Too often, pop culture is a source of leadership failures. It’s hard to turn on the TV without seeing another celebrity providing another example of how not to act in polite society. es of celebrity behaviors as examples of true leadership are almost non-existent. I can’t remember ever feeling a burning desire to blog about celebrity leadership, but American Idol has changed that. I have seen two great examples of leadership lessons recently. This week I’ll focus on the most recent, and I’ll write about the other next week.

Anyone familiar with American Idol understands that performance is everything. One bad night, and a contestant can be eliminated. It is the ultimate meritocracy, so contestants are loathe to do anything that could undermine a performance. Each week, contestants spend the time between shows selecting songs that play to their strengths and rehearsing them until they are near perfect.

Last week, one of this season’s nine finalists, Jacob Lusk, showed extraordinary character by putting his principles ahead of his ambitions. Jacob had chosen to sing Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On,” and he sang it exceptionally well during rehearsal. The more he thought about it, the more Jacob came to realize that the song was too inconsistent his values, so he decided to chose a different song – one with a message that was more aligned with what he believed.

This decision put him at a distinct disadvantage, yet he chose to live his values despite the personal risk. This young ambitious man made a choice. He put his values and beliefs ahead of his desire for achievement. We all can learn a powerful leadership lesson from Jacob Lusk. He showed the courage and character to do the right thing. Coincidentally, the song he picked instead was “Man in the Mirror” by Michael Jackson. Clearly Jacob can look into the mirror and be proud that he lived his values when it mattered.

So what’s stopping us from doing the same?