ELEPHANT ALERT!
What are you doing when no one is looking? Is your character intact?
An employee of a world-wide organization spoke to an audience about his company’s CFO. “I saw Ed do something that significantly elevated my respect for him. I was about to leave the men’s room when I saw Ed at the sink. He’d just finished washing his hands. And then you know what he did? He grabbed a towel and wiped off the counter. He was cleaning the bathroom! How many CFO’s do you know do that?
“It showed me in an instant how much he cared about our company. And as a result, I care more, too.”
Here’s the elephant in the office: A lot of bosses attempt to scheme their way to respect. They use rhetoric and grandiose gestures to communicate how much they care. They rely on pompous, rehearsed acts to “model” what they think leadership looks like. And then when the spotlight is no longer on them, they slip to someone else.
This leaves their credibility slithering across the floor; and a disenfranchised workforce mumbling, “Get real.”
STOMP THE ELEPHANT
Ed reminds us that we follow leaders not because of what they say or do, but because of who we believe they are. And when “who they are” is virtuous, significant things happen.
Are your values important enough to live them all the time?
It’s true: “Good guys finish last.” And be assured that “good guys finish first” is equally true. As the number of those who consistently live out of their values grows – and it is growing – the world is assured of brighter days.
Where will you lead – where will you stomp elephants – today?
What are you doing in the bathroom? This story says it all. We follow leaders not because of what they say or do, but because of who we believe they are. The statement is true, however, I have a choice. Obviously there are those in leadership roles who are not credible, but that does not mean that I have to follow that path. I as an individual can still continue to do the right thing in spite of who I believe they are.