We live in a world where information and ideas are moving faster than we can think and the newest scandal is just a click away on our smartphones or tablets.
We are able to witness, in real time, the non-vetted decisions or consequences from those decisions via a variety of social media platforms. Competing worldviews are constantly colliding on Facebook, Twitter and many other more traditional media outlets. Corruption and moral breakdowns among our politicians, and civic and business leaders have left us with giant doses of skepticism and mistrust.
We have witnessed the broken dreams and devastated lives of professional and collegiate coaches who have self-destructed with illicit affairs, fraud, deception and numerous other indiscretions. It doesn’t seem to matter whether it’s local, national or global, leaders seem to be losing their moral compass. Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government lecturer Barbara Kellerman in her book, “The End of Leadership” asserts, “Leaders at every level, across all industries, are failing the people who depend on them.”
The fragility of our reputation
Our reputation is our image when we are absent. Many who know nothing of our organizations or our people may know us only through our reputation. For-profit and nonprofit organizations spend millions of dollars to build favorable reputations. They publish materials and buy advertisements demonstrating that their reputation is a major concern.
A friend and mentor for many years, Gordon Heffern, the former CEO of Society Bank in Cleveland, once said to me, “A reputation once broken may possibly be repaired, but the world will always keep its eye on the spot where the crack was.”
This fragility is why we as leaders and managers should be uncompromising on character; the only sure foundation for a reputation.
John Wooden, the famous basketball coach, said, “Be more concerned with your character than your reputation, because your character is what you really are, while your reputation is merely what others think you are.”
Character should define your leadership
I was asked by a student after giving a speech at his university, “What advice would you give a young leader today?” My response was from my personal convictions:
- Know what you believe in and why.
- Develop your life’s mission statement.
- Examine your motives and desires each day.
Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf said, “Leadership is a potent combination of strategy and character. But if you must be without one, be without the strategy.”
While many have abandoned their integrity and ethics, let the biblical exhortation in Proverbs 22:1 be your filter as you examine your motives and desires, “A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.”
Finally, as you contemplate your leadership style, remember people hear what you say, but they watch what you do and respond accordingly.
André Thornton is president and CEO of ASW Global. He is a widely recognized community leader and former Major League Baseball player. He heads ASW Global, a supply chain solutions company that is one of the largest minority-owned business enterprises in the market.
