We’ve all heard it: What you do speaks so loudly that I cannot hear what you are say. When it comes to leadership, character is key. Albert Schweitzer noted, “Example is not the main thing in influencing others, it is the only thing.” This week’s Quips and Quotes explore some key thoughts about the leader’s character.
Achilles was the mightiest of the Greek warriors, but it was his subtle weakness — an unprotected heel — that became his undoing. Every leader has an Achilles heel, a vulnerable weak spot. What is yours?
Some memories linger like graffiti scrawled on an abandoned building. This is one of those memories. It has been more than thirty years. The colors are a little faded, but the message is clearer than ever: Listen to your critics!
“Leadership is a potent combination of strategy and character.
But if you must be without one, be without the strategy.”
General H. Norman Schwarzkopf [1]
And David shepherded them with integrity of heart;
with skillful hands he led them. (Psalm 78:72 NIV)
The Leader’s Prayer:
Lord, grow in me a heart of integrity.
Build in me the skill to lead well for you.
May my leadership — wherever it is — bring honor to Your name.
__________
[1] James Charlton, ed. The Military Quotation Book, Revised and Expanded. 2002, page 83.
