We often hear leaders described as having character. What exactly do we mean by character, and why does it matter? The fact is that character can be extremely discomforting to discuss. The challenge is that character is rooted in very personal (and often polarizing) subjects – values and beliefs. It is easy to come across as either self-righteous or irresolute. That said, character is an essential to leadership attribute.
Leaders understand that crisis is inevitable. More than that, leaders know that crisis is a major driver of change, and change is essential to leadership. Leaders also understand that crisis often leads to panic, and panic can be devastating. In his poem ‘If-’, Rudyard Kipling offers this challenge: “If you can keep your head when all about you Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;” Kipling’s first line from ‘If-’ encourages his readers to prepare for crisis. He also point out that other won’t prepare. “They will lose their head.” Finally, he points out that blame is an inevitable part of panic, and every leader understands that being a leader means that the blame will be directed at them.
In December, I posed two questions in this blog. First, “What leadership advice could a 21st-century leader, possibly get (or want) from a 19th-century poem?” and “What can an Information Age leader learn from a Victorian Age poem?” That post began to explore the relevance of Kipling’s ‘If-’ for today’s leaders. ‘If-’ describes a path leaders may choose to follow. Each of the poem’s sixteen couplets describes an essential leadership attribute.
One of my favorite parts of leadership is working with people who are just getting started in their careers. Most people enter the “real world” with passion that is almost palpable. It comes from a combination of naiveté, audacity, and most of all, ambition. For most, reality sets in over time, and our passions fade. Some extraordinary few never lose the fire. Many of those become visionaries and entrepreneurs who inspire and excite those around them. What happens to the rest? What becomes of the vast majority of idealists who leave college ready to take on the world? Many simply burn out. Their passion consumes them like a star consuming itself. Others collapse under their own weight.
Conventional wisdom teaches that leadership is about looking forward. We are all taught that leading means creating a compelling vision for the future and inspiring others to follow us into that future. While I fundamentally share this view, I believe the past plays a critical role in how we lead. Leaders must be able to look back. We must learn lessons from our own experiences and from the experiences of those who came before us.