GREAT LEADERS ARE G.A.S. GUZZLERS: Ch. 4
CHAPTER 4
GREAT LEADERS ARE G.A.S. GUZZLERS
We have seen that great leaders can sprint to great leadership decisions when they are well equipped, well trained and well developed with the necessary requirements for greatness. If a leader does not have the proper foundation for great leadership then he or she might just as well drag out the decision making process in a much longer marathon style of lethargy. Great leaders must inspire others to follow. This is as simple as the process gets. Yet, once again we are left with the need to find the traits that will prove to be inspirational.
We are living in a time when the high price of gas at the fuel pump is creating a national debate on a far reaching scale from big oil company profits, foreign oil dependency and the need for alternative non-fossil fuel and renewable energy sources. In my never ending attempt to use acronyms for memory purposes however, G.A.S. now has taken on a different meaning. Incidentally, I have found that the use of acronyms has proven to be a successful way of having students in leadership classes remember important concepts. I have previously used I.O.U. to remind my classes (the leaders of tomorrow) that they owe their audience the debt of being Impartial, Objective and Unbiased As good leaders they must strive to avoid prejudicial or extreme arguments as a means of establishing and maintaining credibility. I have also used H.I.T. to inspire students always to have Honesty, Integrity and Truth in all that they do as leaders as well as all that they do in life.
For our purposes here G.A.S. refers to the equally important need always to be Genuine, Authentic and Sincere. These are marvelous traits and characterize the nicest, kindest and most respected people that I ever had the pleasure of knowing. Moreover, they are traits that characterize the best leaders that I have known. When I think back on all of the people that I have been associated with in my life, I am instinctively drawn to fond memories of those people that are truly Genuine, Authentic and Sincere. They are among the people that I consider fortunate to know and whom I consider to be a blessing in my life. They also easily begin to be associated with terms such as role model, mentor, hero, teacher and people that I want to emulate. Most importantly, they are at the top of my list of great leaders from all walks of life. Genuine, Authentic and Sincere people are also very easy to like and tend to be the ones with whom I want to associate. Genuine, Authentic and Sincere people are also the ones whose lead I would follow. I have tried to explain this to many of my classes and determine why it is so important.
The first thing that I have tried to explain is why today it is so very important to identify and work with Genuine, Authentic and Sincere individuals and why they tend to rise to positions of leadership. The answer seems simplistic and obvious. Do we not live in a world where many people are quite the opposite of Genuine and engage in a mind-boggling array of unethical behavior almost always based on false premises or false promises? Are many of these people not in a position of leadership? How many people do you know that are not authentic, not “the real deal” or not what they pretend to be? How many of them can or have forged ahead on these not so real foundations? How many have we elected or appointed to top level leadership positions? Do we not live in a world of insincerity where it is easier to lie, cheat, mislead, deceive or otherwise be insincere all in the name of fame and fortune? The odds are that you answered most, if not all, of these rhetorical questions in the affirmative and have therefore, underscored the need to address them.
My handy Webster’s New World Dictionary defines Genuine with the phrase “really being what it is said to be…not counterfeit or artificial; real; true; authentic…sincere and frank; honest and forthright.” Wow. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could surround ourselves with those types of people that exhibit those kinds of characteristics? Would it not be equally wonderful to have a slate of candidates, a boardroom full of corporate leaders and a society of non- profit directors that all had these traits? Just imagine; no hidden agendas, no double meanings, no second guessing, and no wondering what the person actually meant. I continually strive to maintain those qualities in my personal and professional lives and to instill them in all my classes for all the students that I have the pleasure of working with. I know that they are the next generation of leaders and they will be challenged to hone these skills. Again, in the classes dealing with communication, both verbal and written, I have worked hard to have them perceived as Genuine so that the reader and audience will respond in an equally genuine manner. When the leader is seen as genuine the followers will respond in kind.
Back to Webster’s for the definition of Authentic to find the most curious entry. Here we find authentic as describing something “that can be believed or accepted; trustworthy; reliable [an authentic news report].” I think that it goes without saying that the leader needs to be believed and accepted. Let’s forget the fact that the editors of this fine dictionary may have used an oxymoron (authentic news report) to define the term, and continue with the definition; “authentic implies reliability and trustworthiness…” Again, these traits are stressed in all of the classes that I am fortunate to be conducting and serve as a basic foundation for great leadership. Students, as they pursue their careers are going to be confronted with people and situations that are not reliable or trustworthy. It is from this world of falseness that the new breed of leaders will emerge. From false and misleading advertising, promise breaking people in positions of authority, and people and products that cannot be trusted, we will all need to confront and overcome these traits and exhibit the higher and stronger trait of being Authentic. Great leaders know this and will simply sprint ahead because they are authentic.
Finally, we have arrived at Sincere, which Mr. Webster’s editors have defined as being; “without deceit, pretense or hypocrisy; truthful; straightforward; honest….an adherence to the simple, unembellished truth.” We are once again faced with a Jeffersonian type of self-evident truth: People that are seen as Sincere, and who are truly sincere, will go far in life and do better than their insincere contemporaries who will sacrifice long term success and happiness for short term financial or social gain. Great leaders will always be sincere because they have been trained to know that the short term insincerity will eventually implode. People crave approval but only if it is sincere; they want appreciation but only if it is sincere; they need to be respected but only if it is sincere; people need to be loved but only if that love is sincere. People will follow a great leader but only if that leader is sincere. There are many keys to a successful life and an equal number for happiness. I think that there are none more important than to be GENUINE, AUTHENTIC, and SINCERE. The keys to great leadership are no different.
The bold decisive leader of tomorrow will once again spring from the starting blocks with precision and grace because he or she does not need to worry about the genuineness of their decision, the authenticity of their decision making process or the sincerity of their motives. Even with the high price of gas great leaders are G.A.S. guzzlers.
The national campaigns and elections, especially the presidential election, of 2008 brought these vital traits to the forefront. From the primaries to the national party conventions, to the televised debates to the election itself, the American public was bombarded with a steady dose of campaign slogans, speeches and promises that tested the limits of genuineness, authenticity and sincerity. Most of the candidates, in my view, stayed true to the old fashioned, conventional partisan politics and, consequently, the sincerity of their message can be called into question. However, there was one interesting and different voice that was added to the national debate. It is safe to say that this voice was different than the establishment’s norm, went against the accepted conventional wisdom, and yet, was perceived as being quite sincere and genuine. Predictably, this voice was ridiculed, vilified, mocked and attacked by the mainstream political system, news media and entertainment world. She was different, and different is dangerous to the status quo establishment. She was down to earth and honest, spoke in a simple and straightforward manner, and used common sense. She was a new breed of leader and she was a threat to the old style marathoner.
The first paragraph of this manual indicated that there would be an onslaught of criticism aimed at those who, with the courage of their convictions, went against the conventional wisdom, were in the minority and were politically incorrect. The candidacy of Governor Sarah Palin was evidence enough that the old style brand of status quo leadership has a difficult time seeing something new as anything but a threat. The new breed of leaders, much like Sarah Palin, needs to be prepared to pay a price for sprinting ahead with a Genuine, Authentic and Sincere approach. They need to know that Common Sense may get lost in a marathon of empty rhetoric and that they will be denounced for being different. Undaunted, the new breed of leader will continue to sprint ahead and be a G.A.S. guzzler all the way to the finish.
GREAT LEADERS ARE G.A.S. GUZZLERS
We have seen that great leaders can sprint to great leadership decisions when they are well equipped, well trained and well developed with the necessary requirements for greatness. If a leader does not have the proper foundation for great leadership then he or she might just as well drag out the decision making process in a much longer marathon style of lethargy. Great leaders must inspire others to follow. This is as simple as the process gets. Yet, once again we are left with the need to find the traits that will prove to be inspirational.
We are living in a time when the high price of gas at the fuel pump is creating a national debate on a far reaching scale from big oil company profits, foreign oil dependency and the need for alternative non-fossil fuel and renewable energy sources. In my never ending attempt to use acronyms for memory purposes however, G.A.S. now has taken on a different meaning. Incidentally, I have found that the use of acronyms has proven to be a successful way of having students in leadership classes remember important concepts. I have previously used I.O.U. to remind my classes (the leaders of tomorrow) that they owe their audience the debt of being Impartial, Objective and Unbiased As good leaders they must strive to avoid prejudicial or extreme arguments as a means of establishing and maintaining credibility. I have also used H.I.T. to inspire students always to have Honesty, Integrity and Truth in all that they do as leaders as well as all that they do in life.
For our purposes here G.A.S. refers to the equally important need always to be Genuine, Authentic and Sincere. These are marvelous traits and characterize the nicest, kindest and most respected people that I ever had the pleasure of knowing. Moreover, they are traits that characterize the best leaders that I have known. When I think back on all of the people that I have been associated with in my life, I am instinctively drawn to fond memories of those people that are truly Genuine, Authentic and Sincere. They are among the people that I consider fortunate to know and whom I consider to be a blessing in my life. They also easily begin to be associated with terms such as role model, mentor, hero, teacher and people that I want to emulate. Most importantly, they are at the top of my list of great leaders from all walks of life. Genuine, Authentic and Sincere people are also very easy to like and tend to be the ones with whom I want to associate. Genuine, Authentic and Sincere people are also the ones whose lead I would follow. I have tried to explain this to many of my classes and determine why it is so important.
The first thing that I have tried to explain is why today it is so very important to identify and work with Genuine, Authentic and Sincere individuals and why they tend to rise to positions of leadership. The answer seems simplistic and obvious. Do we not live in a world where many people are quite the opposite of Genuine and engage in a mind-boggling array of unethical behavior almost always based on false premises or false promises? Are many of these people not in a position of leadership? How many people do you know that are not authentic, not “the real deal” or not what they pretend to be? How many of them can or have forged ahead on these not so real foundations? How many have we elected or appointed to top level leadership positions? Do we not live in a world of insincerity where it is easier to lie, cheat, mislead, deceive or otherwise be insincere all in the name of fame and fortune? The odds are that you answered most, if not all, of these rhetorical questions in the affirmative and have therefore, underscored the need to address them.
My handy Webster’s New World Dictionary defines Genuine with the phrase “really being what it is said to be…not counterfeit or artificial; real; true; authentic…sincere and frank; honest and forthright.” Wow. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could surround ourselves with those types of people that exhibit those kinds of characteristics? Would it not be equally wonderful to have a slate of candidates, a boardroom full of corporate leaders and a society of non- profit directors that all had these traits? Just imagine; no hidden agendas, no double meanings, no second guessing, and no wondering what the person actually meant. I continually strive to maintain those qualities in my personal and professional lives and to instill them in all my classes for all the students that I have the pleasure of working with. I know that they are the next generation of leaders and they will be challenged to hone these skills. Again, in the classes dealing with communication, both verbal and written, I have worked hard to have them perceived as Genuine so that the reader and audience will respond in an equally genuine manner. When the leader is seen as genuine the followers will respond in kind.
Back to Webster’s for the definition of Authentic to find the most curious entry. Here we find authentic as describing something “that can be believed or accepted; trustworthy; reliable [an authentic news report].” I think that it goes without saying that the leader needs to be believed and accepted. Let’s forget the fact that the editors of this fine dictionary may have used an oxymoron (authentic news report) to define the term, and continue with the definition; “authentic implies reliability and trustworthiness…” Again, these traits are stressed in all of the classes that I am fortunate to be conducting and serve as a basic foundation for great leadership. Students, as they pursue their careers are going to be confronted with people and situations that are not reliable or trustworthy. It is from this world of falseness that the new breed of leaders will emerge. From false and misleading advertising, promise breaking people in positions of authority, and people and products that cannot be trusted, we will all need to confront and overcome these traits and exhibit the higher and stronger trait of being Authentic. Great leaders know this and will simply sprint ahead because they are authentic.
Finally, we have arrived at Sincere, which Mr. Webster’s editors have defined as being; “without deceit, pretense or hypocrisy; truthful; straightforward; honest….an adherence to the simple, unembellished truth.” We are once again faced with a Jeffersonian type of self-evident truth: People that are seen as Sincere, and who are truly sincere, will go far in life and do better than their insincere contemporaries who will sacrifice long term success and happiness for short term financial or social gain. Great leaders will always be sincere because they have been trained to know that the short term insincerity will eventually implode. People crave approval but only if it is sincere; they want appreciation but only if it is sincere; they need to be respected but only if it is sincere; people need to be loved but only if that love is sincere. People will follow a great leader but only if that leader is sincere. There are many keys to a successful life and an equal number for happiness. I think that there are none more important than to be GENUINE, AUTHENTIC, and SINCERE. The keys to great leadership are no different.
The bold decisive leader of tomorrow will once again spring from the starting blocks with precision and grace because he or she does not need to worry about the genuineness of their decision, the authenticity of their decision making process or the sincerity of their motives. Even with the high price of gas great leaders are G.A.S. guzzlers.
The national campaigns and elections, especially the presidential election, of 2008 brought these vital traits to the forefront. From the primaries to the national party conventions, to the televised debates to the election itself, the American public was bombarded with a steady dose of campaign slogans, speeches and promises that tested the limits of genuineness, authenticity and sincerity. Most of the candidates, in my view, stayed true to the old fashioned, conventional partisan politics and, consequently, the sincerity of their message can be called into question. However, there was one interesting and different voice that was added to the national debate. It is safe to say that this voice was different than the establishment’s norm, went against the accepted conventional wisdom, and yet, was perceived as being quite sincere and genuine. Predictably, this voice was ridiculed, vilified, mocked and attacked by the mainstream political system, news media and entertainment world. She was different, and different is dangerous to the status quo establishment. She was down to earth and honest, spoke in a simple and straightforward manner, and used common sense. She was a new breed of leader and she was a threat to the old style marathoner.
The first paragraph of this manual indicated that there would be an onslaught of criticism aimed at those who, with the courage of their convictions, went against the conventional wisdom, were in the minority and were politically incorrect. The candidacy of Governor Sarah Palin was evidence enough that the old style brand of status quo leadership has a difficult time seeing something new as anything but a threat. The new breed of leaders, much like Sarah Palin, needs to be prepared to pay a price for sprinting ahead with a Genuine, Authentic and Sincere approach. They need to know that Common Sense may get lost in a marathon of empty rhetoric and that they will be denounced for being different. Undaunted, the new breed of leader will continue to sprint ahead and be a G.A.S. guzzler all the way to the finish.
posted by Mark Willand | 11:44 AM
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