“Character is higher than intellect. A great soul will be strong to live as well as think.”
Ralph Waldo Emerson

Let’s explore why leaders fail to do what is expected, wanted and /or needed. You got this “hot shot” manager who pushes everyone around because he’s the boss. Employees hate him. You don’t care for him, either. How did he become a manager with that nasty attitude? He’s out of control. Let’s take a train ride on the leadership express. First stop is organizational culture. Ideally, organizations should promote leaders with high, morale character. Organizations make the mistake of promoting high achievers with no people skills and little integrity. That leader becomes a cancer and destroys any team chemistry in the organization. That leader does not model the way for employees. Yukl, a leadership expert, notes that the values espoused by a leader should be demonstrated in his daily behavior and be done consistently.

Second stop is leadership theory. Leadership is more than a pretty face, nice body, and a glowing personality (aka the Trait Theory). According to Hackman and Johnson (leadership gurus), early researchers assume that an individual’s physical/psychological features were the best indicators for leadership success; however, there is no guarantee for getting a good leader on this criterion.

Finally, last stop is character. It’s important for organizations to select the right leader as the first prevention mechanism. Character does count. Employees want a leader high in integrity. Therefore, an organization should be careful in selecting their leaders. Organizations should select a qualified leader, but the leader should reflect the organization’s values. Do you respect your leadership team? If not, why should your employees? Build your leadership from the inside out. Start today and improve organizational chemistry..

References:

Hackman, M. & Johnson, C. (2000). Leadership: A communication perspective. Long Grove, IL: Waveland Press.
Yukl, G. (2002). Leadership in Organizations. Delhi, India: Pearson Education, Inc.

© 2006 by Daryl D. Green