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The Leadership Advisor
"Helping Leaders Develop Leaders"
October 2006
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George Washington

"The best index to a person's character is how he treats people who can't do him any good, and how he treats people who can't fight back." ~ Abigail Van Buren

"Character is like a tree and reputation like its shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing." ~ Abraham Lincoln

"You cannot dream yourself into a character; you must hammer and forge yourself one." ~ James A. Froude

"There never was a good knife made of bad steel." ~ Benjamin Franklin

Abe Lincoln
Phil Eastman
Leadership is inside out! This phrase came to me during the early months of my consulting career. It seems strange that as a newly established leadership consultant I had not fully considered the foundation of leadership. I was caught up in the notion that I would teach people how to lead and that would be the basis of a strong consulting practice. Indeed the importance of teaching leadership cannot be under estimated but the most important aspect of a person’s leadership is their individual character not the list of seminars they have attended, books they have read or even their leadership experience. This realization that character is the root of all leadership, good and bad, struck me soundly and I went looking for a definition of character.

Character is a term thrown around in our vernacular but I doubt many have really paused to consider its meaning and what makes up the character of a person and consequently the character of a leader. Webster’s Dictionary defines character this way. Character is:

~ The aggregate of distinctive mental and moral qualities belonging to an individual or race as a whole; the stamp of individuality impressed by nature, education or habit; as, character building or training. “In truth, character is what a person is; reputation is what he is supposed to be. ~ Highly developed or strongly marked moral qualities; individuality, esp. as distinguished by moral excellence; moral vigor or firmness, esp. as acquired through self discipline; inhibitory control of one’s instinctive impulses.

In this definition two things stand out. The fact that character is both the moral and mental qualities of a person and that those qualities are acquired through self-discipline and the “inhibitory control of one’s instinctive impulses.” That last statement is very challenging to me because it means that character in the aggregate includes what I am, what I do and maybe most importantly what I don’t do.

Although this definition is helpful it still does not tell us what makes up a person’s character. After additional research I found that the Stoic philosophers and had articulated the elements (they called them virtues) of character and that their initial work had been enhanced by the early formers of the Christian movement. The resulting seven elements of human character were thus defined (in no particular order) to be: wisdom, faith, justice, hope, courage, love and, temperance.

I found this list of character elements intriguing and have over the past many years been refining my understanding of these elements and speaking about them whenever I have opportunity. I have also built this model into my thinking about how leaders are truly developed. Since the core component of leadership is character then great leaders cannot be built without dealing with issues of character.

History is a great teacher and as such is a great place to study leaders. It is from history that it is easiest to see how character plays a fundamental role in the type of leadership a person displays. In order to bolster my argument that character is central to leadership let’s first consider the person many consider our greatest President, Abraham Lincoln.

We have all likely heard the stories of Lincoln’s multiple political and legal defeats and how those formed in his character as tenacity toward causes that he considered worthy and just. His determination in the face of insurmountable odds and substantial cost eventually drove Lincoln to the Presidency. It also drove his views of national union and motivated his emancipation of slaves in America. His character provided the platform for his relentless search for a general who could successfully prosecute the Civil War and lead the Union to victory. Lincoln is in fact a great study in the character of leadership because we see in his leadership courage, wisdom and, temperance.

Contrast Lincoln with a leader like Joseph Stalin whose character elements were twisted in such evil and perverse ways that he committed unspeakable crimes against his own people. Both men were leaders and both led from their character; from the inside out.

Leadership is inside out and that means that our leadership flows directly from the way in which the seven elements of character are formed. Further I believe it is possible to continually reshape our own character and as such continually improve our leadership. Consequently I will devote future editions of this column to examples of each of the seven elements of character in action.
Phil
Phil is the founder and president of Leadership Advisors Group, a Boise-based consulting firm. Phil combines more than 25 years of leadership experience with his passion for consulting, coaching, and teaching to develop leaders, build teams, and improve performance. It is his desire to enhance leadership effectiveness for all of his clientele.

Phil earned a Bachelors of Business Administration degree in Management and Organization from Idaho State University. He is the graduate of the Pacific Coast Banking School at the University of Washington where he is also an instructor. Phil also holds a Masters of Arts degree in Theological Studies from Bethel Seminary.

Organizations that effectively build a core of principle-centered leaders consistently outperform their competitors and often achieve a breakaway performance with their industry. The 10 foundational character principles known as the MAXIMIZER will have a profound impact upon your life.

  • Makes Things Happen
  • Achieve Personal Significance
  • X - Out the Negatives
  • Internalize Right Principles
  • March to a Mission
  • Integrate All of Life
  • Zero in on Caring for People
  • Energize Internally
  • Realign Rigorously
  • Stay the Course

Please join me for this inaugural event. As a participant, you will enjoy a full day of engaged discussion about the principles of personal leadership. Additionally, you will leave with a life-time operating system that you can use to guide and refine your personal leadership.

$375.00

Friday, October 27, 2006

8 am to 4:30 pm

George Fox University - 1810 Eagle Rd., Meridian, ID

Contact Lorene: 208.871.5981
Leadership Advisors Group will help you and your organization succeed by:
  • Developing effective leaders.
  • Creating strategic plans that drive organizational progress and team unity.
  • Delivering strategic results through effective change management.

You are receiving this email from Leadership Advisors Group because you are a valued client, have requested information regarding our services, or you are part of a highly respected organization. To ensure that you continue to receive emails from us, please add phil@leadershipadvisors.com to your address book.

Phil Eastman
Leadership Advisors Group

phone: (208) 344-0471
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