Character Defines the Leader
Richard A. Conlow
Achieves Top-Tier Employee Engagement & Customer Experience Ratings for Multi-site Organizations | Gained 48 Service Awards for Clients | Author: The 5 Dynamics of Servant Leadership & The Superstar Leadership Model
I believe that character defines a leader.
- Does the leader tell the truth?
- Can you count on this leader to listen to and support you?
- Does the leader follow through on his or her commitments?
- Will this person 'have your back'?
- Does the leader give you help (coaching and training) to succeed?
- Can he or she be trusted to do the right thing, even when it is hard to do it?
These questions illustrate the traits of leaders that differentiate their character from all others. An employee will answer either 'yes' or 'no' to these kinds of questions; there is no middle ground. 'Yes' answers lead to trust, employee engagement, positive working relationships and better results. 'No' answers create the opposite. Who you are eventually speaks louder and more clearly than what you say.
Edelman's Trust Barometer shows over 80% of employees don't trust business leaders to make honest or ethical decisions. That's a travesty but an outcome made by choice. If you are a leader, you can be a disruptive positive force for your team and company. Lead with integrity--it's rare today. Distinguish yourself and those that you lead.
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Rick Conlow International is an eBusiness consulting and training company that coaches leaders to achieve record-breaking performances in sales growth, customer experience improvement, employee engagement and leadership effectiveness. In this business, Rick serves managers worldwide online through training and coaching services designed to accelerate their careers and their teams' success.
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5yRick Conlow everything I've clicked on and read in connection to this page is Spot On Value and Very Refreshing!
Strategic Account Manager at GreenSource Fabrication LLC
6yI do not read it that way Theresa Russell. I believe Mr. Wooden's point is you can not control what others think of you (reputation), you can only control you (character, of which integrity is an outgrowth, ASSUMING good character!). Not everyone will like you no matter what you do, and those people will try to impugn your reputation. But stay true to your character and those people will be proven wrong, and thus tarnish their own reputations.
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6yIt seems to me if you sincerely have good character, then you would have a good reputation. So this sounds a bit like tossing your integrity out the window to merely be perceived to have character, since your reputation, meaning integrity and, accomplishments may suck. This sounds like everyday is a new day, have a good attitude and though you may not have a good reputation, that is fine Smile be pleasent, and do not worry about building a reliable reputation. I hate to tell you but reputation of a brand sells product, not the character. Maybe you should check out Calvin Cooledge.
SVP, Data, Analytics, and Artificial Intelligence
6yAnd yet so many of great character get the axe because they did not polish their reputation..... This is actually pretty crappy advice for ones career. You need both. Ignoring either is a recipe for failure
Platform Integration Manager at Acrisure
7yDon't let others tell you who to be.