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The Leadership Advisor
"Helping Leaders Develop Leaders"
Winter 2008 - Volume 3 Edition 1
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"A good conversation is as stimulating as black coffee, and just as hard to sleep after." ~ Anne Morrow Lindbergh

"All limits are self imposed; learn to trust yourself." ~ Jerome Eberharter, founder of White Cloud Coffee

"A leader has the vision and conviction that a dream can be achieved. He inspires the power and energy to get it done." ~ Ralph Lauren

"All serious daring starts from within." ~ Eudora Welty

"In Seattle, you haven't had enough coffee until you can thread a sewing machine while it's running." ~ Jeff Bezos

By Phil Eastman

Well, here we go. Last year in our newsletter Lorene profiled her march toward the Marine Corps Marathon. A race she entered and finished. Now, to be sure, I am no marathoner but I was challenged by her example to undertake my own race of sorts, a race that has been before me since founding Leadership Advisors Group; writing a book. I am challenged in this endeavor in three ways.
  1. I have long said that every thing that needs to be written about leadership has been written. I have always been more interested in the application of leadership concepts than the creation of them.
  2. I am haunted by the nagging thought that even if there is something else to say, I am not the one to say it. There are so many better qualified than I to speak on the subject.
  3. I don't have time. Even as I write this I am headed home from a week long engagement in Manila with an almost immediate turnaround to another engagement.
Not withstanding those three hurdles, I am going to do this anyway and I am hoping that you will help. It is my plan to share, over the course of this year, the chapters of a book that I will entitle The Character of Leadership.

This month I want to share the introduction and the basis for the book. You will see that it is something that has been on my mind for several years and although I have made many presentations on the subject I have never taken the time to write the text. As you read each of these chapters, I hope that you will comment back to me with your reactions so I can make improvements and produce a final manuscript that will share your thoughts and experiences as well as mine. So here we go. . .

Chapter One: Character and Leadership
Leadership is inside out. Leadership is not a matter of merely understanding what behaviors to employ, but it is really a matter of one's character. I first came across this powerful insight into leadership while working on a seminary degree. However, as powerful as that comment was it did not answer the question as to what character really is. In the process of exploring the subject of character and leadership, I came across an article in a dictionary that defined character according to seven essential components or virtues as the ancient Greeks called them. It was at that moment the trajectory for this book was born. I knew that this model represented an important step in the understanding and application of character as a leadership paradigm for me and the leaders that I help to develop.

This epiphany regarding character certainly wasn't late breaking news to me. As a young man, I had been subjected to a seemingly endless barrage of people telling me that character mattered. But I also grew up in a time when the foundation of societal behavior in our culture morphed almost daily. As a teenager in the 70's, I saw the ramifications of the excessive behaviors of the 60's; the disgrace of a Presidential resignation, corruption on a national scale, capitalism's resurgence, unbridled greed, and the near god-like reverence for individualism.

It is against that background that the neo-conservatism of my own character was shaped. By neo-conservatism, I don't mean the type of mean spirited, socially harsh conservatism that seems to be in vogue today. I mean, the backdrop of the 60's and the abandonment of social mores leaves me to this day feeling somewhat emptied of the moral tools that my parent's generation took for granted. This coupled with my keen desire to understand and enable others to lead people in ways they deserve to be led, have brought me to this writing. If the proposition that leadership is inside out is correct, (and I think that it is) then the understanding of what is (or what should be) inside the leader is of paramount concern to us in whatever capacity we find ourselves.

This however begs one more question. Can one's character, and the leadership that flows from that character, be shaped or is character fixed quality in the individual. Well, I am not a psychologist nor do I profess to have some failsafe insight into the human psyche; that sort of insight would exceed several lifetimes of experience. I have however seen in myself, and in those that I have been privileged to work with over the years, the ability to make meaningful, profound and positive changes not just in leadership behavior but also in the very nature of who we are. Our character has been shaped and refined by the painful experience of failure. As a consequence some of us, not all, choose to make a transformation in our character that forever alters the way we see life, people, work and our leadership responsibilities.

So can character and the leadership that flows from it be shaped; absolutely! But there is no magic bullet for character development. It is much like that inevitable diet after the holidays are over. Nothing known to mankind will help us lose those unwanted pounds except the discipline of eating less and moving more. Character development has the same reality.

Developing, or perhaps refining is a better term, is a function of self-awareness, (the recognition by an individual that their leadership is less than the followers need and despite their best intentions they are not having the impact they truly desire) values refinement, and practice. I will share more on the process of character development later. For now, suffice it to say that leadership is inside out. Every person leads based on the composition of their character (good or bad).

Of what does human character consist? That is the first question we must answer if we want to have any hope of understanding the link between character and leadership; at least if we are serious about shaping our character to produce the best possible leadership.

What are the elements of human character? If we want to define the elements of character, we need to turn to people who spent their lives considering that complex subject.

Aristotle and his contemporaries determined that character was made of four virtues (I will call them elements). Those elements were justice, courage, wisdom, and temperance.

. . .article continues on the bottom of this newsletter. . .

Phil Eastman 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 a graduate of the Pacific Coast Banking School at the University of Washington where he is also an instructor. Phil also holds a Master of Arts degree in Theological Studies from Bethel Seminary.
Jerome Eberharter
By Lorene Rasmussen

While training for the Marine Corps Marathon last year, I had the privilege of meeting some of the most fascinating people. Whether at the starting line at a race, standing in line at the airport, waiting in line at the coffee shop, going online at a runner's blog, or crossing the finish line with a smile, folks seem to like to talk about the sport, even if they aren't runners.

While returning home from a race in Woodinville, WA, my husband Tom and I were standing in line at the SeaTac Airport waiting to board our flight back to Boise. I was excitedly re-living my very successful race and text messaging a friend at the same time when I jokingly said, "it takes seven texts to set up one lunch date."

That's when an attractive gentleman standing right beside us with his teenage son, (who was also text messaging and listening to his IPod) said, ". . . unless you're a teenager and it then it would take you 14."

From there, we began the usual airport conversation. Where are you headed? Are you here on business or pleasure? Blah, blah, blah. After explaining to him I was training for the Marine Corps Marathon and we were returning home from a race, he mentioned that he had been following one woman's story about her first marathon to the Marine Corps Marathon. The longer he talked, I realized, he was talking about my story. (How fun is that?)

The attractive gentleman, I was visiting with was none other than, Jerome Eberharter - original founder of Moxie Java and owner of White Cloud Coffee Company. Moxie Java arrived on the scene in Boise, ID long before Starbucks or Tully's ever tried to caffeinate the Treasure Valley. My husband shared memories of us going to Moxie Java in the evenings with our two sons, playing jazz for tips and free coffee. It felt like old home week sharing stories of how he started the company and how we spent hundreds of hours (and dollars) just hanging out at Moxie with friends and family.

We hadn't even gotten to the meat of the conversation when it was time to part ways for our flight home. I asked if I could buy him a cup of coffee and pick his brain about business, leadership, and other pertinent information. He agreed, we exchanged contact information, set a date and said our good-byes.

Like so many providential events in my life, meeting Jerome was pivotal. When we finally met for the cup of coffee, I was only six weeks out from running my first marathon. He zinged me with phrases like "all limits are self-imposed; learn to trust yourself." He then launched into a blend of life coaching and entrepreneurship 101. It was equal to or better than any business class I ever took in college.

Moxie Java was founded in 1988 by Eberharter and two other friends/business associates. The first café was located on historic Main Street in Boise, Id and has since grown to 85 locations worldwide. The café was the perfect retail distribution outlet for White Cloud's premium coffee that was roasted locally by Eberharter.

Eberharter sold his portion of the Moxie Java Cafés so he could venture into a different distribution model for his premium coffees. When asked, "why coffee?" Jerome said, "it's what I know, it's what I love!"

Eberharter describes leadership as a blend of tenacity, perseverance, and earnestness. He believes people should never give up on their dream nor limit themselves by their own negative thoughts. Even though we shouldn't take ourselves too serious, we need to take what we do serious in order to see it accomplished.

Motivation is a big deal to Jerome. He put it like this, "Always know what your why is?" By knowing your "why," you can understand what motivates you to keep going. For Jerome, it is his desire to build enterprises that can free up his time to help others.

. . . and helping others is exactly what Jerome is committed to with the Ride-2-Read Program. Ride-2- Read promotes literacy for children and adults and brings financial assistance to education programs and libraries in Idaho. This year's Ride-2-Read event will take place on Saturday, June 14, 2008. For more information, go to: www.ride2read.org

In Eberharter's own words, "It has been 20 years since I tore off my tie, walked out of the bank where I was working in marketing, and started White Cloud Coffee. . . now we are adding new sales channels called Lifefoods and RocaJava."

When asked, "What would you tell someone that is on the cusp of making a decision to follow their dream in business?" Jerome's reply was not at all surprising given the energy and tone of the conversation, "go ahead, make some plans, but basically, just do it!"

It was from that airport conversation, I found the inspiration to feature community leaders, heroes, and business owners that we can all learn from their experiences. Some of the other notable people I met during my race year: Butch Otter-the Governor of Idaho; Lauralynn Salinas-Mrs. Idaho 2007; Lorene Oates-St. Luke's Women's Fitness Challenge Race Director; and Mary Jane Butters-owner/founder of Mary Jane's Farms. I look forward to introducing many heroes, leaders, and business people to you throughout the year.

Coffee for Every Journey! is #1 in a series of interviews with local leaders, business owners, and personal hereos.

Lorene Rasmussen is the Partner for Business Operations which guides and supports the daily and strategic operations of Leadership Advisors Group. She combines a unique sense of fun and organization to insure operations run smoothly and that clients receive the highest quality service possible.

Lorene earned a Bachelors of Business Administration degree in marketing from Boise State University and is a certified Life Coach through Genesis Enterprises in Seattle, Washington. Lorene believes coffee, community, and conversation are essential for anyone who wants to live "a fresh brewed life!"
Brain
When executives invest in training & development for their people, they want to see a real change in their behavior. However, changing behavior means rewiring the brain and rewiring the brain isn't possible without changing the day to day behavior of the people.

A recent article titled, The Neuroscience of Leadership, explains how breakthrough in brain research can help us understand individual change. There is evidence now available on how the brain will literally rewire itself in order for permanent, personal improvement to take place.

To achieve these improvements executives want to see, people not only need training & development but they need reinforcement and accountability to their develop which will set their team apart. This can be done by different assessment tools.

20/20 Insight is a fully customizable assessment platform that provides you the ability to measure initial competency levels. Then on a routine basis re-assess progress toward building the skills essential to success. We recently added a short video to our website to explain how this system works and I invite you to click on the picture to view it:

We use 20/20 to the benefit of our clients but many clients prefer to own the systems themselves to use for all assessment types. This is the most robust, flexible and cost effective system for conducting assessments and that is why it is part of our development arsenal.
Character of Leadership
. . .Continued from Character of Leadership. . .

These four elements explained the essence of a person. The ancient philosopher's model was supplemented 2000 years ago by the arrival on the world scene of a new branch of Judaism that would eventually blossom into Christianity. The "people of the way" as the early followers of Jesus were called, understood the power of the ancient Greece philosophy in the minds of people. Rather than show Christianity and it's tenets in opposition to the humanity the philosophers had described with their virtues of character, those apologists simply augmented the fourfold model with three additional virtues which more full described human character and recognized the essential fact that people are multi-faceted beings. In other words, they are physical, emotional and spiritual. The early "people of the way" added faith, hope and love to the list to round out what would forever be understood as the seven virtues of character.

This seven element model is the one that we will focus on in this text by describing each definitionally, sharing an historic leadership example of the element in use, and then offering some observations on how the element might be practically applied to leadership.

Although we will use the ancient's list of elements, I am going to take the liberty of describing the interaction of the elements in a way that I think accounts for the synergistic complexity of this model. To do this I have prepared a graphic representation of the character model which offers us two distinct advantages or liberties of interpretation.

First, it is the three dimensional representation. It seems to me that with most discussion about human development we tend to focus too simplistically on how people work and fail to account for the fact the human beings are extremely complex. Changes in one aspect of an individual's character have ramifications on other aspects of the person's life. Although our attempt at the three dimensional view of character will inevitably fall short of reality, the model attempts to show the interrelated nature of each element. The lines between the elements are intended to show the flow of one element to another. We have separated the elements as though they stand alone, but of course the reality of their interplay remains a miracle and mystery of our humanity.

The second liberty has to do with placing faith as the center-most element of the model. The ancients did not contemplate this view character but in my experience it seems reasonable to show that faith is the element that inevitably gives rise to how the rest of the elements play out. I will discuss this more in the next chapter when we discuss faith.

Finally on the model, I have described the model as being three dimensional but in reality there is a fourth dimension. As character resides in the individual the flow of the elements one into another is mysterious yet still contained within the person. The fourth dimension represents the display of one's character through demonstrable behaviors. For our purposes the fourth dimension is leadership, however there are certainly a multitude other ways character is displayed.

Whew! Mile One completed and I am not even winded.
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 change management to achieve strategic results.

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"Living a fresh brewed life is risky business. It means waking up, staying present, and embracing change." ~ Lorene Rasmussen

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Phil Eastman & Lorene Rasmussen
Leadership Advisors Group

phone: (208) 344-0471
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