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

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?