Character = Foundation of Leadership

In my morning devotion today, John Maxwell quotes Proverbs 16:12 - "Good leaders abhor wrongdoing of all kinds; sound leadership has a moral foundation."

We all have a goal to grow, develop and mature in life.  What we saw, understood, or experienced yesterday may not be how we see, understand, or experience the same event today, tomorrow, or in the future.  That is because we will have grown, developed, or matured in some way that makes us a little different today than yesterday.  Our lens may have changed in a certain way, so our perspective in life or on that event is different today than yesterday.

That happens when authors republish their books years later under new versions.  They have grown, developed, and matured in life, so they are certainly not the same person they were when they wrote the first version of their book.

I have watched that happen with many of John Maxwell's books that he has written.  I want to share a significant change when John wrote his version 2.0 of Developing the Leader Within You.

By the way, I have seen this same thing happen to Zig Ziglar, Stephen Covey, and many others who, in their "Third Age" of life, appeared to focus on the relevance and importance Character, Values, and Ethics play in our lives.  John Maxwell is no different.  BTW...I am also a certified Zig Ziglar Legacy Coach.

I have been a coach, teacher, and speaker for John since 2002, when his company was in Atlanta, GA.  I was only certified to teach and speak on his book, Developing The Leader Within You.

That is likely why this change I will share with you jumped right out when I read his version 2.0.  It was not simply printed on a page but signaled and communicated a fundamental change in John and how he was now looking at Character....as the Foundation of Leadership.

In John's book, Developing the Leader Within You 2.0 (DTLWY), I noticed a very important change in John's title to Chapter #3.  In his version 1.0 of DTLWY, he titled the Chapter, Integrity and used the subtitle: The Most Important Ingredient of Leadership.

In DTLWY 2.0, John changed the title to Character, and the subtitle was: The Foundation of Leadership.

To most people, they may have never noticed the change.  Why do you think John made the subtle change?

My answer is that it wasn't so subtle.  This was monumental!

Character is the Foundation of Leadership.  I often write, speak, teach, and coach on this topic.

Leadership seems to be a "sexy" topic, which is safe to discuss.  Character, on the other hand, is not as "sexy" or safe to discuss, and maybe that is because it can cause a lot of Discussion Stopper conversations and often makes people feel uneasy, anxious, or even guilty.

So, unfortunately, most people shy away from discussing Character, Values or Ethics.  

That is too bad since if they don't talk about it and share it outwardly with others, then those same people most likely do not talk to themselves about Character or values either.

We are the most important person we lead and therefore influence in life. If Character is the Foundation of Leadership, then we definitely need to lead ourselves first by talking and discussing Character internally so we can Lead with Character first and truly grow as authentic and genuine Leaders.

If John Maxwell, as he writes in his book DTLWY 2.0, believes that Character is the Foundation of Leadership, then shouldn't we all be focused more on the Character and Values that drive great leaders?

How about you?  When did you last think about the importance of Character or Values?

Especially today so much is pulling us away from what matters most in life.  Make Character Count!

Want to learn more about Character and how it shapes you and me as leaders?  

Would you like to know how to Lead with Character First?  You can!  

It is always possible to start leading and living better by focusing on Leading with Character First.

I wrote about this in my book titled, The Tricycle Effect.  It is on Amazon, and you can pick up a copy in ebook, paperback, or audio.  You can also read the Foreword (by Lee Ellis, a USAF Colonel, and Vietnam POW) and Chapter 1 for FREE.

Start your Character journey to developing as a strong, mature, well-balanced 360-degree leader today!

Trike On!

Dane

Character Coach

#73 - Are you a Leader or Manager? The answer may surprise you.

So today, I saw an interesting article that came in my email box. And of course, all of us are flooded with emails. This one stood out because it talked about the difference between a manager and a leader. And I'm telling you, it's easy to say, "Oh yeah, I'm a manager at this company. I have 20 people that I manage." However, in reality, we don't manage any person or people at all.

We can manage processes and procedures and systems, but we don't manage people, at least not to the extent that they will let us manage them. It's kind of like leading a horse to water, but you can't force them to drink in this particular instance. When I talk about managing, I am really talking about managing systems, processes, and procedures.

And when I'm talking about leading, I use the definition of leadership that John Maxwell uses, which is a great definition, very simple and succinct, easy to remember. John says, "Leadership is influence nothing more, nothing less."

You can influence people. Therefore you lead people, you influence people. You manage things which are systems, processes, or procedures, and you lead people. Two very distinct differences and yet critical for a great leader, a strong leader, an effective leader, to be able to know the difference between the two and know when they're managing and when they're leading people. That influence for leadership makes all the difference.

As Leaders, do we CARE enough to overcome our fears?

In one of my recent Mastermind Groups on Leadership (21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership by Dr.John C. Maxwell), my sister and I discussed why "caring" is such an important part of a leader showing respect, developing rapport and building relationships with other people that we touch in our lives:  family, friends, colleagues, co-workers, etc.  That same day, I ran across a Facebook post by someone that has demonstrated he cared for me when I needed a friend in time of need.

That friend and also one of my mentors and colleagues was Lee Ellis (Leadership Freedom & Hanoi Hilton POW:  www.leadershipfreedom.com).  He wrote a Facebook post recently on a very short and powerful video that challenges us as leaders to grow and overcome our fears.

Lee's post said:  "In this short clip, during the night a mother comes downstairs to check on her two children. She never forgot what she saw at that moment. An unusual example of courageous leadership."

Take the time to watch the video.  

Here is the video link:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2PUVyixT6F0

It is noteworthy to recognize that "Care" or "Caring" is one of the 6 pillars of Character Counts:  Trustworthiness, Respect, Responsibility, Fairness, Caring and Citizenship.  (www.charactercounts.org)

Do we (you and I), as leaders, care enough to overcome our fears and choose to "Do the Right Thing."

Please watch the video and share your comments - maybe you can even let me know how you have overcome one of your fears because you cared more than the fear itself.  

Be courageous and take the time and effort to care!

Remember, keep "Leading with Character First."