What characterizes good leaders

A Living Example Surpasses a Sermon on Any Day!

April 29, 2013 By Soaring_Eagle_One

From the day we are born until the day we die, we are exhorted by one authority figure after another to tell the truth; to play fairly and by the rules; to obey the law. And, each and every day, we are presented examples of those same authority figures lying to their constituents, taking unfair advantage of others, violating the rules, and breaking the law. Consider these actions and the logical reactions.

A parent daily tells a child to always tell the truth. Then, one day, the telephone rings and as the child reaches for the telephone, the parent says, “If that’s for me, I’m not here”. Subsequently, the child tells a lie and the parent asks, “What in the world made you do that? Why did you lie to me?”

A law enforcement officer makes a routine traffic stop and asks the driver, “Do you realize how fast you were going? You were exceeding the speed limit and are guilty of a crime for which you will be required to pay a fine.” On another day, this same officer passes the same driver who is driving at the speed limit and rapidly disappears from sight. The driver asks himself, “Why is he allowed to speed when I’m not?”

A business manager insists that employees arrive for work on time and discharges those who are routinely late. Yet, that manager is regularly late for meetings, arrives at work long after all other employees have arrived and commenced their duties, and is never disciplined for this behavior. The typical employee must question why the rules apply to everyone but the boss.

Lawmakers make speeches and tell the public that everyone must pay their fair share of taxes (whatever that phrase means) and pass laws to ensure that citizens do so. One day, it’s revealed that a prominent politician hasn’t filed the required tax returns and owes thousands of dollars in back taxes; or, has utilized loopholes that ensure that he or she pays next to nothing. Who can blame the citizenry for losing faith in the system and their elected officials?

Weak leaders believe that the rules apply to everyone BUT them and they regularly display behaviors for which others would be censured and punished.

Great leaders, on the other hand, know that they are being watched and that their behaviors will be emulated. They know that the teams they lead will follow the example they set. Great leaders know that actions speak louder than words and they make certain that their example sets the standard to which they want their followers to adhere.

LIKE if you believe that, as individuals who aspire to be great leaders, we must closely examine our own behaviors before critiquing the actions of others?

Tom Hoisington is a speaker, trainer, and author whose goal is to provide leaders and potential leaders with tools that empower them to build teams that are creative and cost effective along with a clearer understanding of how personality types interact within those teams. He can be contacted at tom.hoisington@eagleoneresources.com

Filed Under: Dynamic Leadership, Great Leaders, Lead from strength, Lead with Integrity, Leadership, What characterizes good leaders Tagged With: Character, dynamic leadership, Ethical Leadership, Integrity, lead by example, lead from strength, Lead with Integrity, Leadership, management

As a Leader, Will You Choose to Succeed?

April 21, 2013 By Soaring_Eagle_One

I was reminded this morning of the importance of mindset and how it impacts everything we do. Consider…

Manager #1 (we’ll call him Peter Pessimist aka Pete) has just been handed a project, the boss’s pet project. He recognizes this as a project that several of his co-workers have attempted to complete and have failed to do so. In fact, he knows that the consensus is that it just can’t be done. While Pete promises to give it his best effort, he is already thinking about all the things that have been tried, why they failed, and how he’ll explain to the boss everything that he tried to do; but, none of it worked; the project just can’t be done. This entire mindset is going to impact not only Pete’s own thinking, but how he communicates the project to his team; and, how they will go about their work on the project. If Pete is the project leader and he doesn’t believe it can be done, how can he expect his team to believe that they can succeed where others have failed. When members of Pete’s team offer an idea that hasn’t been tried, Pete immediately shoots it down with every reason he can think of that tell why the idea won’t work. The result is predictable. After the passage of sufficient time, Pete returns the project to his boss and explains all the reasons why the project cannot be completed.

Manager #2 (we’ll call him Oscar Optimist) is given the same project. He knows the history of the project and its reputation. However, he takes a different approach to the project. Oscar recognizes the attempts that have failed to reach the objective with an attitude of “we know what won’t work, so let’s look for something that hasn’t been tried yet”. Instead of focusing on the old, tried and true, methods, he looks for new and untested solutions. Oscar gathers his team and tells them that they are going to find a way to complete the project; that he has confidence in the team’s ability to think in unconventional ways and come up with ideas that no one else has thought of. When a team member offers up a theory of what can be tried, Oscar immediately looks for ways to encourage the team member and asks for suggestions on how to make the idea work. While the positive, “can do” attitude cannot guarantee success, there is certainly a much greater probability that Oscar and his team will find a way to make things work and complete the project

Great leaders create a vision of success and paint that vision so vividly that their followers cannot help but see it and strive toward its fulfillment. Their belief in the ability of their team is highly contagious and their optimism infects all who follow them. Great leaders do not see the failure of others as predictors of their own outcomes; rather, they see opportunities to succeed in the face of obstacles where others have seen only the excuses for failure. Great leaders choose to work for success rather than opting to accept failure.

How do you choose to lead?

Tom Hoisington is a speaker, trainer, and author whose goal is to provide leaders and potential leaders with tools that empower them to build teams that are creative and cost effective along with a clearer understanding of how personality types interact within those teams. He can be contacted at tom.hoisington@eagleoneresources.com

Filed Under: Building a Legacy, Dynamic Leadership, Great Leaders, Lead from strength, Leadership, What characterizes good leaders Tagged With: Create a Vision, dynamic leadership, lead by example, lead from strength, Leadership, management

Is Integrity Really That Important?

April 15, 2013 By Soaring_Eagle_One

Not long ago, I overheard a disagreement between an employee and the owner of a company. The basic gist of the dispute was that the owner had directed the employee to take actions that the employee felt were both deceptive and dishonest. The owner of the company brought the disagreement to a close when he said, “Sometimes you take integrity to an extreme!”

Later, I found myself wondering, how can integrity be taken to an extreme? Isn’t integrity a bit like being dead or alive? One is either dead or one is alive. There is no real middle ground. Isn’t integrity something that a person either has or does not have?

Great leaders recognize that cutting corners in matters of right and wrong can quickly become a slippery slope. Once it becomes acceptable to tell a small lie, it becomes acceptable to tell the big lie if it means getting the deal done, making the sale, acquiring the customer. The problem, of course, is that one lie leads to another; and, when the deal doesn’t live up to the promise, the product doesn’t deliver what was promised, the customer loses faith not only in the person who told the lies but also faith in the firm that the person represents.

Great leaders who are employers and managers also know that integrity is paramount when leading their followers, their employees. They know that promises made must become promises kept if they are to retain credibility with their followers. Once promises are broken, future assurances become meaningless. Employees who know that their bosses don’t keep promises have no reason to believe that the promised incentive will actually be delivered. The boss never understands why the worker fails to make the extra effort to earn the promised reward; never realizes that his or her own past failures to honor commitments have forever destroyed the employee’s willingness to make the extra effort. The employee has learned to see the promised reward is just another false pretext to get more work, more production. The employee knows (perhaps rightly, perhaps wrongly) that the reward will never be received; the bonus will never be paid; the extra vacation time will never be approved.

If we are to be great leaders, we must begin by recognizing that integrity really is that important. Without it, are we even worthy of the title “leader”?

Filed Under: Building a Legacy, Dynamic Leadership, Great Leaders, Integrity, Lead with Integrity, Leadership, What characterizes good leaders Tagged With: dynamic leadership, Ethical Leadership, Integrity, lead by example, lead from strength, Lead with Integrity, Leadership, management

The Easy Way Out = The Road to Failure

April 8, 2013 By Soaring_Eagle_One

Sometimes things jump out at you when you aren’t even looking for them. Case in point – I was searching on-line for information regarding banking relationships when a pop-up appeared that included a statement from President Theodore Roosevelt to the effect that there were only five things that would destroy this country; prosperity at any price, peace at any price, safety first instead of duty first, the love of soft living, and a get rich quick attitude toward life. As I examined these five attitudes, I realized that each one indicated a person who was looking for the easy way rather than the right way.

Great leaders know that survival as an individual and as a nation is often dependent on foregoing the easy way and deliberately choosing to take the more difficult path. Great leaders recognize that doing the right thing is not easy; that standing up for core values and beliefs is not easy; that demanding integrity from yourself and those you lead is not easy. More importantly, great leaders inspire those around them to choose the more difficult path to success because it is not only the right thing to do, it also builds long-term relationships that benefit all concerned.

As people who aspire to be great leaders, each of us accepts the responsibility that great leadership carries; to do what is right and to inspire those who follow our lead to do likewise. A living example is far stronger and much more memorable than a well spoken lecture. Choose to do what is right; know the values and beliefs that you will not compromise; recognize and perform your duties; live in a manner that clearly demonstrates your integrity and your honor so that no one will ever question your motives. Be an example that others choose to follow and aspire to become.

Filed Under: Building a Legacy, Dynamic Leadership, Great Leaders, Lead from strength, Leadership, What characterizes good leaders Tagged With: Building a Legacy, Character, dynamic leadership, Integrity, lead by example, lead from strength, Leadership, management

Who Is the Most Important Person You’ll Ever Meet?

April 1, 2013 By Soaring_Eagle_One

Several years ago, I attended the funeral for a friend named Scott whose father had been my first agency manager. Many of us who were at the service had worked with Scott when he was an agent in his father’s agency. As is wont to happen at the wake after the memorial service, a group of us were standing and talking about “the old days” when we had all been newly minted agents in Ray’s office.

A young man I did not know walked up to the group and waited patiently for a break in the conversation. When it came, he introduced himself and said, “Everyone tells me that my grandfather was the best that ever was at what he did. Since you all worked for him, I was hoping you could tell me, what was it that made him the best at what he did?”

After a few moments of quiet contemplation, each of us offered our views. When all opinions had been voiced, the young man summed it up in one sentence. “My grandfather made each of you feel like you were the most important person in the entire world.” There it was in the proverbial nutshell!

No matter who Ray was with, he made that person believe that no one, no thing, could ever be more important than he or she was at that moment. Ray gave you his undivided attention. His focus was entirely on you.

Great leaders know that every person has a genuine need to feel important; needs to know that what they say and what they do is important; and, that the leader recognizes, respects, and appreciates their contributions. If we are to be great leaders, we should take a moment to look in the mirror and carefully examine how we treat others. Do we treat them as the important people they are; or, do we pay lip service to their unique abilities and lose their respect and their loyalty?

Who is the most important person you’ll ever meet? I would suggest that it’s the person you are with at the moment and that they deserve to be treated accordingly.

Filed Under: Building a Legacy, Dynamic Leadership, Great Leaders, Lead from strength, Leadership, What characterizes good leaders Tagged With: Building a Legacy, dynamic leadership, lead by example, lead from strength, Leadership, management

Is That a Stumbling Block or a Stepping Stone?

March 25, 2013 By Soaring_Eagle_One

No one has ever made life’s journey without encountering obstacles. There will always be unexpected “bumps in the road” and how we deal with them will determine if they are stumbling blocks or stepping stones.

Several months ago, I shared with you the wisdom of an Eagle Scout candidate who stated that leaders inspire you to accomplish things you never thought yourself capable of doing. This morning I read something said by Sir Winston Churchill that gave me another view of inspiration.

“A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity; an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficultly.”

I believe the same can be said for inadequate leaders and great leaders. Consider…

The mediocre or poor leader encounters an obstacle and sees a problem. This problem quickly becomes an overwhelming roadblock to success; an impediment that makes it impossible to reach a goal. In other words, a ready-made excuse for failure. While he or she may not accept the excuse from his or her followers, it is expected that superiors will not only accept it from him/her; but, will acknowledge its validity and support the failure to achieve the objective.

Conversely, great leaders see the obstacle for what it is; an opportunity to excel; a chance to do something that lesser men and women have failed to accomplish. The great leader sees the opportunity to demonstrate the “can do” attitude of the team and highlights the contributions of each team member in finding the solution to the difficulty.

Great leaders inspire their followers to closely examine the stumbling block and find ways to convert it into a stepping stone to ongoing success!

When It Comes to People, Perhaps You Can Judge the Book by its Cover

March 9, 2013 By Soaring_Eagle_One

In a touch of irony, I read two quotations this week that lead me to believe that some books can be judged by their covers … if the “books” are the people we meet. I’m not talking about the clothes they wear, the cars they drive, or the titles on their doors. Rather, I’m talking about the way they treat others. Consider this …

The Greek Orator, Demosthenes, wrote that a person “cannot have a proud and chivalrous spirit if (his) conduct is mean and paltry; for whatever a man’s actions are, such must be his spirit.”

Think for a moment about the leaders you have known. How did they treat others. In all probability, those that you consider to be great leaders are most likely those that you believe treated others fairly. They played no favorites. Every person received the same consideration and attention. The ones for whom you have little regard for their leadership skills are very probably the ones who you believe treated some of their followers unfairly. They could not be counted on to be impartial. They only gave favorable treatment to those that they perceived to be in a position to provide some benefit to them.

Great leaders have the unique ability to set aside personal feelings and consider the well-being of ALL those that they lead, not just the favored few. While we may not always like the decisions that these leaders make, we respect them and are confident that their verdicts are rendered with an eye toward the impact of their decisions on everyone. Great leaders do not make decisions based on the preferences of “yes men”; the whims of those whose support they seek; the desires of those from whom they wish to curry favor. Great leaders do what is best for all concerned; what is right.

This leads to the second quotation, attributed to Malcolm S. Forbes, that I read. “You can easily judge the character of a man by how he treats those who can do nothing for him.”

Every action each of us takes is viewed by someone and we are judged by it. Will you be seen as a person of great character or as weak and self-important?

Filed Under: Building a Legacy, Dynamic Leadership, Lead from strength, Leadership, What characterizes good leaders Tagged With: Building a Legacy, dynamic leadership, lead by example, lead from strength, Leadership

Can You Respect the Person in the Mirror?

February 24, 2013 By Soaring_Eagle_One

I recently read a quote from Abraham Lincoln in which he stated his intention to conduct his administration in a manner such that, when it ended, he could like and respect the man he saw in the mirror. This determination to do what is right is one of the hallmarks of a great leader.

Weak leaders and weaker followers do what is easy, what is expedient, that which is popular. They are willing to compromise their ethics, their values, and their own sense of right and wrong simply to maintain their position. They will go along to get along with no thought as to whether their actions will benefit or harm others. In the end, they lose the respect of those who follow them and have no respect for themselves.

Strong leaders, on the other hand, know what they stand for and recognize an inviolate code of conduct that governs all that they do. While they acknowledge the value of compromise when working for the common good, they also adhere to moral precepts that cannot be sacrificed without harming the world around them. For these leaders, there is the proverbial “line in the sand” which cannot be crossed; principles that cannot be violated.

These leaders uphold their personal integrity so that, on any given day, they can look in the mirror and like the person that they see and respect the person that they are.

“People who know you love you as you are. Mentors love you too much to leave you where you are.”

February 19, 2013 By Soaring_Eagle_One

This past Saturday, I had the privilege of hearing my good friend, Delatorro McNeal II, CSP, speak to the National Speakers Association of Central Florida Speakers Academy class where he made this profound statement, “People who know you love you as you are. Mentors love you too much to leave you where you are.”

Great leaders/mentors recognize that one of the greatest measures of their effectiveness will be the legacy that they create and how they pass the baton to their successors. Thus, they are always looking for opportunities to share what they know and help their followers grow and prepare for their own leadership opportunities. Rather than always telling their followers what to do, they ask the subordinate “what do you think you should do?”. Rather than mandating every step to be followed, the great leader/mentor provides the opportunity for their followers to chart their own course and, at times, to fail so that they can learn from their mistakes.

Making mistakes, stumbling, and failing are painful. However, the great leader/mentor knows that those who will become the great leaders of the future must, occasionally, suffer these setbacks in order to reach their full potential. When they occur, the great leader/mentor is there to help the person regain their footing and asks, “OK…what can be learned from this experience and what can be done differently next time?”

Great leaders/mentors love their student/followers too much to protect them from every bump and boo-boo that provide the opportunities to learn and grow. As another great leader/mentor once said, “No man who gets knocked down by life and gets back up has failed. He only fails when he fails to get back up or insists that someone or something won’t let him get back up.” Great leaders and mentors build their legacy one person at a time and measure their success by the success of those that they have nurtured.

Filed Under: Building a Legacy, Dynamic Leadership, Lead from strength, Leadership, What characterizes good leaders Tagged With: Building a Legacy, lead from strength, Leadership

Do You Have the Courage to Lead?

February 10, 2013 By Soaring_Eagle_One

Several months ago, we met Michael, who had just been promoted into a leadership position, and Jake, his mentor. Michael had been required to make a difficult decision, one that he knew would not be popular. Leadership often requires that the leader make those tough calls. The leader can make the popular decision or the right decision … they are seldom both right and popular. Often, those decisions require that the leader deal with individuals who will feel hurt and betrayed.

Consider two managers, both of whom were informed that they would have to let one employee go. In both cases, the employee had been with the company for many years and was considered to be very good at his job. In both cases, there was no option of finding another position within the company. And, in both cases, the employee was traveling on business when the decision was made. Now, let’s look at how each manager handled the situation.

Manager A knew that the employee would be angry and he, the manager, did not like confrontation. So, in order to avoid confrontation, Manager A sent the employee an e-mail stating that his employment was being terminated at the conclusion of the trip; that there was no need for the employee to come into the office as his final paycheck would be mailed to his home and his personal belongings would be brought to him by a co-worker who lived nearby.

Manager B also knew that the employee would be angry and also would have preferred to avoid confrontation. However, Manager B also recognized that he and the employee had worked together for over a decade and that the employee’s long service and commitment to the company demanded that the employee be treated with dignity and respect. So, Manager B scheduled a face-to-face meeting with the employee as soon as the trip ended. In that meeting, Manager B explained the reasons behind the downsizing and expressed regret that the employee would be leaving. Finally, Manager B gave the employee a letter of reference citing the employee’s contributions to the company and notable accomplishments that had benefited the company. This letter could be used in the employee’s search for new employment and explained how the new employer would be gaining a valuable, contributing member to their workforce.

As a leader, you may someday be called upon to make a difficult decision; to handle a difficult or unpleasant situation. You can choose to lead with courage; or, you can opt for cowardice. Choose wisely as your decision will determine how followers perceive you and your leadership; and, whether they choose to follow at all.

Filed Under: Dynamic Leadership, Lead from strength, Leadership, What characterizes good leaders Tagged With: dynamic leadership, lead from strength, Leadership