Far too often people are more concerned with what other people think of them than they are with doing what is right. While it is important for leaders to listen and to consider what others have to say and think, it is equally important to do the right thing even if it is not the popular thing to do!
I remember many years ago I was teaching a graduate course in educational leadership and I had a former colleague come in as a guest speaker. She had been an assistant superintendent of Human Resources and was truly a rock star! One of the students asked her a very insightful question; How did she make the difficult unpopular decisions? Her answer was telling and profound. She shared that she always tried to do what she believed was right even if it went against the trends or popular opinions. She said that way when she looked in the mirror at night, she could know that she did what she thought was right and she could sleep at night! If more leaders would adopt this practice, there would be a much smaller void of effective leadership!
Far too often leaders get caught up in their reputation. While I agree that how others view you is important, it should not be the driving force in decision making and leadership. Do what it right! If people question the decision and/or the motives for the decision, remember what Orrin Woodward frequently states, "People of integrity expect to be believed and when they are not, they let time prove them right."
At the end of the day, character matters! It is not a luxury that can be pulled out of the box when convenient. Living and leading with character is a choice and needs to become an embedded lifestyle if a leader hopes to be effective and make an impact. A lack of character will destroy a leader quicker than anything else.
Effective leaders lead with character. Period!
No comments:
Post a Comment