Character does Matter! "If Not Me, Then Who..."

Character does Matter!

"If Not Me, Then Who..."

Lead with Character First!

True North Leadership

In Bill George's book "True North: Discover Your Authentic Leadership.," Bill quotes Sara Lee CEO Brenda Barnes who says: “The most important thing about leadership is your character and the values that guide your life.”

She added,"If you are guided by an internal compass that represents your character and the values that guide your decisions, you’re going to be fine. Let your values guide your actions and don’t ever lose your internal compass, because everything isn’t black or white. There are a lot of gray areas in business." Bill himself goes on to say, "When you are aligned with who you are, you find coherence between your life story and your leadership."

I want to affirm what Bill and Sara are saying. Too many leaders in this day and age have no True North, but even more than that, they have either lost or never had a Moral Compass! I am not speaking about highly educated, high ranking people in particular. I am speaking to the common everyday citizen in our society who plays a leadership (influence) role in our culture such as a husband, wife, father, mother, son, daughter, small business owner, etc. We the leaders in our families, farms, villages, cities, and states must find our moral compass, and lead with the conviction of character, and values, and principles once again.

Our leadership should be our life story lived out by our actions in following our True North for others to follow. I want to encourage you today, and challenge you to seek out your True North and lead with character first!

"Blind Spots in Our Lives"

"Blind Spots"

Next week, I will be in Orlando, Florida teaming with one of my mentors, friend and colleague, Lee Ellis.  We will be co-presenting a seminar titled, "Character in Motion: Character is evidenced by Leadership Behavior."

Lee also wrote a book called "Leading Talents, Leading Teams."  Because he and I are teaming on this seminar, I thought it would be fun to blog on a piece of work Lee did by sharing a part of what he wrote in Chapter 3 of his book is titled, ” Objectivity: Seeing Reality”.

Of course, each of us is very objective about our own lives right? Everyone else has a problem with their character or behavior, correct? Lee says, “Objective: Of course we are. NOT!” To be a strong leader of character, what is really vital to our success is that we be objective and have an accurate view of ourselves. Lee reminds us that without objectivity we are missing an extremely important factor in our ability to process decision-making information accurately. Without objectivity, Lee argues, we may lack credibility. And without credibility of course, no leader can gain the trust of their followers or those they influence.

So, how do we determine how we should see ourselves? One of the first steps is to realize that as Lee puts it, “Our self-view distorts the lens through which we view others.” Lee points out that our brains are rarely accurate in developing opinions and decisions of others. The reasons for that are many, but primarily it is because of what Lee calls “filters” that we are limited in our objectiveness. Our experiences for instance, form a type of filter that removes a piece of reality from what we are processing. Once a filter is in place, we are prone to bad judgments that can result in bad decisions.

So, if we are not objective about ourselves,” our self-view also distorts the lens through which we view others.” That distorted view is what Lee calls “blind spots.” Some people are so blind to some of their struggles (weaknesses) that they even deny their existence. Do you know what your strengths and struggles are? Furthermore, are you aware of blind spots in your life? Regardless, whether we acknowledge them or not, we all do have blind spots.

To answer those questions, we have to be brutally honest with ourselves and realize that we need to be objective in seeing reality in our own lives. If we acknowledge that we all have some type of “blind spot” in our lives that distorts and/or filters how we interpret others, that may be the best step toward becoming a more whole person who can be a stronger leader, and whose character can influence others to trust them. Lee also says that a lack of objectivity can cause unrealistic expectations, because when we expect someone to respond or behave in one way and they don’t, that expectation can lead to disappointment, hurt feelings, and anger.

To sum up the chapter, Lee says that, “Awareness is the way, and courage is the entrance fee to gain an objective viewpoint.” Are you willing to learn what your blind spots are?  I encourage you to take an objective look at who you really are so that you can objectively view others around you. By doing that you will have made great progress in your development as a leader and your growth as a person of character.

Until next time, keep "Leading with Character First!"  Heidi Ho - Dane

A Corrupt Government is Impossible!

I have heard it said many times recently on the TV, radio, and elsewhere..."our government is corrupt. "

Well, I do not happen to believe that type of thinking. To say the government is corrupt creates an aire of anxiety and depression, even helplessness which results in a realization that we can't do anything about the government as a whole. It is just too big an elephant to even eat one bite at a time.

However, I think the problem can be broken down to a much simpler form than that, and one where we can really make a difference in our government and in our personal lives. Our government is made up of people and each of those people may be good or corrupt in their morals and character as the case may be. However, the government itself is not. The government is nothing aside from the people that serve in it and that it serves.

So, next time you hear someone say that the government is corrupt, please remind them that the government is made up of people, and people can change for the good. Today, more people are waking up to the fact that it is not the government that is corrupt, but corrupt people that operate within the government. More people are also reawakening to the fact that an individual's character is the most important attribute we each possess, and therefore we each need to work on developing and maintaining better character all the time. That way we really can help develop a better character for ourselves, our families, and our government. With each person living a better character we can stay on the moral and ethical track to deliver a better quality of life for everyone in the United States.

In the US Air Force we used to have a common saying that went like this: "Power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely." That can only happen when a person's character is drunk with what is perceived as power. That is one reason our Founding Fathers created three branches of government. They wanted to make sure that checks and balances were in place to ensure that no person or persons could operate with corruption within our government.

Today, we face a very difficult time in the United States. I believe there is a way to bring us back to our "roots" if you will...and that is through Character Education. Please visit www.charactercounts.org for more information. Here you will find a network of people and organizations that are dedicated to the education and maintenance of "character education" throughout our country. Leaders must lead with Character First!

Martin Luther King said, "

‘Intelligence plus character — that is the goal of true education’

Trike On!
Coach Dane

Michael Josephson's "What Will Matter"

I am preparing an introductory presentation for a school district on Character Counts (www.charactercounts.org). Character Counts is a program that was designed by Michael Josephson under his primary business called The Josephson Institute of Ethics (www.josephsoninstitute.org). I wanted to share this poem with you that Michael wrote because it really emphasizes the difference between Success and Significance. I chose Significance and still do....enjoy. Here it is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y-Lm_U9yEP0. Until next time..."Lead with Character First"....Heidi Ho....