Hello Everyone!
I discovered a book written by a Dr Henry Cloud that discusses success in terms of Integrity. I like this book so much that I’ve decided that it is definitely worth sharing with you in our discussions about Leadership. So here we go!
Dr Cloud begins with a discussion of 3 qualities that he has seen in the truly successful people. They are:
1. A special skill set or competencies- “If you are Bill Gates, it helps to know something about the computer industry. If you are going to be a leading surgeon, you have to know what you are doing. In other words, you can only fake it for so long, boys. So get yourself in the library or wherever and master your craft.”
2. An alliance builder- “There are a lot of people who are competent and good at what they do who don’t get to be leaders or ‘hugely’ successful. They do a good job, are happy and fulfilled…For someone to get to the level of accomplishment (that we are talking about) he or she must possess the second ability. They have to be what I call an alliance builder. In other words, they have to take their competencies and what they do well and build alliances with others who have competencies and resources and form relationships that are mutually beneficial. As a result, they leverage what they do well to much greater heights than just being ‘good’ at their job.”
3. Character counts- “Making it is more than just being competent and being able to cut deals. It has a lot to do with who we are…Most of the time, when we think of the word integrity, or character, we think of morals or ethics, not performance…If people have good character, their ethics and integrity will be such that you can truly trust the numbers, they won’t steal from you, lie to you, cheat you, or be duplicitous. They can be trusted. You can sleep at night without watching your back. And, that kind of character is certainly bedrock, foundational, and without which we have nothing…Morals and ethics undergird our entire system of business, relathionships, government, finance, education, and even our very lives.”
I think he says it all, so I’m not going to try to follow up with a commentary. I’m excited about reading this book and sharing it with you! I hope you have a great week!
Until next time,
TD
Letters in Leadership 