Leadership, Ethics, and Values

The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves; wiser people are full of doubts.
—Bertrand Russell

Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test a mans character, give him power.
— Abraham Lincoln, 16th American president

In looking for people to hire, look for three qualities: integrity, intelligence and energy. And if they don’t have the first, the other two will kill you.
— Warren Buffet, American financier

“It may easily come to pass that a vain man may become proud and imagine himself pleasing to all when he is in reality a universal nuisance”
— Baruch Spinoza, Dutch Philosopher

Seek always to do some good, somewhere. Every man has to seek in his own way to realize his true worth. You must give some time to your fellow man. For remember, you don’t live in a world all your own. Your brothers are here too.
— Albert Schweitzer, Alsatian German-French theologian, organist, philosopher, and physician.

Justice, Fairness, Truth

Where is all this going? The beliefs expressed above are an excellent guide to good management behavior. Why? Because the underlying meaning to true power is the art of persuasion.

How does one go about persuading people to act in accordance with management goals and their own personal goals? The answer lies with some basic ethical elements of human behavior which will align them with your own strivings. It comes down to that old saying “Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.”

All of the above quotes have something to do with the following:

Fairness
Honesty
Understanding
Participation
Trust

I have often wondered where we get these traits from, or more precisely, HOW we get them. I do not believe it is heredity as much as teachings. Yet the astounding fact is that we do not seem to get them just by following the good people who practice them. When I was younger, Albert Schweitzer* became one of my heroes and still is. But there were plenty of examples in the world of people who were always takers, never givers. People for whom prejudice and hatred was a part of their daily existence. People who never forgot a grudge. These people I also learned from.

They taught me the path I did not want to choose. They were self-involved, close-minded to others’ problems, almost childish in their constant preoccupation with themselves.

I would love to know where and how others learned to put personal gain and aggrandizement aside and to help others succeed.

*If you would like to read more on Albert Schweitzer, medical missionary, philosopher, pastor, and Nobel Peace Prize winner who gave so much to the world, you can read more about this remarkable man here:
Albert Schweitzer, biography

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