Integrity
Truthfulness is the foundation quality of the trust that is necessary for the success of any business. It requires that you always tell the truth, to all people, in every situation.
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“Successful people maintain a positive focus in life no matter what is going on around them. They stay focused on their past successes rather than their past failures, and on the next action steps they need to take to get them closer to the fulfillment of their goals rather than all the other distractions that life presents to them."
Leaders focus on results, on what must be achieved by themselves, by others, and by the company. They focus on the strengths in themselves and others.
Humility means that you have the self-confidence and self-awareness to recognize the value of others without feeling threatened. You are willing to admit you could be wrong and may not have all the answers.
Humility requires the containment of one’s ego.
“Good business leaders create a vision, articulate the vision, passionately own the vision, and relentlessly drive it to completion.”
“The more you can contain your ego, the more realistic you are about your problems. You learn how to listen, and admit that you don’t know all the answers. You exhibit the attitude that you can learn from anyone at any time. Your pride doesn’t get in the way of gathering the information you need to achieve the best results. It doesn’t keep you from sharing the credit that needs to be shared. Humility allows you to acknowledge your mistakes".
Great leaders have the ability to look ahead, to anticipate with some accuracy where the industry and the markets are going in advance of their competitors.
“With integrity, you have nothing to fear, since you have nothing to hide. With integrity, you will do the right thing, so you will have no guilt.”
Leaders strive to perfect the ability to speak effectively and persuasively.
They tend to practice public speaking within their own businesses until they are ready to branch out into professional paid speaking gigs.
Leaders think about good leadership qualities and how to apply them on a daily basis.
They lead by example to truly earn the trust of their followers.
“Courage is rightly considered the foremost of the virtues, for upon it, all others depend.”
Your ability to select the 20 percent of your people to contribute to 80 percent of your results is essential to the smooth functioning of the organization. Commit to get along well with each key person every single day.
Having the quality of courage means that you are willing to take risks in the achievement of your goals with no assurance of success.
Great leaders have a clear, exciting idea of where they are going. They are excellent at strategic planning.
While a manager gets the job done, great leaders tap into the emotions of their employees.
“If your imagination leads you to understand how quickly people grant your requests when those requests appeal to their self-interest, you can have practically anything you go after.”
RELATED IDEAS
George Washington was a man of exceptional integrity who carried himself with dignity and self-confidence and was excessively loved among the masses.
Whoever you’re talking to, treat them equally with respect and warmth. Little gestures like these go a long way in defining your character and impact the effectiveness of your role as a leader.
To be a stronger leader, you need to practice self-confidence. If you’re always second-guessing yourself and feeling shy around your coworkers, they won’t follow you.
Confident leaders have a strong sense of self and rarely express self-doubt. They understand who they are and are comfortable in their own skin. Charismatic leaders are also optimists. They see the glass as half full instead of half empty and are always looking on the bright side.
Not every leader is benevolent. Many leaders have insight, initiative, influence, and impact but their lives and legacies are tainted by a lack of integrity.
A great leader must have a life integrated with the highest values so the impact of his/her leadership is positive.