Leaders Behaving Badly

Recently we have scads of evidence of leaders behaving badly.

Politicians from the swamp. Business magnates from the gutter. And religious leaders of questionable character.

But rather than dish up dirt on individuals, let’s contrast their behavior with the best of the best who have positive content that flows from the core of their person.

Or do what the George character did in the iconic “opposite” episode of the Seinfeld series.

When we say that leaders have good character, we refer to their essential moral nature, typically expressed through their personality and behavior.

And this character rubs off onto everyone.

Character is who we are at the core of our being.

The wisdom and resulting good works of people with good personalities, such as the Dalai Lama or Nelson Mandela, inspire and empower us to conduct our own lives according to our most valued principles and ideals.

An important hallmark of leaders (and others) with distinguished character is that they;

Stick to their principles, even when it may involve making large sacrifices.

Are the same in private as they are in public.

As someone once jokingly said, they are not the folks who behave well only when other people are watching!

Some essential character traits for leaders are humility, gratitude, generosity, kindness, and empathy. Each one of these character traits can have a significant positive impact on both the individuals within an organization and the organization itself.

Humility

“It is unwise to be too sure of one’s own wisdom.” Mahatma Gandhi

Humble people are modest and self-effacing while simultaneously expressing strength and confidence. They do not need to trumpet their accomplishments. Instead, they recognize and acknowledge the value of other people at least as much as their own and are quick to give credit to others.

Moreover, humble leaders are self-aware: they are assertive in expressing their skill set but readily admit to their limitations and human failings.

According to Jim Collins in his book “Good to Great,” only 11 companies have successfully moved from being good to great with one thing in common, Level 5 Leadership.

And the distinctive part of this leadership is humility.

Humility is expressed, in part, by a leader’s passion for putting the needs of the company and others first. Humility moves the leader beyond self-importance to the importance of the mission.

Gratitude

Gratitude is a meaningful way we let others know how much they mean to us. The expression by leaders of gratitude for a job well done is a significant factor in employee job satisfaction.

Studies show that the biggest reasons why people feel engaged in their work can be traced to the appreciation expressed by their manager. Therefore, it is paramount that we learn the language of gratitude in all aspects of life, especially work.

Generosity

A generous person is always busy doing a favor for others, whether convenient or not. This selfless attitude or act has two components: generosity of substance and generosity of spirit.

The generosity of substance is measured by what material benefit another receives, while the generosity of spirit is reflected in the attitude we take in giving.

For example, those who donate a million dollars (substance) with the contingency that their names are publicly announced differ from those who anonymously present a million dollars.

The generosity of spirit is, perhaps, best reflected in the words of the Bhagavad Gita:

“Do your duty without your eyes on the fruit of your action.”

Acts of generosity need to be backed by positive and transparent motives. If not, people will suspect ulterior motives from their leaders. Generally speaking, recipients of generosity feel valued at work and have higher levels of engagement.

Kindness

Kindness is a favorable disposition toward others. It is expressed through genuine concern towards others and a strong inclination to do a good turn and seek the best for others. It is an other-directed as opposed to a self-centered approach to life and work.

Kindness is at the core of our human nature–we all long for and resonate positively with kindness. Kindness is probably our most important character trait, and actions motivated by kindness have the most lasting positive effects on the world.

Empathy

Empathy has been defined as the ability to imagine oneself in another’s place and understand the other’s feelings, desires, ideas, and actions.

Daniel Goleman (2002), recognizing the connection between empathy and inspiration, wrote:

“Of all the EI [emotional intelligence] competencies …… empathy matters most to visionary leadership. The ability to sense how others feel and to understand their perspectives means that a leader can articulate a truly inspirational vision. A leader who misreads people, on the other hand, simply can’t inspire them.”

When leaders use their understanding of others to connect their organizational vision to their employees’ values and aspirations, employees will be inspired to follow them.

Conclusion

Good character is the soul of our culture. This means that people of character reach outside of themselves to help others and, in so doing, engender others’ loyalty, cooperation, and respect.

When last have you been inspired by the character of a political or business leader?