Today's Business Lessons
It’s all about character
Have you ever come across this phrase, ‘the hunt is better than the kill?’ or feel the thrilling sensation of going for the top?
Are you familiar with the elation of being number two but slowly
inching your way up and having the privilege of challenging the number 1
and all indications seem to show that you will eventually replace the
top dog in your field?
Most of my corporate clients dominate in their fields. They are the
industry leaders and it took them years, blood, sweat and tears to
succeed.
Being number one carries a heavy burden indeed. Because the challenge
of being number one, the top dog, the leader of the pack, the
undisputed champion of the world is not just to maintain the position,
but to grow their lead and widen the gap between the next contender.
I want to bring you to a sensitive subject as far as leadership is
concerned. There is great joy and exhilaration in being ranked as the
top in your industry, and it is really more amusing to try and snatch
the number one spot, but let me tell you that keeping the position can
potentially take out the fun.
Many good leaders I know lose their character, conviction and
compromise while subjugating ethics in the work because they do not want
to lose their ranks.
The one lesson I have learned in life is that sometimes, God wants to
bring the top dog from the mountain top down to the valley. This is so
because the person can go through valuable life-enriching experiences
that being the top dog could never deliver.
Wanting to stay on top is a very dangerous proposition, especially if
it involves compromising on values and character. Moral breakdown is
not only easy but also unavoidable. Good leaders carry tremendous amount
of influence that is grounded on moral authority and this kind of
authority is always fragile. We are always one action, one reaction, one
word or one decision away from collapsing everything that has been
built over the years.
Alignment is a buzzword I hear in many corporate scenarios. Alignment
of goals, alignment of values, but have we ever seriously considered an
alignment of what leaders preach in an organization versus the actual
practices they do in personal and private moments?
Years ago, when I attended a seminar in Singapore conducted by a
prominent leader of a city and country whose name I shall leave unnamed,
I learned so much. He gave a powerful presentation. I instantly became a
fan. Then came Q&A time, I stood up to ask a serious question:
“Does a leader’s integrity take into account his private life and
behavior?” There was an obviously upsetting tone in his voice when he
looked at me and answered, “It doesn’t matter. You may be a good husband
and a good family man but if you are incompetent, you are still
useless.”
Character and competence are inseparable pillars of great leadership.
Both should be built and neither one should be compromised. As a matter
of fact, the skills, accomplishments, the achievements of a leader
leave an inheritance to the organization and to the family, but only the
leader’s character leaves a legacy. Don’t leave an inheritance, but
leave a legacy.
This “leader” who was being fashioned to run for presidency in his
country over the years failed miserably when the private areas of his
life became exposed and the whole ordeal cost him his presidency.
Here is the essence of leadership. Character is personal yet never
private. Leaders are often heard and seen in public. Every person
reserves the right to evaluate the kind of person you and I have become.
And the funny thing is, people with good character are not mindful of
what people say, but people without character always accuse others of
“judging.”
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