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The Leadership Advisor
"Helping Leaders Develop Leaders"
March 2008 - Volume 3 Edition 3
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Justice

"The place of justice is a hallowed place." ~ Francis Bacon

"Justice denied anywhere diminishes justice everywhere." ~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

"Justice is doing what is right even when it is difficult & costly." ~ Phil Eastman, Founder & President, Leadership Advisors Group

"If you want peace, work for justice." ~ Unknown

"Justice is rendering to every one that which is his due. It has been distinguished from equity in this respect, that while justice means merely the doing what positive law demands, equity means the doing of what is fair and right in every separate case." ~ Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary

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By Phil Eastman

Justice is the seat of the leader's ethics. Ethics are the behaviors that rise from a person's definition of right and wrong, therefore, of all the aspects of a leader's character, none is more obvious in its need and in its absence than justice. It is where the leader's character demonstrates the actions related to people in tough situations.

We often focus on the behavior of leaders and determine whether they are either ethical or unethical. Of course, that determination presupposes that the leader shares our view of right and wrong. In fact ethics by themselves are really qualitatively neutral which reinforces why understanding Faith is critical.

To illustrate, consider a person that believes stealing from a stranger is acceptable. The person is acting ethically based on their definition of right and wrong since they are stealing from a stranger.

Conversely, if a person believes that stealing is wrong in all circumstances and consequently refrains from stealing, they too are acting ethically based on their beliefs.

Over the years our culture has added various judgments of what is right and wrong to the word "ethics". It is for this reason I took the time to discuss Faith in the last chapter. By explaining how beliefs are adopted and how actions flow out of those beliefs, a separate discussion needs to take place in order to demonstrate how Justice is manifested.

No doubt leaders struggle simultaneously with what they believe to be true and the words and actions that are exposed based on those beliefs. It is the tension between belief and action that makes Justice such an important aspect of a leader's character.

The media abounds with stories of leaders of all ages and stations who have breeched the trust of those they lead by acting in ways that are contrary to either the stated or assumed beliefs of the organization and its people. These stories have been subject to scandals from Wall Street to Main Street and Statehouse to the pulpit.

Justice describes the active part of putting one's beliefs to work in leadership. There are two reasons for using the term Justice rather than ethics to describe leadership behavior. First, justice stays true to the model put forth by great philosophers of ancient times. Second and more importantly, the term justice is more robust and calls leaders to a higher view regarding their actions than just acting ethically. There is a proactive component to the word justice that should challenge all leaders.

The dictionary recognizes the two facets of Justice.
"maintenance or administration of what is just (fair) by the impartial adjustment of conflicting claims".

In this usage, think of the legal system that has been established to redress the wrongs to which people and society are continually subjected. In every culture there is a system that helps people receive justice for the ills that have befallen them.

The second definition for Justice and the one we will use for our purposes is,
"the principle or ideal of just dealing or right action; conformity to this principle or ideal; conformity to truth, fact or reason."

This is the more challenging and less systematic view of justice. It is here we find the challenge for leaders to proactively demonstrate behaviors that are consistent with the beliefs articulated as part of faith.

Simply put, these two distinct differences in the above definitions: one is to "get justice" through some system of fairness and the other is to "do justice" in the constantly shifting circumstances that leaders find themselves subject to. Doing justice means proactively doing what is right even when it is difficult and costly.

For today's leaders, this is no small feat and in fact may represent one of the most challenging aspects of a leader's character. It is however the failure to do justice in leadership that has seen the excesses in recent years where leadership has betrayed the public, stockholders, partners, and employees by conducting illegal and illicit actions.

. . .to read the remainer of this article, please click on the Justice icon above. . .

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.
Mrs Idaho
By Lorene Rasmussen

On Saturday, April 28th, 2007, Lauralyn Salinas accepted the title and was crowned Mrs. Idaho America 2007. This was her second attempt, yet even in the midst of the glitz, the glamour, and the intense competition, Lauralyn did not take her eyes off the ultimate prize which was keeping her personal values and character intact as she competed for the prestigious award. (www.mrsidahoamerica2007.blogspot.com)

The first time I met Lauralyn, I certainly wasn't getting ready for any beauty pageant! I was finishing up the St. Luke's Women's Fitness Celebration 5K race with my two lovely daughter-in-laws and precious grand-daughter, Nataya. It doesn't matter if I run 3 miles or walk 26.2, I am not a pretty runner! I look more like my brothers than a beauty. . . but I digress. . .

Lauralyn had just completed the race wearing her tiara along many of the other State of Idaho pageant title holders. She was enjoying the after race festivities with the rest of us while taking pictures with the event's special guest, Subway's own Jared.

In May of 2007, I participated as a "sleeper" in the Race for the Cure, and I knew Lauralyn's pageant platform was Breast Cancer Awareness through the support of Susan G. Komen for the Cure. Nothing strikes more fear in the heart of a woman than the threat of breast cancer. Lauralyn's experience with her mother's breast cancer made the pageant platform not only important for the women of Idaho but personally relevant.

The Susan G. Komen Foundation for the Cure is committed to saving lives and ending breast cancer for millions of women all over the world by investing a billion dollars a year in research and breast detection foundations.

In my typical, bold fashion, I walked up to Lauralyn, introduced myself, and invited her to lunch to discuss the pageant as well as the leadership qualities it takes to represent the women in our state as Mrs. Idaho. She cheerfully accepted the invitation.

As a wife, mother of 5, and owner of a home based business, Lauralyn represented Idaho very well last summer by placing in the top ten at the National "Mrs. America Pageant" held in Arizona. She remembers the National competition being fierce: ". . . by the time we get to the National competition, all the women have worked out, dieted, been fitted for evening gowns and swimwear, and coached for their personal interviews. The truth is we are all winners."

Lauralyn is an undeniably beautiful and very modest woman with high ideals. She wanted to compete for the title as natural as possible without the aide of plastic surgery or liposuction. That's not to say she judged anyone else that may have used surgical methods to achieve their goals. However, if Lauralyn was going to be a testimony of genuine physical fitness and health, (25% of judging criteria) proper nutrition and a workout regime was how she wanted to present her authentic self.

Another area of personal resolve Lauralyn maintained throughout the pageant competition was her modesty. As a mother and community leader, she has taken a stand regarding modest and appropriate attire. Lauralyn was not at all interested in modeling swimwear or evening gowns that exposed excessive amounts of body parts or skin; standard operating procedure for beauty pageants.

When she met with the designer of her evening gown, she went to the expense of having an extra layer of opaque fabric sewn in so the bright stage lights would not illuminate what was underneath. Many may have considered Lauralyn's approach fanatic because she executed her personal values in such unbending ways. However, her reputation before her children was far more important to her than a few naysayer comments.

Lauralyn is not a stranger to leadership positions. Like many of us, she started her leadership journey in high school being involved in student activities and other leadership positions. Moreover, she was active on the national level as a student in the Office Education Association, now called the Business Professional of America. These early leadership roles taught her how to represent student organizations and stay competitive without sacrificing personal values.

Lauralyn believes leaders must not only have the ability to lead others, but they also need enough confidence in themselves to follow others. She believes that leaders should empower their people to do their own work while allowing enough room to fail so each person can learn effectively. Additionally, she sees an authentic leader as one who knows themselves thoroughly.

During the Judges Personal Interview section of the competition (50% of judging criteria), Lauralyn had the opportunity to reiterate her values and leadership attributes. She was unapologetic for her role as a mother or her approach regarding the pageant competition.

As Mrs. Idaho America 2007, Lauralyn has joyfully experienced meeting new people, building deep relationships, and representing the women of Idaho. She has been a mentor and model to women of all ages and certainly someone I wouldn't mind my daughter-in-laws emulating as they raise my glorious grandchildren.

Our long and delightful lunch hour was truly a chance to share family stories, private dreams, and even a few defeats. Without a doubt, Lauralyn is very proud of her family, their accomplishments, her decision to be a stay at home mom while her children are still in school, and her title as Mrs. Idaho America.

On April 12th, Lauralyn will step down as the current Mrs. Idaho America, allowing some other beautiful and dynamic woman to take her place. My only hope is the next reigning woman will, like Lauralyn, be as beautiful on the inside as she is on the outside. Lauralyn is confident this will be the case since the DNA of The Mrs. Idaho America Pageant has created a culture of strong values and holistic leadership.

Ticket are now on sale for Mrs. Idaho America 2008 and can be purchased on the website @ www.mrsidahoamerica.com/shoponline.htm

"Here She Comes. . . Mrs. Idaho! is #3 in a series of interviews with local leaders, business owners, and personal heroes.

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 has been called "Queen Lorene" and actually owns a tiara from being crown Homecoming Queen but she has never model a bathing suit for a panel of judges!!
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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"Justice and power must be brought together, so that whatever is just may be powerful, and whatever is powerful may be just." ~ Blaise Pascal

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Phil Eastman & Lorene Rasmussen
Leadership Advisors Group

phone: (208) 344-0471
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