Scariness is the true measure...

"Scariness is the true measure of a monster.  If you're not scary, then what type of monster are you?"  Dean Hardscrabble, from the movie, Monsters University.

Apply this to leadership...

____________ is the true measure of a leader.  

If you're not ____________, then what type of leader are you?

Monsters in the movie had to be scary to generate energy for their world.  Energy was their core responsibility.  

What is the core responsibility, or single attribute of an effective leader in your organization, that affects everything they do?  

Without this behavior, they can never be their best.  Wait a minute.  Let's change this discussion... Without this behavior, YOU can never be your best.

You will always be:

• Busy
• Struggling to keep up
• Missing deadlines
• Compromising quality
• Leading others inconsistently
• Not achieving the maximum results you desire
• Getting older as opportunities for meaningful legacy diminish

What is the defining behavior of great leaders? In Jim Collins' famous work, Good to Great, his team studied 1,435 companies and identified only 11 that met their standards as truly "Great" companies

In this classic work that was completed 15 years ago, what was the one defining characteristic of all 11 leaders of those companies? Humility.

So, is humility the true measure of a leader? It is vitally important, but not the defining factor. Humility is a symptom of a deeper core value:  Good character.

REFLECT ON THIS:

Good character  

is the true measure of a leader.

If you're not someone of good character, 

then what type of leader are you?

Next week we will discuss the key attributes of a leader with good character. The following week we will discuss how a person develops their character.

I encourage you to send us one or more behaviors of a leader with good character.  I welcome your stories.  Anything you feel is significant about character in people you know or have studied.  Please only send stories that I can publish in this newsletter for the benefit of others.

How much more could you accomplish if you focused on improving your character more than your skills and knowledge? I suspect you spend regular time developing your skills, increasing your knowledge, and expanding your business relationships.  

How much time this month that you spent specifically on developing your character?  It has been 12 days so far this month.  Most people have not spent 12 minutes developing their character in July 2016.

How could your life pivot if you invested more time in becoming the person you want to be internally at your core, rather than spending all of your time on the external attributes of leadership?

Have a great week!

P.S.  Why not work with me and a group of your peers to improve?  Our  next Certified LEADER class starts in two days, on Friday, July 15.

Sign-up to work on specific weaknesses you have in your leadership, and to further build upon your strengths.