At a time when news headlines make you wonder what ever happened to our values; when we see leaders refuse to listen to the other’s side, much less negotiate on critical issues; when we see newsmakers twisting facts to suit their needs, one humble word stands out in my mind.
Decent.
It’s not a coincidence that the word appears in the title of one my favorite books on leadership: Decent People, Decent Company, by Robert L. Turknett and Carolyn N. Turknett.
The mere fact that Bob and Lyn opted for the word “decent” to compete in the typically aggressive leadership literature field tells volumes about their character.
Their book is one I turn to time and again to ground myself on my core beliefs as a leader, particularly at conflictive times like the present.
It speaks to the key issues of character that I hold as the basis of my own leadership model.
Perhaps none is more important to me than integrity, which I define as doing the right thing, even when no one is watching.
Not surprisingly, integrity is often one of the values we find missing among people making the screaming headlines.
Yet Bob and Lyn caution readers about that danger right in the very first paragraph of their book.
“We believe that the foundation of leadership character must be integrity. Without an underpinning of integrity, leadership ultimately fails,” they write.
And they add a sobering thought: “Leaders’ mistakes, even enormous ones, can be overcome. But failures of integrity cannot.”
Yup. I’m sure you can think of a few cases where that, sadly, happened.
Another trait they focus on is personal accountability, which stands for doing what you said you where going to do and doing it when you said you were going to do it.
A seemingly simple trait but often found lacking.
I realize I’m not doing justice to the wealth of sage advice that Bob and Lyn share in Decent People, Decent Company.
I like the book for many reasons but mostly because it helps leaders focus on what truly can help them win in the long run. That is, winning the right way, head high, making headlines only for the right reasons.
In today’s environment, where we find ourselves questioning facts and having trouble discerning between fake and factual news, it really helps to ground yourself on the universal values that lead to success; and that is the basis of integrity and personal accountability.
No matter what the environment is like, no matter how difficult the situation we may face, the qualities that Bob and Lyn espouse in their book will make leaders stand out and make a positive difference.
