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The Twelve Principles of Personal Leadership

Introduction

-One Leader’s Perspective

By Greg L. Thomas

Decorative%2012 This month in weLEAD Online magazine I will begin a four-year journey. It may take even longer than I anticipate! My goal is to begin a series of articles entitled The Twelve Principles of Personal Leadership. I actually began this project and first conceived it in 1992. A close friend of mine who is now a weLEAD board member, helped me to begin creating these principles under a different title. However, at the time we had very few marketing dollars and it was regrettably before the powerful influence of today’s Internet. By 1993 we allowed the publication of them to die until now.

I believe these twelve principles are universal and I propose that the greatest leaders in human history, those who achieved remarkable and truly lasting achievements, adhered to most of these principles either by conscious choice or chance. A select few of the greatest servant-leaders in history lived by all of them! For at least the next two years I will discuss each of these principles one at a time in detail. Some of the principles will require perhaps two or three articles to cover adequately or clearly. Eventually when this project is completed, the entire series will become a moderately priced book and allow weLEAD to raise funds for its continued leadership mission. To learn more about personal leadership, be sure to read my past article on this subject entitled, Just What is Personal Leadership!

Some of these principles have been discussed by outstanding authors like Steven Covey, Peter Block, Garry Wills and others. I hope to discuss these commonly understood principles with a fresh and readable approach. Yet, some of these principles are new approaches and concepts not thoroughly discussed by other authors. With each principle, I hope to not only define it clearly but to also relate how it transcends from a personal leadership trait to organizational leadership. I could tell you what these 12 principles are now but I won’t do that. I would rather reveal them one at a time like opening a gift. I believe they will have more of an impact on your life that way!

In our modern western society we have yet to distinguish between the positive role of those individuals who beneficially change our times and organizations and the mere self-absorbed thugs who have aggressively clawed their way to the top of the heap! We have this rather perverse cultural habit of calling them both “leaders”! Just look at the daily news and you will easily see what I mean. For example, speaking of a collection of political tyrants and demagogues, many who live in splendor while their people live in squalor, the media will proclaim something like “world leaders gathered today to …”. Often you will hear how a CEO or other business executive has been convicted of a criminal act, yet they are typically referred to as a “business leader” simply because they were the “head” of an organization! Just because an individual has gained control of something, no matter how they arrived at that position, or how ineptly they have ruled, our culture still incorrectly calls them a leader. In what other venue could we be allowed to put individuals like Thomas Jefferson, Abraham Lincoln, Winston Churchill, Martin Luther King, and Clara Barton in the same classification as Adolph Hitler, Joseph Stalin, Idi Amin and Sadam Hussein! It isn’t fair and it isn’t right. But, I have a name for those who seek to be in prominent and powerful positions of influence only to serve themselves and achieve their selfish goals at the expense and manipulation of others. I call them the anti-leaders. Unfortunately we live in a time I call the “age of the anti-leader”.

Here are some of the common traits of the anti-leader. These traits are the same for anti-leaders in all organizations, including governmental, political, religious or business groups.

1. They are obsessed with having control and power over others. They will find any reason or excuse to maintain being “in-charge”, ranging from claiming a sudden crisis, or “divine right”, to even displaying a counterfeit concern about the so-called “needs” of the people.

2. They believe that they and their intimate supporters are above the values and ethical conduct expected of others. Special rules and privileges apply to them because they are after all…the chosen (by themselves) leaders.

3. They believe that followers are individuals to be manipulated for wealth, power, or prestige. The loyal followers are privately referred to as “the people” or dumb sheep, inferiors, the workers, or the masses.

4. Priority of importance is considered to be the following: self-aggrandizement is the most important, protection of the “inner circle” is second in importance, maintenance of power and the status quo as third in importance, and finally “the people” or followers are last in importance.

5. Within a perverse paradox they look at the future world after their demise or death in one of two ways depending on their self-image or ego.

a. Some work hard to build a cult personality or some special type of “monument” to themselves, seeking immortality in the eyes of others beyond their death.

b. Others who deeply despise their followers “couldn’t care less” about their future and tend to act as if the entire world should cease existence when they are no longer around.

Mirror In our society we have made a few feeble attempts to distinguish between the greatly different types of achievers and leaders. Some authors and consultants have coined helpful phrases like servant-leadership, stewardship or enlightened leadership to draw a distinction, but with little effect. So we continue to degrade the real position and achievement of those who guided others to attain incredible progress, while artificially granting status to those whose lives were dedicated to the exploitation and control over others. We do this by falsely calling both types…leaders. Our culture has not gotten to the point where we are ready to dogmatically articulate the difference. Hopefully that is beginning to change.

Why is a series like this needed? It is desperately needed because of the lack of individuals who are capable of leading for the right reasons or motives! Our society has produced many individuals who are able to foam at the mouth and rant in front of TV cameras, but are incapable of leading. We have too many who talk about leadership, and desire to control large segments of our society, but for their own selfish gain and hidden agendas. We also have many who claim to be leaders, yet are incapable of providing stability or accountability in their own lives. Perhaps the saddest legacy of our present generation is that it is filled with too many prominent individuals who call themselves leaders, but who have really sacrificed their souls on the altar of self-indulgence! When any culture or society produces this kind of mind-set among its most influential or prominent members, the winners are no one, and the losers are everyone.

But there is hope and it is coming not from the influential, but from the grassroots of our society. Where have all the leaders gone? They haven’t really gone anywhere. Many are still quietly with us, and a new generation of leaders is accepting the torch from the past generation. However, the overwhelming majority of them are not prominent individuals and you will not see them on the evening news or read about them in the daily newspaper. But be assured of this, every day a million random acts of leadership are demonstrated in our homes, schools, shop floors, office buildings, government institutions, community projects and religious organizations. Regretfully, these accomplishments go unnoticed and under-appreciated because of all the problems that continue to exist in our institutions and our society. Again, most of these individuals are not in positions of power or great influence. But within their own environments, departments, groups or sectors they are working hard to articulate a vision, and leading others to meet their organization’s needs and their own follower’s needs. Effective leaders are still with us, facing greater resistance and more challenges than ever. They are not gone, but many of them are struggling to be agents of change in a complex world that usually offers them little or no recognition.

The Twelve Principles of Personal Leadership is built upon a single truth. All real leadership starts from the inside out. The kind of leaders our society needs to solve our most perplexing and complex problems are those whose values are based on a solid inner core. These are individuals who know and understand that leadership is a calling and an opportunity to leave this world, or community or organization a better place than they found it. Leadership isn’t about them, it is about contributing to the growth of others and gaining fulfillment through service and achievement. If you think about it, the way leaders or anti-leaders perform, is simply a reflection of what is going on inside their inner core of beliefs and value system. The five traits of anti-leaders discussed earlier are simply the “effects” of something very wrong going on deep inside the core of an individual. The “cause” of these despicable traits is a lack of personal leadership! Since their inner core was corrupt, their conduct was selfish, manipulative and destructive. The Twelve Principles of Personal Leadership taps into, and exposes the inner core that becomes either the heart of great leadership, or the mind of a harmful anti-leader. But that is not the only major reason these principles need to be explored…

There is another phenomenal change that is occurring in our modern society! It is the role of “followers” and their ability to now choose who or what they will respond to or follow. The major reason for this change was choice! Unlike ancient times, no longer is the only real option to dutifully follow the leader or die in Western cultures. People who don’t like their political leaders vote for another. People who don’t like their jobs find another one or consciously reduce their efforts on the job. People who are unhappy with their religious heritage end their association and move on. What does all of this mean for the modern leader? It means followers now have a choice to support who or what they desire and if they are not satisfied, they will vote with their feet…they walk away. No longer will followers accept a win/lose relationship with the leaders getting all they want at the expense of the followers. Yes, people are still willing to be followers, especially for a good or noble cause. However, followers now expect and demand more from those in leadership positions! They expect their leaders to care for them, treat them with dignity, act responsibly and help them to meet their needs. Any leader who fails to do these things will soon meet with an exodus of followers. As John Maxwell states, “If you think you are leading and no one is following, you are only taking a walk!” This problem has been caused by generations of poor leadership and abuse of power. The only modern exception to this fact is that followers are still willing to submit to an autocratic culture for deeply personal or philosophical reasons.

Are people still willing to follow good leaders? Yes, but they now have greater expectations and different roles. Followers are waiting for a new breed of leadership that understands they are a precious untapped resource. They are looking for leaders and causes that allow them ownership in the cause and help them to reach their own individual goals. They are looking for leaders they can trust, admire, respect and follow with pride rather than shame. Educator Joseph Rost sums it up well when he opines, “Followers and leaders develop a relationship wherein they influence one another as well as the organization and society, and that is leadership. They do not do the same things in the relationship, just as the composers and musicians do not do the same thing in making music, but they are both essential to leadership.”

The real problem is that good followers are fewer and often less committed because our modern western culture has persuaded many to become independent uncommitted observers! Some have also become observers because of negative past experiences they witnessed when they attempted to follow a mediocre leader! What does this mean for leadership in general? It means the leader must work harder than ever before to inspire, motivate and encourage larger numbers of observers to make a personal commitment and become loyal followers. This can only be done when a leader demonstrates integrity, self-sacrifice, dedication and respect for the observer as well as their own present followers. As author Garry Wills comments, “Followers judge leaders. Only if the leaders pass that test do they have any impact.” More than any time in history, the role of being a leader or a follower is more complex and challenging.

Explosion To lead others and lead well, we must understand and develop the vital principles of personal leadership to insure we have the right traits, skills, and motives to produce positive and constructive results. This is true whether we choose to lead in our family, our community, our business or our religious institutions. Leadership isn’t easy and it is often likened to “walking in a minefield”. But it is easier, and the results more productive when we have the right inner compass to provide direction and purpose. This is why I believe the The Twelve Principles of Personal Leadership are so important to discuss as a series over the next few years.

Next month we will begin to explore the first principle of personal leadership…

Comments to: editor@leadingtoday.org

To see all Greg’s articles including the other Principles of Personal Leadership click here.

About the author:

Greg has over 25 years of sales and marketing experience within the electrical manufacturing industry. Some of his positions have included being a National Sales Manager, National Marketing Manager and Regional Sales Manager. He also has an extensive 35 years experience in public speaking and has written articles for various publications. Greg has a Master of Arts degree in Leadership from Bellevue University, where he has served as an adjunct professor. He is the founder of weLEAD Incorporated, a nonprofit organization chartered to promote personal and organizational leadership. Greg's personal site is located at http://www.greglthomas.info