It will not surprise you that I was a big fan of the early Woody Allen. His wry ability to engage the world around him by turning everything on its head has guided my life…
Leadership topic - Virtue
It guides our actions as leaders, teams, and countries, but what are they really and how do we use them differently?
Talking about, or even having Virtue opens you up for criticism and analysis. Most of it is in the ‘you said you believe this, and you are doing that’. Certainly “saying” or “doing” anything are complex communications that every leader struggles with. And, it is still worth both to help clarify what you are really trying to get across, and more importantly what you really do count as Virtues.
Do you manage with Virtue?
Interviewing for my last “real” corporate gig, my peer was venting about his team – and how they were not “leading” like he wanted them to. I wasn’t a coach – officially yet – but asked what seemed obvious … “Well, have you told them what you expected?”
Virtue partners…
… some leaders who are stunning in their clarity and focus on what matters most – living out their values authentically for their team and themselves. I was honored to partner with one at VeriSign who went through many busy seasons with me, including learning to leverage RAPID for our team’s best…
How are Virtues observed?
As I leaped out of IBM just before they laid off 40,000 people, I was fortunate to land a job at Fannie Mae. Their Vice-Chairman saw a Business Week article (remember that magazine…) about Software Reuse, and directed the CIO to pursue it. It makes sense – write software well once, and Reuse it over and over,
Virtue wonders….
To this day, I am known for connecting people and seeking out relationships to work through challenges and opportunities. I stalked a person for a year, who is now a good friend, and more importantly, a master Organist… and knew some Bach works that I should feature this week…
executing Virtue…
“It is 10 to the hour, and based on our agreement, this meeting is over. Thank you for coming, we will schedule a follow-up soon. And now you may all go to your next engagement”. Stunned is probably the best description of the people in the room, including me…
… and the renewal of Virtue…
Declaring that you have a faith stance opens you up for a lot of attacks, some deserved, and some that are not, but all are worth considering. Can you actually be ready to make an account for what you believe? And as someone said once, if you were in a court of law, could the actually convict you of your Faith using evidence?