Ethics versus Performance: What matters most in Leadership?

The media is full of stories of successful performers, athletes, and entrepreneurs but are failures as people. they get in legal troubles, have broken relationships, and a host of other issues. This always gets me thinking out loud about how certain individuals can reach such fame and fortune in their fields of endeavor but fail so miserably in terms of how they carry themselves.

In his book, The Only Way to Win, Jim Loehr whose firm works with the world's top athletes and executives, makes the case that the most successful people have BOTH!. Essentially he states that PERFORMANCE character strengths determine how we relate and view OURSELVES. MORAL character strengths determine how we relate to and view OTHERS.

Performance Character Strengths include:

• Determination
• Concentration
• Resilience
• Competitiveness
• Ambition
• Mental Toughness

Moral Character Strengths include:

• Care for other people
• Honesty
• Integrity
• Fairness
• Generosity
• Respect

So now that you have an idea of the difference between the two, here is a powerful activity that you can complete to see where you fall on this spectrum:

1. List your TOP 6 Character Strengths (the ones that receive the most attention or energy)
2. Next RANK them from 1 – 6 with 1 being the most important.
3. Now REVIEW your lists, which category do you draw the most from – MORAL or PERFORMANCE?

The point is you need BOTH performance and moral strengths to succeed - without a doubt. But as author and leadership expert John Maxwell states, “TALENT gets you in the door but CHARACTER keeps you in the room.” I put so much emphasis on this topic because your followers will take their cues from you. What happens in the C-Suite will make its way to the Mailroom! Culture ALWAYS starts at the top and it IS CONTAGEOUS!

As always if I can help you and the people you associate with Get Better, Be Ready and LEAD OUT LOUD, I would invite you to email me or to visit my website below and see if any of the training or coaching experiences I offer can provide an impact! Also, as a bonus, if you go to my Out Loud Strategies website (www.outloudinc.com) and enter your contact information, I will send you a FREE guide to establishing a mentoring initiative program in your organization! Such an initiative would be critical in order to add value to your organization!

Yours in Leadership,

Bill Faulkner

Principal Consultant – Out Loud Strategies

Independent Coach, Speaker, and Trainer with the John Maxwell Team ^TM

Email = bill@outloudinc.com

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