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Do You Accept Responsibility and Give Credit Where it is Due?

May 21, 2013 By

Over 50 years ago, Americans were exhorted to ask not what their country could do for them; but rather, to ask what they can do for their country. Today, there appears to be a sense that people are making every effort to get more than they give. The exception to this, of course, is Great Leaders. They recognize that committing all of their skill, all of their imagination, to the betterment of the team builds success not just for themselves but for all team members.

Weak leaders look at life through the lense of ‘What’s In It For Me?” Their sole concern is their own personal aggrandizement and enrichment. They will do everything within their power to ensure that they receive all of the credit for the team’s successes; and, they will take whatever actions are necessary to deflect blame for the team’s failures away from themselves and onto someone else.

Conversely, Great Leaders attribute the team’s success to the efforts of the team members. In success, they deflect the glory and accolades to their team members and accept only that they were fortunate to have a great team that made the success possible. In failure, they state quickly and without reservation that the fault resides not in the efforts of the followers; but rather, in the leadership that they themselves failed to provide. Everything that they do, every action that they take, is a commitment to the improvement of the team and tangible evidence of their belief in the abilities and capabilities of their team. In the final analysis, by giving credit for success to the team members and accepting responsibility for team failures, Great Leaders sow the seeds of loyalty and gratitude among their followers. These followers will go the extra mile to support the leader … and when the team enjoys greater success, the Great Leader will always attribute that success back to the amazing efforts of the team.

If you have had the luxury of working with a Great Leader, please share a comment here that illustrates what made that person a Great Leader.

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, Integrity, Lead from strength, Lead with Integrity, Leadership, What characterizes good leaders Tagged With: , , , , , ,

What Is Your Personal Code of Ethics?

May 12, 2013 By

My father, a very wise man in his own way, frequently told me that a man must know what he stands for; otherwise, he’d fall for anything. I know, this was not an original thought that he created. He undoubtedly heard it somewhere and tucked it away with many other bits of wisdom that he would periodically sprinkle into our conversations. That’s the way he went about building character. He never sat down and said, “Here’s what you do.” He dropped these little bread crumb clues into casual conversations and let you discover them for yourself. Then, when you voiced them, he would act surprised and commend you for your great idea and congratulate you for making a fascinating discovery; and, of course, he then encouraged you to “get to work on that.”

I thought of my father when I read an article the other day in which the writer suggested that when a person interviews for a job, when asked if he or she has any questions, the person should ask for a copy of the company’s Code of Ethics in order to determine if the company was a good match for his or her own code of ethical conduct. My first reaction was, “what a remarkable idea! Who would have thought to ask that?” My next thought was, OK, if a person asks for the company’s code, he or she better be prepared to provide a copy of their own code.

Great leaders know what they stand for. They have a very clear understanding of what they feel is right and what they know is wrong. They live by this code of right and wrong and are prepared to walk away from things that they know are unethical and, more importantly, they will walk away from “opportunities” that just don’t pass “the smell test”. They may not see a specific law being broken; but, they recognize that it just isn’t right and they refuse to be a part of it … and they put a stop to it when they can.

Have you written out your own personal Code of Ethics? It’s not as easy as it first sounds. What do you think it should include? Should you have separate codes for your personal life and your business life? I’ve posted my Code on this website at https://eagleoneresources.com/index.php/code-of-ethics/. Please take a look at it and then comment here. Tell Great Leaders what you believe constitutes ethical conduct.

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, Integrity, Lead from strength, Lead with Integrity, Leadership, What characterizes good leaders Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

How Can a Relater Personality Be a Great Leader?

May 6, 2013 By

When people think of leaders, they tend to think of the person who takes command; who gives orders; who talks loudly; who moves through the crowd shaking hands with everyone and talking to everyone who will listen … and frequently to those who would rather not listen.

A Relater Personality (see Personality Types and Leadership – Part 3 published here on April 11, 2012) hardly fits the description above. Relaters tend to be introverted personalities; again, not what you expect from someone who aspires to a position of leadership. But, I believe that Relaters can be GREAT Leaders because they have some skills that are desperately needed.

They Listen: I once heard the great Cavett Robert say, “God gave you two ears and one mouth. It was a hint.” What did he mean by this? Great Leaders recognize that they do not know it all. Great Leaders listen twice as much as they talk; and, at this, Relaters excel. Relater Personalities listen to others, especially where there are differing opinions and points of view so that they can determine where common ground exists.

They Build Consensus: Once the Relater Leader knows where the common ground is, they are in a much better position to broker compromises in which all parties believe that they have gotten what they need. They rally people to the positions that all support and keep everyone focused on what they have in common; the positions that they all support. Rather than having team members see other members with differing points of view as opponents to be defeated, Relater Leaders help the team arrive at positions that the majority can support. Even those who don’t completely agree with the position feel valued in that they had an opportunity to present their opinions and ideas and that they were heard.

They Foster a Spirit of Teamwork: My former neighbor, Bobby, is a Relater Leader. Working in the construction industry, Bobby was a job-site supervisor and had a reputation for getting more quality work from his crews than any other supervisor in the company. Got a tough job with a hard completion deadline? This was the man you wanted on the job! I asked him how he did it and his answer was quite simple. He stated that his crews did not work for him … they work with him. If he needed the crew to work on Saturday in order to be ready for an inspection on Monday, he did not tell the workers that they had to work on Saturday. He told them that, in order to have the job done by Monday morning, some work needed to be done on Saturday. He told them that he’d be on the job-site at 7:00 a.m. with coffee and donuts; then, he asked who would be there at 8:00 a.m. to help him get the job done. He never lacked help; and, they usually showed up well before 8:00 and found him hard at work. His crew knew that they were a team; that they would succeed or fail as a team; and, that the leader of the team would work as hard, or harder, than he asked of them.

Can a Relater Personality by a Great Leader?  Comment here and tell us what you think?

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, How personality type impacts leadership, Lead from strength, Lead with Integrity, Leadership, Personal Coaching, Personality Assessment, Personality types, What characterizes good leaders Tagged With: , , , , ,

A Living Example Surpasses a Sermon on Any Day!

April 29, 2013 By

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: , , , , , , , ,

Is Integrity Really That Important?

April 15, 2013 By

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: , , , , , , ,
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