Authentic Leadership Part-3

Steady and trusted authentic leadership is grounded in a solid never-changing character base. Making decisions on our identity/values and practicing the behavior through applied principles that define such is crucial to solidifying that trusted base.

Behaviors unattached to values seem to wander about as they are driven situationally by motives and emotions without much thought of the long-term results. The people we influence read those shifts much more than we think. As our base wanders, so does our trust level with others. Sailing through life without first anchoring to some core values is like boarding a ship with no compass or rudder - no direction or way to steer except toward disaster.

Testing these values leads to progress. Successes and failures in these tests both sharpen and strengthen our journey. Like a two-edged knife, they both lead to a sharper point while cutting through what wants to blunt our impact.

As we limit our ego protection triggers, we can accelerate progress.

Recapping the first steps:

1) Decide what values shape your identity.

2) Focus on your identity, behavior alignment will follow.

3) Allow those circumstances to test and train your behavior alignment.

Depending on where you derive your values from, the training starts there. My Christian faith begins and ends with the Bible and those who mentor me through the reality of its application. The grace it offers allows me to grow from my mistakes...to reconnect to powerful values that propel me to the next...

Recognizing when pride misleads us down the wrong road is key. Even the best of us can be outmaneuvered by our own pride. Let’s learn from a few samples from Beth Moore’s poem on pride.

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“My Name is Pride”, a poem by Beth Moore

My name is Pride. I am a cheater.

I cheat you of your God-given destiny…because you demand your own way.

I cheat you of contentment…because you “deserve better than this.”

I cheat you of knowledge…because you already know it all.

I cheat you of vision…because you’d rather look in the mirror than out a window.

I cheat you of love…because real romance demands sacrifice.

I cheat you of God’s glory…because I convinced you to seek your own.

Note: Beth's full version link of "My Name is Pride"

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I let that poem percolate through me...when I wander, it steers me back to my base. As we align our motives with our values, actions follow. Being an example in multitudes of situations for others to follow will produce results as they authentically connect with us, as we are all made from the same core. Break that connection through misaligned behavior and watch performance slip...slowly as people start faking it to get their ego or financial paycheck.

Story of the Rich Well-Meaning Leader

Hal was an entrepreneur beyond his dreams. He often pinched himself that he had arrived from humble and painful beginnings. From junk yards to the esteemed airline industry, he gained fame and fortune. He was driven by his past to make right what was wrong...to regain his family's legacy.

His plan would result in restoring his identity, and his self-worth. This plan was flavored with giving back to many causes, benefiting many inside and outside his airline. Help others while you grow your significance...be balanced on the road to glory he thought.

Good times until he ran into a few bumps in the road caused by inconsistencies in aligning his behavior with his values. The performance of his airline started to slip behind the scenes while riding the coattails of the industry. Decisions more aligned with his pride and greed started to show more than his stated values and principles.

His airline started to fail when tested. The tests continued to grow yet he stuck to his tired reasoning nurtured by his pride. Each test would have allowed him to gain strength if only he had rotated back to his stated values. Unimaginable success happens when we push our pursuit of Pride and Pleasure to the backseat.

The airline eventually failed with most of its planes scaped and sold to a competitor. Refusing to follow his values led to mass scapegoating, layoffs, unneeded reorganizations, exaggerated and expensive marketing campaigns, and countless strategy changes to meet the investor's expectations. When a leader wanders away from their values, so do their followers. Eventually, the tipping point occurs and what was hidden inside becomes visible.

A different Hal, the AI computer in the movie 2001 Space Odyssey had the same issue...he misunderstood the basic meanings behind his programmed values. In the movie, Hal ignores his priority to protect human life and the mission at all costs by pivoting to self-survival at the cost of human life. Both Hals lost the meaning behind their Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth because of their pride-driven motive to seek significance.

Principles, derived from values protect us from ourselves first and foremost. Let's keep learning to walk our talk and pass more character-building tests than we fail. If we do, others will follow.

A Few Key Elements in Our Training:

- Surround ourselves with material and people who challenge behavior NOT consistent with our values.

- Take great value in our permanent identity and less in our temporary pride/ego.

- When we fail, rotate back to the grace that produces thankfulness and motivation forward...not judgment or shame.

If we can help you move down that road less traveled, becoming the person you have been gifted to become then contact us.

Contact Us!

Other Blogs Aligned To This Topic

Authentic Leadership, What Does it Mean Part-1 (leadershipdirectives.com)

Authentic Leadership Part 2 (leadershipdirectives.com)

Narrow Path to Long-Lasting Success - Essential Values (leadershipdirectives.com)

Leadership - Going from Good to Great (leadershipdirectives.com)

Creating and Changing Your Team's DNA (leadershipdirectives.com)

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