it does.

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 Competent Leader

Competent leaders are known for the proficiency they’ve acquired in some field of endeavor. Their proficiency typically includes a relatively high degree of technical knowledge in their area of expertise. More importantly, they realize that it’s their ability to accomplish objectives through the competency of others that defines them as an effective leader.

These leaders are comfortable with what they know and with what they don’t know. They aren’t interested in being “know-it-alls.” To the contrary, they need and want to rely on others for the more complete set of skills and perspectives required for an organization to perform optimally in pursuit of its goals.

Competency among leaders is the ability to inspire, develop, support, reward, and reinforce people in the organized quest for a worthy end. Competent leaders recognize that success is not about them; it’s about the people they lead.

Communication

Communication is the continual process through which we relate to other people. It’s the way we exchange ideas, feelings, knowledge, and information. It’s how we build relationships of trust and respect.

Successful leaders communicate both to share their perspectives and to understand the views of others. These leaders build trust and respect by demonstrating interest beyond themselves and their own agendas.

This give-and-take works best when people interact face-to-face in an environment where all views are respectfully sought, heard, and understood.

A significant percentage of a leader’s time should be spent consistently communicating with people to understand, teach, motivate, and reinforce.

Composure

People expect their leaders to remain composed, calm, and steady, particularly in times of tension or crisis.Even the most passionate leaders must exhibit steady, reassuring behavior, even when pressing circumstances make self-control difficult.

Composure means keeping a level head, focusing on what needs to be done, and preventing emotions from overwhelming the organization’s guiding principles, competence, and common sense.

The composed leader projects confidence, even when she’s not feeling all that confident. She becomes a calming influence. Even when she’s unsure, a leader must display faith in her ability and that of her team to succeed. Such composure may very well be the glue that keeps the team together and functioning.

Press On

For some, courage is a trait they must call upon often in their lives. For others, it is a recently discovered characteristic they weren’t sure they possessed.

Whether it’s long-standing or newly discovered, courage -- the ability to press forward through our fears and doubts toward a worthy goal -- is an essential characteristic of leaders. People tend to follow individuals who display the courage to overcome obstacles.

You can develop courage by examining your fears and understanding them. Then put your fears in perspective by measuring them against the value of the goal you seek to lead others to achieve.

Courage is not being fearless. Courage is moving forward in spite of your fears.

Credibility

Credibility is essential to developing a reputation for personal integrity and trustworthiness, fundamental attributes of all effective people and their leaders. We build credibility with others over time by consistently doing what we say we’ll do. The phrase, “walk the talk,” means we routinely behave in harmony with our stated values and intentions.

Maintaining an unbreakable link between our actions and words doesn’t mean people will always agree with us. It does mean that people can rely on us to do as we say and believe. People look for this kind of reliability in the leaders they follow.

Credibility can take time to build, but it can be lost in a moment when our actions don’t match our words. Take care to protect your credibility. No one can lead without effectively it.

Focus

The German author and scientist Goethe said, “Things which matter most must never be at the mercy of things which matter least.”

Myriad people, challenges, and tasks may vie for our attention and resources. Leaders must focus themselves and their organizations only on the truly important, setting aside the less important and unimportant. Stephen Covey describes this prioritization process as “putting first things first.”

Consistently focus on the relative few things most relevant to your purpose, mission, and values. Resist the temptation to elevate the priority of less important seemingly urgent matters beyond their real impact on your success.

Focus often requires leaders to display the discipline, courage, clarity, and commitment to challenge institutional “sacred cows” and popular notions. This leadership competence is as essential as it is difficult and unpopular. Without focus, individuals and organizations lose their way.

The Power of Listening

You may have heard it said that we have two ears and one mouth because we are expected to listen twice as much as we talk.

Listening is an essential leadership skill. People truly follow you only if they believe you respect and care about them. Nothing demonstrates greater respect and genuine interest in others than listening to understand their needs, concerns, and views.

By disciplining yourself to listen carefully, you can build the trust that enables you to be an effective leader. With trust established, those you seek to lead are more likely to consider what you have to say.

How much time do you spend listening instead of talking?

The Power of Influence

The words “influence” and “power” have similar definitions, but very different effects when leading others. Power makes people comply; influence leads them to commit.

Influence suggests persuading, encouraging, and reasoning with others to both think and behave a particular way. Influencing convinces people to believe in a particular action.

Power based on position, connections, or resources may control someone’s behavior, but not their thinking or beliefs. People may do what we say because they fear our power over them. Power may make people comply with our wishes, but they’re not likely to commit themselves until we influence their hearts and minds.

Make sure you’re not using power when influence would be more effective.

Motivation

Dwight Eisenhower said, “Motivation is the art of getting people to do what you want them to do because they want to do it.”

Effective leaders positively motivate others to achieve goals, overcome obstacles, and develop capabilities.

They motivate first and foremost by consistently demonstrating positive inspiration in their own words and actions, setting an example others want to emulate.

These leaders help others aspire to the best in themselves, including a belief in their abilities and in those of their teammates. They focus individual and group efforts on goals worth reaching, challenging themselves and those around them to work collaboratively for the common good.

And when the going gets rough, motivational leaders remain calm and constructive, keeping themselves and those around them on course toward their destination.

Perseverance

Winston Churchill said it best, “Never, never, never, never quit.”

Perseverance is a trait of all great leaders. Leadership is a much about tenacity as it is about talent. Leaders who create a legacy are not those whose paths are uncluttered. Just the opposite, the best leaders have completed quests replete with trials and tribulations.

Whether you were born a leader or learned to be one, consistently exude the will to go around, through, over, or under the obstacles in your path. No matter how many or how daunting the challenges between you and a worthy goal, great leaders never quit.

Whether you’re leading an entire organization, a team, your family, or your own life, make perseverance a defining quality of your leadership legacy.

Development's Master Key

Realistic self-awareness is essential to leading organizations and your own life. Self-awareness is how you see yourself, and how others view you. These differing perspectives can lead to reactions you never intended.

For example, the people around you already know your shortcomings. What they don’t know is whether you’re aware of them. Once you indicate that you are aware of your deficiencies, the door is open to developing more honest, effective relationships of trust, respect, and understanding.

Reflect on your strengths and also on your weaknesses that might hinder your full leadership potential. Seek constructive criticism. What you learn will enhance your self-awareness, focus your personal improvement efforts, and open lines of communication, important goals for any effective leader.

Leadership Service

Initially, we may aspire to leadership positions because of what we anticipate getting from the role, particularly the power to have others do things our way.

In reality, true leadership means serving others’ needs, not others serving us. Becoming an effective leader requires routinely finding ways to help individuals and teams succeed in pursuit of shared goals.

After all, leading means accomplishing something through the actions of others. As leaders, our challenge is to make sure those we lead have what they need to reach the destination and to overcome any obstacles they encounter along the way.

How much of your leadership is driven by what you give instead of what you get?

Trust

All healthy, productive relationships are based on trust. With it, relationships develop and grow; without it, individuals and institutions alike are doomed to fail.

We build trust by demonstrating trustworthy behavior consistently over time. This includes demonstrating that we value and respect other people, even when we don’t like or agree with them. It means doing what we say we’ll do – every time – so that people learn that they can take us at our word.

When people operate in a trusting environment – where they trust and are trusted – they’re likely to be more open to new ideas, to give more of themselves, and to stick with someone or something longer when the going gets tough.

Beginning with their own behavior, if leaders promote a climate of trust, people will more confidently and openly contribute their best without fear of being compromised or undermined.

The Character and Leadership of BP

As the disaster in the Gulf continues to play out from an engineering, environmental, regulatory and financial perspective it is time to start talking about the character of the organization and leaders that led to this situation.

Over the past three years we have witnessed the melt down of the financial service sector and the now the fouling of our environment. As those in charge sort out the root causes of these disasters from a technical perspective let's not forget to look at the character of the leaders that allowed these situations to occur.

Character is formed around core beliefs. British Petroleum's values are: Progressive, Responsible, Innovative and Performance Driven. These seem like a suitable (if not inspirational) set of values but clearly something has gone wrong in the display of these values with regard to the Deepwater Horizon.

Our response to this disaster and others that befall us cannot be limited to assigning legal and financial responsibility. Our response must include analysis and understanding of the real root cause of man-made disasters; character and leadership.

Maintenance

I have a Mugo Pine in my front yard that has gone rogue. To be fair the bush has just done what it is supposed to; grow 8 inches per year in every direction. I however, never took time to maintain the bush and this past weekend was forced into radically pruning the rogue Mugo back into a shape that is appealing to the eye and does not inhibit my sprinkler system nor my ability to put the car in the driveway.

I should have maintained this bush over the past several years but instead I was doing something else and left the bush to its own devices. When I finally paid attention to it, the plant had become unruly and the only way to shape it up was to make some radical changes. The plant looks better but the cuts I had to make were deeper than they would have been if I had just trimmed it every year instead.

Leadership ability requires maintenance to avoid radical reshaping. Don't wait too long for that needed and necessary maintenance.

I Am Encouraged!

Despite all the troublesome things we hear, read and see on a daily basis about our government and corporations there is still good news to be had. I have often complained that there is not enough shared about the good things happening in our world and that the good still outweighs the bad. So here is a note about the good.

For several years I have been a member of the College of Business Advisory Board at Idaho State University. I have not always been a good member (as measured by my attendance at meetings) of that Board but despite that they have allowed me to remain.

Last Friday I attended a meeting in conjunction with the University's graduation and met the outstanding graduates of the College. I was so impressed with the maturity, eagerness and intellect of this group. To have forged out degrees in one of the worst economies in history and to have done that in ways that distinguished their efforts is a great accomplishment.

Some of the students were bound for industry, others for international studies while one young man was heading home to run the family farming business. Regardless of their next steps these people represent the best of one College at a small University. More than that they represent a bright and powerful future for the organizations in which they will lead.

I am encouraged!

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.

Edinburgh Castle

Last week I was in Edinburgh Scotland working with a client. You should visit this marvelous city. It is full of rich history, vibrant youth and tremendous pubs.

While in Edinburgh there was an opportunity to visit Edinburgh Castle. The castle perches on a volcanic rock that shoots up from the surrounding plain. This rock and its castle have provided refuge for people since 800 BC.

Today the castle serves a symbolic role rather than one of defense. Nonetheless this symbol is a powerful, ancient model for a dynamic 21st century city.

The Character of Leadership model is the same ancient tool for today's 21st century leaders.

Check out Edinburgh and the Character of Leadership.

Doing Justice In Health Care Reform

Last week I had the opportunity to watch part of the Health Care Summit hosted by President Obama. I had high hopes for the outcome of the day but was very disappointed to see that no one in the room was willing to give up rhetoric for substance.

In my recent book The Character of Leadership: An Ancient Model for A Quantum Age I suggested that doing Justice as a leader was "doing the right thing even when it is difficult and costly." Health care reform is difficult and the changes probably should be incremental rather than the sweeping change now on the table. Regardless of the scope I am looking for leaders that will roll up their sleeves and begin negotiating reform even if it costs them the support of their party and their voters.

Ladies and gentlemen do justice to this important issue.

Olympic Courage

The Olympics offer such a great glimpse into the courage it takes to succeed. Every few years we have an opportunity to see talent, training and perseverance at work on our television screens. As I watched the games yesterday NBC offered a reflective piece on the 1980 hockey team.l That team stunned the world (and maybe themselves) by beating the Soviets and then going on to win the Olympic Gold.

That team was full of leaders who mustered their talent and tenacity and placed both in the hands of Herb Brooks, their coach. In his hands he molded then motivated their ability into one of the best sports stories in the history of the U.S.

That story reminded me how important it is for leaders to push through the barriers that place limits their teams. To push people out of their comfort zone to achieve more than the obvious. The times we are operating in call for leaders to demonstrate the courage to push past obstacles with firmness and to boldly seize opportunities.

Competence, Confidence and Courage

Well another Super Bowl is in the record books and it was even an exciting game. In fact for the first time in many years the game was better than the commercials. As I watched the New Orleans Saints come from behind to win the game and after listening to Drew Brees comments following the game I realized that there is a component to courage that I had not been considering as I talked about The Character of Leadership with audiences last week.

In the Character of Leadership model we say that a courageous leader "boldly seizes opportunities and firmly deals with challenges." This is true but what allows a leader to demonstrate that courage is competence and confidence? When he was interviewed after the game Drew Brees stated that what allowed them to win was that they never quit believing in themselves as a team. To demonstrate the courage to win against an opponent as great as the Indianapolis Colts required the competence to perform and the confidence in the team to overcome the challenges.

Drew Brees, the coach and the entire team showed the courage to win by being competent and confident. Well done!