Integrity of Character

Character of The Rare Leader™ represents the sum of his or her  very core. Values, experience, knowledge and wisdom complete the dimension of “who I am”.  The combination of morality, values and ethics create a strength your Character consistent of being true to values, and doing the right thing because it is the right thing.  This inner strength enables Teams and organizations to trust their leader, whose Character embodies this knowledge, comfort, and trust of their own personal Core.  

In the Rare Leader™, we call this Integrity of Character.

Integrity of Character embodies the Golden Rule, because it represents every gift of morality, value, and ethics we would hope to receive from others.  Kurt Senske in his book Executive Values stresses a roadmap exists for incorporating faith and values into organizational and business life.  Kurt professes “vision acts” where companies and leaders indicate and show a reality behind their words of acclamation of doing what is morally and ethically right.  When we as leaders make claim to Integrity, we better be ready and willing to walk the talk.

Jim Collins talks about the Integrity of Character in his bestseller Good To Great.  “In a good to great transformation, people are not your most important asset.  The right people are.” Good to Great companies place a greater weight on character attributes than on specific education, practical skills, knowledge, or experience.  

We found in the teachings of Marcus Buckingham that these skill based traits are teachable.  Character traits are ingrained.  Integrity of Character is the true measure of how you bring the core of your life to the surface for you, and those who choose to follow you.

This month our study of Integrity of Character will be exciting.  I  know it will make some people uncomfortable.  But maybe that’s how we discover and claim new opportunities for ourselves.  Integrity of Character is truly one of the remarkable behaviors of the Rare Leader™.  Join in on the blog.  E-mail us, and make certain your following us on Twitter.

If you want to learn more about the Rare Leader™ in you, 

or if you are interested in retaining Steve as your Executive Coach, 

Contact Steve Riege via: twitter, or his website.

What do you see?

I have had some great reaction to my work with people about the concepts of the Rare Leader™.  Lately with this focus on Vision, some people have really opened their eyes.  

When I ask a business owner, "what is your Vision for this company", a quick response may be "I want to increase sales by 25%", or," I expect we will launch a new flagship product within 3 years".  An initial reaction to the question of Vision typically brings on this type of answer.  When I explain these are admirable goals, but I'd really be interested in their Vision, they look perplexed.  "Well, they say...increasing sales, now theres my vision".  

When I ask them, how do you see the world around you changing, and where can you intersect in that journey of change that gives you an opportunity to achieve the kind of goal you set to increase sales, their eyes finally light up. Rare Leaders™ give real thought to the values, ideas and activities they're most passionate about.  Rare Leaders™ are able to look for trends, subtle changes, and nuances that tells them where this world is going...and those are the things they make a commitment to pursue.  Those things are their Vision.  Vision in a Rare Leader™ is not only the sight that others do not have, but its the passion to believe in it, the ability to see it clearly, and the self imposed involuntary obligation to get there.

I love to take time away to hunt with my best friend Cliff.  I am amazed what he can see.  We may be driving down the road, or walking in the woods, and he will see an animal that was not visible to me at all.  I have come to realize, his vision in the wild is different than mine.  Not in a measured 20/20 sense, but in a practical sense...he gets it.  He knows what to look for.  He knows the signs.  He knows the conditions that make the opportunity optimal.  He is focused.  He sees things in the wild that others just plainly do not see.  

It is the same with a Rare Leader™ who leads great people and who leads great organizations.  They see the possibilities differently than others.  Their passion and commitment to what they see makes this Vision become both visible and attainable for others around them.  Just as when I go hunting with Cliff.  I may not initially see the same activity in the woods he does. But he loves to take me on the journey with him, and he is truly excited when I too, can finally see what he found.  

The Rare Leader™ does the same when leading people to see what they see, to set goals and projects to get there, and to share in a celebration of success together. That is a Rare Leader™ who has Vision. 

If you want to learn more about the Rare Leader™ in you, 

or if you are interested in retaining Steve as your Executive Coach, 

Contact Steve Riege via: twitter, or his website.