January Principle: Courage

Monthly Principle & Practice

“One isn't necessarily born with courage, but one is born with potential. Without courage.we cannot practice any other virtue with consistency. We can't be kind, true, merciful, generous, or honest.

Maya Angelou

 Definition:

A quality that enables one to face challenges with confidence and resolve; the moral strength to persevere.

Overview:

 Like humility, enthusiasm, patience and gratitude, courage is a manifestation of a positive attitude.  When you are courageous and step-out to meet a test, you signal to those around you that you can be counted on to do what is required.  

Courage in leading goes well beyond the physical prowess or endurance that we tend to think of first.  A more subtle dimension of courage is the ability to admit your mistakes versus hanging on to being right.  Giving up control of a project and delegating authority and responsibility takes courage.   

Who are some of the leaders who were honorable and courageous?  Certainly all of the Congressional Medal of Honor winners and many military and government officials.  Abraham Lincoln comes to mind because he faced daunting challenges on multiple fronts.  Martin Luther King, Jr. had very strong convictions, which were the deep commitments to what he stood for.  And his courage was not wavering from these convictions. 

Another dimension of courage is the way we respond to fear, certainly the fear of danger, but more importantly in organizational life, the fear of failure or the fear of what others will think.  Then there’s the fear of being isolated or seeming awkward.  It takes courage to bet on your ideas and take a calculated risk…in spite of your fears.

Theodore Roosevelt laid down the gauntlet when he said; “It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done better.  The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming.”  Courage is about the willingness to step-out, to be bold, maybe even audacious – to step into the arena.

 Sample Practices:  The following sample practices have been offered from a wide variety of leaders from around the world.  They have been approved by the Institute’s Board of Trustees. 

•  Deliver on your promises in spite of your fear
• Take a stand on what you believe
• Have the courage of your convictions
• Take bold but calculated risks
• Be passionate for your values, purpose and vision
• Have confidence in your abilities
• Be flexible and open to new possibilities
• Strive to improve but embrace the reality of your imperfections
• Talk with one another about our lives, rather than the abstract or mundane
• Speak from the heart
• Be patient; wait for the right time
• Admit your mistakes

February Principle: Serving

Definition: 

The act of helping others; a holistic approach to work, promoting a sense of community and shared decision-making; realized when others grow; being of service.

Overview:

Servant-leadership has become more and more common in today’s world, and while being of service to others is seen as a worthy cause by more non-profit leaders, there are still many in business who find it too soft.  Why is that?  Ask yourself, what attitude must I embrace to find this approach valuable?

Robert Greenleaf, the oft recognized advocate of servant-leadership, said; “It begins with the natural feeling that one wants to serve...then conscience choice brings one to aspire to lead.”  It’s interesting to note that servant-leadership is not really a new concept – it’s been around a long time and many of our most exemplary leaders have followed this approach.  Greenleaf refers often to the example of Jesus of Nazareth who “came to serve, not be served.”  And you could add Mother Teresa, Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King, Mahatma Gandhi, and Eleanor Roosevelt.  Who else would you add to the list?

Larry Spears, a former President of the Greenleaf Center identified the following ten characteristics of servant leadership; listening, empathy, healing, awareness, persuasion, conceptualization, foresight, stewardship, communication and community.  One could also easily add caring, compassion, love and genuine interest in others as hallmarks of this philosophy of leadership.  This principle of serving parallels the Golden Rule by focusing on how you would like to be treated.

But understanding servant-leadership is not enough.  A relevant biblical passage recommends; “Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.”  So follow the Nike headline and “just do it.”

Leading Practices: 

• Help others become successful
• Look beyond your personal needs
• Share your gifts and talents and your personal journey
• Give others credit; say thanks
• Contribute to a larger purpose
• Be generous; give something away
• Be a good steward
• Respect people
• Build relationships by asking questions
• Give people space to express their gifts
• Care about others; encourage them to live up to their potential
• Mentor someone
• Perform small acts of kindness

March Principle: Communicating

Definition: 

The art and process of creating understanding; expressing oneself in such a way that one is clearly understood.

Overview:

Communicating is probably one of the most difficult leadership skills, and at the same time, one of the most critical.  Effective leaders must be able to get their message across.  Whether it’s an idea or a request, you’ve got to be clear.  But communicating can be complex because people are complex.  That’s probably why so many books have been written and so many courses are offered on the subject.  But beyond all of the good techniques, think of communications as a means of touching another’s soul rather than an end in itself.

The purpose of communicating should be creating a shared perspective between and among people.  Communication has been called “the beginning of understanding” and is a primary means of building solid relationships.  Powerful communication is not about being right or winning the conversation, but really about learning.  That’s why one aspect of inside-first leadership is more about asking good questions than about having the right answer.

Communicating has both an active side and a passive side.  The active side is about expressing oneself and includes many proven techniques, like feedback, rapport-building, and knowing your audience.  The more passive side is the willingness of a quiet, still heart that yearns to understand.  Listening is the key approach here, but that is sometimes a lost art in today’s technology-driven culture.  Then there’s writing or journaling as a powerful way to express one’s thoughts.

So, it’s probably obvious that the dimensions of communication are vast and often complex, and yet critical for effective, ethical leadership.

Leading Practices: 

• Simplify your message
• Be consistent and repetitive with your key messages
• Listen fully with the intent to truly hear and understand
• Deliver authentic messages in personal ways on their turf
• Express your truth without making others wrong
• Give your ideas freely and receive feedback openly
• Honor silence
• Speak from the “I”, i.e., from the heart.
• Listen attentively; let silence teach you.
• Talk about what really matters; participate fully.
• Tackle your toughest challenge…today
• Trust your instincts.
• Take responsibility for your emotions.
• Invite questions to your proposals.
• Remove the word “but” from your vocabulary and replace it with “and.”
• Inquire about feelings as well as facts.
• Be prepared and clarify your intent, then enter conversations the same way you want to emerge from them.
• Know your audience

April Principle: Trust

Definition: 

Confidence in the integrity and character of a person or organization; the belief that those on whom we depend will meet our expectations; a relationship of reliance.

Overview:

Trust has always been an important principle, but it’s particularly hot at the moment because it’s been on the decline.  The World Economic Forum reports that trust has been sliding for quite some time, not only in corporations, but in governments, churches, even the United Nations and the Olympics.

As a critical leadership principle, trust can be thought of as both a noun and as a verb.  It’s a noun when it describes the condition we want to create.  Trust is that state that we all want to be in.  Whether it’s within a school, a community or a family, it doesn’t get much more powerful than to be in a relationship of trust.  It’s even on our money !

It’s a verb when it describes our reliability or trustworthiness.  For example, when we deliver on our promises, we are building trust.  When we trust others, there’s a much higher likelihood that they will trust us.  Trust can empower others because when they observe our virtuous behavior, they naturally want to emulate it.  The on-line encyclopedia, Wikipedia, starts out by saying “the degree to which one party trusts another is a measure of belief in the honesty, benevolence and competence of the other party.  A failure in trust may be forgiven more easily if it is interpreted as a failure of competence rather than a lack of honesty.”  More than almost anything, dishonesty destroys trust and produces suspicion and skepticism.

Ask yourself, who do you trust?  Then ask, who trusts you?

Practices: 

• Tell the truth; be open to the issue at hand
• Be humble and respectful; thank others for their contributions
• Communicate openly and authentically
• Listen first; try to understand others’ perspectives; realize you don’t have to have all the answers
• Honor your commitments
• Take real responsibility versus mere activity

May Principle: Purpose

Definition: 

Purpose: the quality around which you shape your life; your reason for being.

Overview:

Richard Leider, author of the Power of Purpose, says, “Purpose answers the question: what am I trying to do with my life?”  It is clearly something beyond your job and encompasses thoughts and ideas broader than any self-serving interests and desires.  Leider says “it’s the cradle-to-grave, round-the-clock unifying principle that you organize your life around.”  Your purpose is influenced very directly by the values and beliefs that you hold dearest.  It’s deeply rooted in you, but evolves in its articulation over time.  One of your most important tasks as a leader is to uncover what lies inside. 

Essence is another word that reflects on purpose.  What is at the essence of your being or the fundamental nature of who you are?  Rick Warren’s extremely popular book, The Purpose Driven Life, brings focus to God’s eternal purposes with his very first line; “It’s not about you.”  Integrating an earthly purpose and an eternal purpose is can be very powerful in creating that meaningful life.   

June Principle: Learning

Definition:

An orientation toward acquiring knowledge and gaining  wisdom; more about an attitude of growing and less about the rigors of institutional education; tied more to questions than answers.

Overview:

Frederic Hudson, the sage executive coach once said, “If you’re not growing, you’re dying.”  By growing he meant learning, expanding your perspective, trying something new.  With technology, it has become easier to both stay connected and to uncover knowledge.  This makes learning more readily available.  But learning what?  All of our wisdom literature asks that we build our learning on doing what is good and right and helpful.  Everything we need to know about behavior, ethics, and every other key leadership issue is contained somewhere in those scriptures.

But how does one turn learning into wisdom?  Simply stated, it most often comes with experience and maturity.  Learning the lessons of life can be difficult, particularly in our early years, but over time a more patient, more spiritual approach seems to bring us answers more readily.   Understanding can often be gained in interaction with others, particularly in small groups, where dialogue allows the lessons we’ve all learned to come out in a supportive, loving fashion.  Wisdom is earned, not acquired !

Some leaders, however, view knowledge as all-powerful.  Market knowledge; technological know-how; intellectual capital.  The reality is that knowledge is good, but it’s not the primary thing that makes the world go ‘round.  Effective leaders know that it’s more about people and how we relate to one another.

Too often, learning is thought of as something only done in school.  But the process of continuous maturation that occurs all throughout life is best fueled by an attitude of “not knowing”, of longing to understand and the joy of freely asking the “why” questions.   The title of Peter Vaill’s thoughtful book, Learning as a Way of Being, expresses what we all might strive for.

“He who dares to teach must never cease to learn.” – Anonymous

Leading Practices: 

• Be a life-long learner
• Continuously sharpen your perspectives and your skills
• Ask thoughtful questions
• Explore new horizons; go beyond your comfort zone
• Journal your thoughts
• Admit your mistakes and remember what they have taught you
• Teach
• Create an atmosphere of learning; use a coach
• Be a mentor; share your point of view
• Have an attitude of openness
• Recognize that you don’t know everything
• Discover your potential to grow
• Cultivate open-mindedness; suspend your assumptions; don’t sweat not knowing the way.
• Develop a spirit of inquiry.
• Disagree by saying, “I see it differently.”
• Take time to reflect.
• Move beyond black-or-white, either-or thinking to embrace

July Principle: Love

Definition:

That quality in relationships which honors and appreciates others; the feeling of kindness or brotherhood toward others; an intense affection.

Overview:

For many leaders, the concept of love seems soft, and it can be very hard to express love to others. And given how people can sometimes be angry or selfish, it’s very challenging to not get caught up in that negativity. Using technology lingo, a recent cover story in Fast Company magazine was Love is the Killer App and stated: "Compassion and empathy aren’t management tools to be pulled out when needed; they’re character traits most great leaders posses." 

To actually lead by example with love and compassion is really more challenging than just powering over others. You’ve got to be well grounded, and a strong foundation in your spiritual practice can help. The biblical plea to “love your neighbor as yourself” starts with loving God and yourself. And scripture also says that love contains many component parts: patience, kindness, generosity, humility, courtesy, unselfishness and sincerity.

Love is the key to good relationships. And getting things done with and through others is central to leadership. Love is about respect, openness, compassion, gratitude and caring. Most certainly the Golden Rule embodies love. Werner Erhard captured it uniquely when he wrote, “You don’t have to go looking for love when it’s where you come from.” 

From a leadership perspective, expressing gratitude is an attitude. It’s a way of looking at everything as a gift. Being appreciative of your talents, your energy, your relationships, your resources – of everything really – is a function of an attitude of gratitude. And this attitude flows from loving relationships.

In Patricia Aburdene’s excellent book, MegaTrends 2010 – The Rise of Conscious Capitalism she describes why and how the power of love and spirituality are the greatest megatrends of our era. She claims that the “cornerstone of effective leadership is self-mastery.” Her thinking advocates that the process of understanding “thyself” will often open the door to getting beyond one’s own selfish needs, and in this way, allows compassion to pour out more readily. 

Jon Meacham, in American Gospel, claims that today spirituality is one of “the most pervasive but least understood forces in American life.” We need to make spiritual convictions a significant, but not the only, factor in determining our leadership perspectives. It should be part of the process, not something separate.

If change is needed in our world, and if you reject the ego-driven culture, then you need a powerful force greater than yourself to make these changes. That influence can be love. 

Leading Practices:

The following sample practices have been offered from a wide variety of leaders from around the world. They have been approved by the Institute’s Board of Trustees. 

• Live the Golden Rule
• Appreciate your neighbor
• Have compassion for others
• Thank God for the blessings of your life
• Make friends and create healthy alliances
• Be kind; care about others 
• Embrace an attitude of gratitude

Additional Practices:

What practices, actions or applications have you found effective in advancing the leadership principle of “love?”   Add your own suggestion at the bottom of the list, limiting your comment to no more than (8) words.

• Get beyond yourself
• Integrate Head with Heart
• Recognize Something Greater than Yourself

Quotes on Love:

If you know of a great quote that applies to this leadership principle, please add it here referencing the attribution.

• “It’s my prayer for you that you may grow in holiness to this tender love for the poorest of the poor.  But this love begins at home, in your own family, and it begins by praying together.  Prayer gives a clean heart; a clean heart can see God.  And if you see God in each other, you will have love, peace and joy together.  And works of love are works of peace.  Love begins at home.”  - Mother Teresa 
  

• "Everybody can be great, because anybody can serve.  You don’t have to have a college degree to serve.  You don’t have to know about Plato and Aristotle to serve.  You don’t have to know Einstein’s Theory of Relativity to serve.  You only need a heart full of grace and a soul generated by love.”  - Martin Luther King
  

• “People don’t care how much you know, until they know how much you care.” - Unknown
  

• “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.  This is the first and greatest commandment.”  - Matthew 22:37-38
  

• “Only the open mind can receive wisdom; only the open heart can receive love.”  - John Walsh Anglund
  

• “The most powerful force in business is love.  It’s what will help your company grow and become stronger.  It’s what will propel your career forward.  It’s what will give you a sense of meaning and satisfaction in your work, which will help you do your best work.”  - Tim Sanders
  

• “Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.” - 1 Corinthians 8:1
  

• “We cannot escape the necessity of love and compassion.  This, then is my true religion, my simple faith.  In this sense, there is no need for temple or church, for mosque or synagogue, no need for complicated philosophy, doctrine or dogma.  Our own heart, our mind, is the temple.  The doctrine is compassion.  Love for others and respect for their rights and dignity, no matter who or what they are. Ultimately, these are all we need.”  - The Dali Lama 
  

• “Love opens hearts like knowledge opens mind.” - Terces
  

• “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies.  You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.” -  Psalm 23: 5
  

• “The values created by love never fail.” – Walter Rauschenbusch
  

• “A good head and a good heart are always a formidable combination.”  - Nelson Mandela
  

• “So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets.” - Matthew 7:12
  

• “The more one loves the nearer he approaches God, for God is the spirit of infinite love.”  - R.W. Trine
  

• “The spectrum of love, as St. Paul shows it to us, contains nine component parts:  patience, kindness, generosity, humility, courtesy, unselfishness, good temper, lack of suspicion and sincerity.”  - Preston Bradley
  

• “Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.  No one has ever seen God, but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.”  – 1 John 4:11-12
  

• “Love is eternal – the aspect may change, but not the essence.” – Vincent van Gogh
  

• “In your unfailing love you will lead the people you have redeemed.  In your strength you will guide them to your holy dwelling. – Exodus 15:13
  

• “Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.” – 1 Chronicles 16:34
  

• “Love is a fruit in season at all times, and within reach of every hand.  Anyone may gather it and no limit is set.”  - Mother Teresa
  

• “You don’t have to go looking for love when it’s where you come from.” - Werner Erhard
  

• "What wisdom can you find that is greater than kindness?" - Jean-Jacques Rousseau 
  

• "If the world seems cold to you, kindle fires to warm it." - Lucy Larcom 
  

• "There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it." - Edith Wharton 
  

• "What do I owe to my times, to my country, to my neighbors, to my friends?  Such are the    questions which a virtuous man ought often to ask himself." - Lavater 
  

• "What we have done for ourselves alone dies with us. What we have done for others and the world remains immortal." - Albert Pine 
  

• "The weak can never forgive. Forgiveness is the attribute of the strong." - Mohandas Gandhi
  

• "It is the characteristic of the magnanimous man to ask no favor but to be ready to do kindness to others." - Aristotle
  

• "The best place to find a helping hand is at the end of your own arm." - Swedish Proverb 
  

• "You have not lived a perfect day, even though you have earned your money, unless you have done something for someone who cannot repay you." - Ruth Smeltzer 
  

• "Compassion is the basis of morality.'' - Arnold Schopenhauer
  

• "Until he extends the circle of his compassion to all living things, man will not himself find peace." - Albert Schweitzer
  

• “If you want others to be happy, practice compassion.  If you want to be happy, practice compassion.”  - The Dali Lama
  

• “Encouragement is to a team what wind is to a sail” -  Sid Buzzell
  

• “A fight is going on inside me. It is a terrible fight, and it is between two wolves. One wolf represents fear, anger, envy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, pride, and superiority. The other wolf stands for joy, peace, love, hope, sharing, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, friendship, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith. This same fight is going on inside of you and every other person too.” The children thought about it for a minute and then one child asked his grandfather, “Which wolf will win?” The old Cherokee simply replied: “The one I feed.”
  

• “The Leader’s Golden Rule – Do unto others as you would have others do unto others – extends the traditional Golden Rule to leaders’ responsibilities to model the desired behavior in the organization and encourage the hearts of its members. As leaders are able to practice this extension of the Golden Rule, they will be trying to create a climate of relationships in which persons are valued for their contributions to the system.”  -  Peter Vaill
  

• “The chemist who can extract from his heart’s elements compassion, respect, longing, patience, surprise, and forgiveness and compound them into one creates that atom which is called love.” – Khalil Gibran

August Principle: Executing

Definition:

The discipline of producing the desired results; having a bias for action tied to accountability; a systematic process of managing who’s going to do what by when

Overview:   

Larry Bossidy and Ram Charan in their classic work on execution look at this principle as a “systemic way of exposing reality and acting on it.”  Executing makes all the difference because it closes the gap between promises and results.  It’s all about getting the right things done for the right reasons.  And that’s what leadership is largely about.

An overview of execution should touch first on reflection, patient planning and then initiating, following-up and completing projects.  However you want to amplify execution - with words like discipline, implementation, action – it’s relatively straight-forward stuff.   It’s the blocking and tackling of leadership.  And while it may sound simple, it’s definitely not easy. 

“What might happen is often used as an excuse for not doing what can happen.” - Henry Kissinger

Leading Practices: 

• Focus on who’s doing what by when
• Manage the gaps between expectations and reality
• Follow through regularly…and relentlessly
• Foster a discipline of action
• Trust your intuitions
• Initiate; take the first step
• Carefully consider all the facts and options (reflect), then apply solid logic
• When necessary, decide quickly, according to your values
• Don’t be afraid to fail
• Complete projects completely

September Principle: Visioning

Definition:

A description of where we want to be in the future, perhaps a 5-10 year timeframe; a picture of what it will look and feel like when we are achieving our dream.

Overview:

Casting a vision is an essential and extremely valuable leadership principle.  Some people think of it as brainstorming, but it really goes well beyond that valuable, albeit more short-term perspective.  In his book Visionary Leadership, Burt Nanus defines vision as “a realistic, credible, attractive future for your organization.  It is the indispensable tool without which leadership is doomed to failure.”  Matthew Heim, in his essay Catching the Vision claims that “by learning to work from a place of intuitive knowing, we can begin to make wiser decisions.”

Leaders see what others don’t.  They look for what is coming next.  Stephen Covey uses the expression, “have the end in mind.” And while visioning is a skill that helps us paint vivid pictures, for it to be significant, it requires having an executable strategy that evolves in relationship with others.  Nanus says “the right vision jump-starts people to move forward.”

Taking bold action is one of those virtues that sets leaders apart.  The best action is that which follows a plan.  Visionary leaders paint inspiring big pictures of futures worth striving for.   They describe a potential worth passing on to future generations.  If your vision is worthy of both your effort and of those you call around you, then it’s good enough to lay out a roadmap.  How will you get there?  What will it take?  Who needs to join your movement to make it both successful and significant?

And then once you have the plan, remember that you have to work it.  Plans always change and evolve.  But if you don’t act on the strategies and tactics that you’ve laid out, then what’s the use – you’re just dreaming !

Creating a powerful vision by yourself has substantially less meaning than doing it with others.  For a vision to be fully realized, leaders must build trust with those around them.  They’ve got to invest the time to engage others deeply.  It’s one way that leaders develop followers - just as the Man from Galilee did.  His most called upon prayer was interpreted uniquely by John Ortberg when he saw God’s vision as “make it down here like it is up there.”  It’s about the future, but has action tied to it !

“Give us clear vision that we may know where to stand and what to stand for – because unless we stand for something, we shall fall for anything.”  - Peter Marshall

Leading Practices: 

• Picture where you want to be; write it down
• Imagine your future according to your values and purpose
• Create a vivid image of something worth working toward
• Share your dreams; engage others in your plan
• Envision futures of hope
• Be patient
• Build consensus
• Be disciplined in conceptualizing beyond day-to-day realities

October Principle: Humility

Definition: a quality marked by modesty and an unpretentious attitude; demonstrating a quiet determination; deferential to others; the opposite of boastful.

Overview:

At bottom, humility is an attitude. While some people think of this quality as weakness, it’s really more about respect for others and an unassuming way of carrying yourself. As opposed to exalting yourself, humility is about having a healthy ego (recognizing we all have one), that holds a sense of yourself in balance with the other forces and factors at play. One could say that pride is a cancer on humility.

• Be patient, but determined
• Start your day with quiet reflection
• Use “and” versus “but”
• Have an attitude of gratitude
• Demonstrate modesty
• Avoid boasting
• Channel your ambition into something larger than yourself
• Give credit to others
• Love one another
• Give up control

November Principle: Integrity

Definition:

Walking your talk; doing what you say you’ll do; relates to your core values and beliefs in action; the state of being truthful, genuine and free of deception or duplicity.

Overview:

Integrity has been described by former Congressman J.C. Watts as “what we do and how we behave when no one is watching.” Integrity is one of the absolute key ingredients of character. It’s much easier to act with integrity when the spotlight is on, but being trustworthy and honest because it is just the right thing to do is the sign of steadfastness. A person of integrity will match his internal values with his external behavior, and when the pressure is on, he won’t discard his principles, even if it’s costly. John Maxwell, in his book Ethics 101, defines integrity as “making your beliefs and actions line up.”

How do “ethics” and “morality” relate to integrity?   Sid Buzzell refers to ethics as a defined standard of right and wrong, while morality is a lived standard – what we actually do.  To the extent that a person’s ethics and behavior are integrated, that person has integrity.  The opposite of integrity is hypocrisy.

But we’re all human, and thus fallible and imperfect by nature.   When a man of integrity stumbles, he makes it right.

Leading Practices: 

• Walk your talk
• Keep your word
• Tell the whole truth
• Follow the Golden Rule
• Be authentic; match your beliefs with your behavior
• When you stumble, make it right
• Be trustworthy and completely honest
• Live by your purpose and core values
• When you mess up, fess up
• Create a culture of trust
• Care about the greater good
• Stay the course

December Principle: Commitment

Definition:

Adherence to a course of action without giving up; tenacity, endurance or commitment in the pursuit of a desired end; keeping our promises, regardless of the consequences.

Overview:

Commitment can be a very powerful word.  And the descriptors that are used to define it are also strong words – tenacity, endurance and perseverance.  They imply staying with things.  There is not a lot of wiggle room here.

To some, a commitment is a promise that people can count on.  To others, it’s either a loose expression of what they’d like to see happen, or a statement that lacks real meaning.  These kinds of statements might be made when a commitment is being sought, but if something better comes along, the deal is off.  Too often our commitments can be shallow, without real intent to follow through.  We say yes quickly, and then it hits us later what that might mean.

Commitment is about being steadfast, having the courage of your convictions, taking a stand for what you believe in, and being accountable to others.  In President Roosevelt’s declaration above, he really laid down the gauntlet.  Too often, it’s the cynics who make the most noise in searching for even the smallest fault.  But a person with conviction can stand against these negatives because he knows he will learn and grow – one way or the other.  How can leaders act this way today?  You may call upon numerous traits like integrity, courage and passion to drive your decisions and action.  But for leaders to be both effective and ethical, it takes a heavy dose of perseverance.  When you take a stand for what you believe is right, you drive a stake in the ground.

Leading Practices: 

• Make your intentions and plans public
• Be loyal
• Nurture covenant relationships
• Take a stand on what you believe
• Realize your actions speak loudest
• Be steadfast
• Have the courage of your convictions
• Know that commitments change things
• Do what is possible