The 21 Laws of Leadership: How to Develop the Qualities of a Leader

Chapter 3 Character as the Foundation of Good Leadership
Character
Leadership is the ability and willpower to rally people to work towards a common goal, and to inspire the qualities and character of self-confidence.

—Bernard Montgomery, British Field Marshal

Never deny your own experience or belief in order to gain a moment of peace and security.

— Dago Hammarskjöld, politician and Nobel Peace Prize winner

Guaranteed credit at all costs

If you've ever flown from a small airport, or taken a private jet, you've probably seen or even flown in a Learjet.I've flown Learjet a few times and I've been very impressed.This kind of aircraft has a small body and can only carry five or six passengers, but it flies very fast.Entering the cabin is like climbing into a tube that houses a jet engine.

I have to admit, the experience of flying Learjet was really enjoyable.What's even more amazing is that the biggest benefit of taking it is that I saved a lot of time.I reckon I've flown millions of miles, and I'm used to wasting a lot of time driving to the airport, taking taxis, traffic jams, and delayed flights.It's all like a nightmare.But flying a Learjet can easily cut the time in half.

The inventor of this amazing aircraft was Bill Lear.An inventor, pilot, and business leader, he holds more than 150 patents, including for automatic pilots, car stereos, and eight-track audio cassettes, among others.Lear was forward-thinking, having seen the market potential for small private jets as early as the 20s.It took him several years of painstaking research to finally make his dream a reality. In 50, the jet plane he invented completed its maiden flight, and in 1963 he handed over the first batch of production jet planes to customers.

Lear was an instant success, and he sold many aircraft.But not long after his career took off, he learned that the two planes he had sold had crashed bizarrely.Lille nearly collapsed.At the time, he had sold 55 planes.Lear immediately grounded all customers until he and his team could figure out what caused the crash.The grounding of the plane will get a bad rap in the media, but for Lear the lives of its customers are more important.

After investigation, Lear discovered a possible cause of the crash, but the plane could not confirm whether it was the problem on the ground.Lear decided to fly it himself, the only way to confirm the problem.

It was a dangerous decision, but Lille made it anyway.While he was flying the plane lost control and he almost died like the pilots of the previous two planes.But he eventually landed safely and confirmed the problem.Lear invented a new part to solve the problem and installed it on all 53 Lear jets, avoiding the danger.

The notification of the grounding of the aircraft has brought considerable financial losses to Lille and has also affected the purchase demand of potential customers.So it took him two years to revive his career.But Lear never regretted his decision. He was even willing to take his achievements, wealth and even his life to solve the cause of the plane crash in order to defend his credibility.This kind of decision requires a person of character to make it.

how to build character

The way a leader responds to life's crises reveals every aspect of his character.Crisis does not necessarily build character, but it can reflect character.Adversity is like a crossroads. People must make a choice when facing it: whether to maintain character or compromise.Whenever a man chooses to stand by his character, he becomes stronger even when his choice affects him negatively.As the Nobel Prize winner Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn said: "The meaning of human existence lies not only in the growth of thought and personal improvement, but also in the sublimation of the soul." The growth of character is not only about leadership The core of human development is also the core of human development.

So what should we know about character building?

1. Character is not just lip service
Everyone may say that he is honest and upright, but in this matter of character, deeds speak louder than words.Your character determines who you are, who you are determines your thoughts, and your thoughts determine your actions.This is why a leader's character and actions are inseparable.If a leader's actions and thoughts are often inconsistent, the reason is often hidden in his character.

2. Talent is born, but character can be cultivated

There are many things in life that we cannot control.We cannot choose our parents, our birthplace and family background, our talent and IQ.However, we can choose our character and who we are.In fact, every time we make a choice—whether to hold our heads high or hold back when faced with adversity, to distort the truth or accept the consequences, to accept bribes or to suffer the consequences—we are building our own character.As we make choices every day, we are actually building our own character.

3. Character leads to lasting successful relationships
True leadership often involves relationships.There’s an adage about leadership that goes like this: If you think you’re leading others, but no one is following you, then you’re probably going it alone.Followers tend not to trust leaders with flawed character, so they will not continue to follow such leaders.

4. Leaders cannot escape the constraints imposed by character

Have you ever seen some brilliant people suddenly collapse when they achieved something?The key to this phenomenon is that there is a problem with character.Steven Berglas, a psychologist at Harvard Medical School and author of The Success Syndrome, said that those who achieve high achievement but lack character build-up are more Catastrophic failure occurs under pressure.He believes that people will encounter at least the following four situations: arrogance, lonely pain, destructive risk-taking, or sexual illicit relationship.Every situation comes with a heavy price, and it's all caused by a flaw in character.

Self-Reflection: Stay Out of the Gray Areas of Character

If you find yourself in one of the four situations above, you need to stop and think, find ways to detach yourself from the stress of achievement, and seek professional help.Don't think that the trough you are currently in will improve with time, wealth or prestige.Cracks in character that are left unaddressed will only deepen, with increasingly serious consequences over time.

Even if you do not experience the above four situations, you should still examine the state of your character and ask yourself whether your words and actions are consistent.When you promise to complete a task, do you stick to it; when you tell your children that you will go to their ball game or show, do you keep your word; if you shake hands with others, Can they trust you as much as they trust a legal contract?
When you lead others at home, at work, or in your community, understand that your character is your most important asset.Alan Bernard, president of Mead Park, said: "Leadership requires trust and respect that cannot tolerate moral doubt. A leader must not only distinguish between right and wrong, but also We must stay away from the gray areas of ambiguity."

"Prescription" for Character Improvement

To improve your character, you must do the following.

1. Find the cracks (weaknesses) in your character

Take some time to examine important areas of your life (job, marriage, family, relationships, etc.) and see if you are cutting corners, compromising, or letting others down.Using the past two months as a basis, write down the status of each event as it occurred.

2. Identify the cause of character problems

Look carefully at the behavioral responses you just wrote down. Do you see a weakness in one area, or a recurring problem?If you have evidence to follow, you can judge the weakness of your character.

3. Face difficulties
The first step in repairing your character is to face the flaws in your character, sincerely apologize to others, and use actions to make up for the consequences you have caused: make a list, write the name and reason of the person you want to apologize, and be honest and sincere to apologize.

4. Reshape character
It's one thing to confront the past, it's another to rebuild a better future.Now that you've identified some of your weaknesses, make a plan to improve them so you don't repeat them.

Inner character is better than outer character
A father took his daughter to a carnival. As soon as the daughter arrived at the carnival, she ran to the marshmallow place to buy marshmallows.When the clerk was about to give the little girl a ball of marshmallows, the father asked her, "Honey, can you eat that much?"

"Don't be afraid, Daddy," the daughter replied, "there's a lot more inside than it looks."

So it is with true character, what is within is often more solid and reliable than what is without.

(End of this chapter)