Jaded Julie Learns about Leadership and Character

“Jaded Julie, we promised to talk about leadership. Let’s do it.”

“I agree, Curmudge. Where do we start?”

“At birth, of course. Where else can one start except at the beginning? I hope you realize that at birth, everyone is self-centered. The first thing a baby does in life is to cry; he has a need, and he is going to shout until it is met. If he had been born with good manners, he would have said, ‘Thanks Mom; it’s been a great nine months’.”

“C’mon, Curmudge. We’re supposed to be talking about leadership, not obstetrics. What’s the connection?”

“Peter Drucker, one of my favorite management sages, defined people skills in the workplace as ‘good manners’. Babies don’t have good manners. So now may I talk more about babies?”

“Go ahead, but it’s the last thing I thought you’d know anything about.”

“Fast forward two years. They don’t call that period the ‘terrible two’s’ for nothing. It’s time for Mom and Dad to start teaching the kid the difference between right and wrong, in terms of the fundamental principles of our society. ‘Wrong’ may seem quite natural, like taking the larger of two pieces of cake. To a small child, ‘right’ might appear very unnatural, like climbing onto the big porcelain thing we call a toilet. Ultimately, the child must learn that life is full of choices and that the ‘right’ choice is often not the same as the most basic, natural one.”

“So that’s why toilet training is so difficult. It’s just not natural.”

“That’s it, Julie. Let’s carry this concept a bit further. According to Hunter*, ‘Human beings have the unique ability to choose to be different from their nature, that is, to make moral choices that rise above natural instincts and urgings.’ If we choose to do what is right but not natural over and over again, it becomes second nature. ‘A disciplined moral muscle subordinates those things that get in the way of doing the right thing. It is called character.’ General Norman Schwarzkopf said that ’99% of leadership failures are failures of character.’ Thus constructive leadership is the product of moral and ethical character. Of course, the reverse can also occur, with Adolph Hitler being a prime example.”

“Wow, Curmudge! A whole page and you finally got back to leadership, which was supposed to be the subject of this posting.”

“So this is what I hope we have learned thus far: Constructive leadership requires character, and character does not come from doing what comes naturally. Character must be taught and learned.”

“By the way, I see the book by Hunter that you referenced is about ‘servant leadership’. Some people say that servant leadership is a rather ‘wimpish’ approach to management. Others have even asked, ‘How can one be a servant and a leader at the same time?’ Has anyone resolved these concerns?”

“Julie, I think the servant leadership concept has been debased by the poor choice of its name. I would prefer ‘caring leadership’, ‘constructive leadership’, or even better, just plain ‘leadership’. Actually, a servant leader can be just as demanding of his direct reports as anyone else. However, the servant leader is requiring his people to be the very best they can be, and he is going to help them achieve it. If this sounds like the Army, it is. It should also sound like Lean. We’ll talk more about this next time.”

“Meanwhile, Curmudge, I’m going to go home and ask the kids if they thought that potty training was unnatural.”

Affinity’s Kaizen Curmudgeon

*Hunter, James C., The World’s Most Powerful Leadership Principle. How to Become a Servant Leader. Crown Business, 2004. (Available in the Appleton Public Library)