Personal Development
Where true leadership begins…
A couple of weeks ago I attended an excellent debate in central
London entitled ‘It’s the journalists not the
politicians who have fouled our political culture’.
The chair was broadcaster, Martyn Lewis and the panel of six
made up of leading journalists and politicians, three for
the motion and three against. All got about ten minutes to
state their case and it was then thrown out to the audience,
of about seven hundred people, for comments and questions
before everyone voted.
On the way in we were asked whether we were for or against
the motion and the numbers were
For the motion 215
Against the motion 244
Don’t know 237
One the things that came up was that public surveys had put
both politicians and journalists at the very top of people’s
least trusted professions. I doubt whether most people would
consider journalists as their leaders, nor politicians for
that matter, but both hold positions where they can and do,
in different ways, exert considerable influence.
Perhaps, one of the reasons they are so mistrusted is because
there is often seen to be a discrepancy between what they
say and what they do.
True leadership begins with the self and developing six important
qualities
Consistency
This means being consistent in thoughts and actions. Leaders
do what they say they are going to do. They follow through
because they know that consistency brings success.
Commitment
Once they have chosen their path leaders are committed to
follow it. When the going gets tough they stay the course.
They can handle the emotional pressure.
Courage
Fortune favours the brave. Leaders sometimes have to make
tough decisions but they face them head on and move on anyway.
They continue when others have quit.
Congruency
Leaders are truly aligned. They have values, beliefs, goals,
thoughts and behaviours that work together. They have a strong
and powerful sense of self and walk their talk.
Confidence
Confidence is something that builds through the other qualities.
Being congruent, consistent, committed, and having courage
all promote confidence. Leaders have the confidence to try,
and to win.
Caring
True leaders care about others and are not just focused on
self gain. They can see the big picture and always strive
for the greater good. Success for them is not about trampling
over others to get personal rewards.
And back to the debate…
A good point was made by an audience member involved in statistics.
He said that when public surveys were more detailed it was
only certain sections of the media that attracted such mistrust
and individual politicians rated much higher for trust within
their own constituencies. But none the less you may be interested
in the final vote
For the motion 239
Against the motion 407
Don’t know 89
Anyone for politics?
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