Using Your Knowledge to Build Your Team

I read an interesting Bible verse this morning in 1Corinthians 8:1. It states in part, “Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up.” That seems to me directly related to character-based leadership. If we have all the knowledge in the universe relating to leadership and our specific individual disciplines and do not use it to build and grow others, but instead use it in the service to one’s self interest only, it is in vain and will produce little to no fruit.


Can we truthfully say that we use our knowledge and wisdom in a serving and giving manner that tends to build and grow our team members, or do we use our knowledge and expertise to promote our own selfish interest? Which philosophy of leadership would the members of your team attribute to your leadership?


In his book, The Soul of the Firm, the former chairman of The ServiceMaster Company C. William Pollard, supports the idea that “Leadership…has a responsibility to the ethical, professional, and personal development of every individual in the organization. This can be accomplished only through the belief that all of us are created in the image and likeness of God, and a philosophy of understanding based on respect for the dignity and worth of every individual.” For more information about William Pollard and information about his servant leadership philosophy, click here.

The ‘give” philosophy leads to a legacy of excellent servant leadership and the “get” philosophy leads to a reputation of being an “it’s all about me” selfish leader. Remember leadership finds its foundation in the character of the leader.

Gold nugget takeaways:

• Use your knowledge and expertise to build up your team and not just your own self interest and promotion.


• Lead with a “giving” heart and not a “getting” heart.


• Treat everyone on your team with dignity and value because they are made in the image and likeness of God.


• Develop a virtuous character and your leadership will be virtuous.


• Leadership is from the inside out.


• A bad tree cannot produce good fruit.

Building Media Relationships Before the Crisis

Years ago a veteran first sergeant taught me a few valuable lessons about developing cordial relationships with the media. Hopefully, you will find them useful today as you provide leadership in your organization. These lessons are valuable and pertinent to anyone of any rank who has or might have contact with the media. This first sergeant taught his young troopers to develop good relationships with the media before the crisis hits. We made it a priority to know our local media representatives. Most of them we knew on a first name basis.

When an event of newsworthiness occurred, we were trained to contact the media rather than waiting for them to call us. If we investigated a fatal collision or some similar newsworthy event, we called the local media and gave them the information as soon as possible after things settled down a bit. We did not wait for them to call us. This was certainly beyond our expected obligations. We had no obligation to the media to do this. Is this something that perhaps you should consider doing?

Why did our first sergeant train us to carry out our jobs this way? Well, the answer is that common sense should tell us that we need to maintain favorable relations with those who buy ink by the barrel. Why? It is a fact that given the right circumstances the media can hurt and embarrass your organization, and they can destroy you, your career, or that of your fellow officers. I am not saying that with the most cordial relations possible with the media, this will not still happen. It very well could. What my first sergeant was teaching us was that it is a reality that everybody and every organization will over time screw up. It is a given. When the time comes, and it will, when you are in such a predicament, you want the relationship with the media to be one that makes it possible for you to go to them in a humble and contrite manner, with your hat in your hand and say, “Guys, we have messed up and made some terrible mistakes. We understand that you must report this, but we just ask you to be as accommodating as you possible can be as we work to right or correct the errors we have made.”

Will this always work? No. But it just might help some. In a bad and embarrassing situation that little bit of help might be just enough to avoid a lot of embarrassment and heartache for you, your fellow officers and your organization. It might just save your job! What I believe will not work is to have a combative and strained relationship with the media. If you foster this adversarial relationship with the media you can rest assured they will go after the jugular when the opportunity arises.

An example of a leader demonstrating humility, courage, and accepting responsibility after making a huge mistake is that of the Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack during a televised news conference in the Sharon Sherrod debacle. If you have not seen it, go to the USDA home page for his comments, http://www.usda.gov/wps/portal/usda/usdahome After hearing Secretary Vilsack’s comments, ask yourself if you or the head of your organization have the humility and courage to step up to the plate with your hat in your hand and say “Hey I messed up, it is my fault, and I will correct this wrong, and I promise to not let it happen again. It is what leaders of character do!

Points of remember:
• Build cordial relations with the media before the crisis hits.
• Be humble and straight forward when you are in the wrong.
• Tell the truth.
• Promise to make right the wrongs that were committed.
• Do not make enemies with those who buy the ink by the barrel.

Principled Leadership Requires Humility - What Does The Person In The Mirror Reflect?

Humility is a required virtue of principled leaders. The English word humility is derived from the Latin word humus and humilis, which means earth or soil. It is a state of understanding and accepting the authentic, although limited, position, power, and authority of man when seen in the broad context of universal principles. It is these exact and immutable universal principles that have been around from time immemorial that actually control human affairs. Only when the leader sees himself in his true smallness and imperfect condition can he be humble enough to lead others in great endeavors.

Sun Tzu tells us that to know one’s self is an important part of becoming an invincible and effective leader. Humility requires brutal honesty about the true character whose image is being reflected in the mirror. If, as a leader you see a superman or kingly emperor staring back at you, it is time to get rid of that lying mirror. It is doubtful that those who truly know you and work with you daily see that same image of a superman or king. The mirror is only lying to you. Brutal honesty about whom and what you are leads to humbleness, which is the foundation for principled leadership.

To be the effective principled leader, humility is not an option but an unforgiving mandate. C. S. Lewis admonishes us to take off the “silly, ugly, fancy-dress” we have gotten ourselves into, and stop strutting about like idiots. Strutting around in that false self with all the, “Look at me, and aren’t I a good boy…posing and posturing.” If that is you, you are not fooling anyone, only that image in the mirror. The adage that you can fool some of the people some of the time, but you cannot fool all the people all the time rings true. We may have the title, rank, the corner office, and all the other benefits of high position, but in actuality, we are not as important and powerful as our vanity would have us believe. Only when we are humble enough to admit this to ourselves and conduct ourselves according to the awareness of our true station in the universe are we able to lead principally.

Andre’ Comte-Sponville tells us, “Humility is the virtue of the man who knows he is not God.” The influential philosopher Immanuel Kant wrote that true humility is being conscious of our moral insignificance when compared to the natural laws. The lesson for the leader is to understand that natural laws or universal principles, that are as old as the universe itself, control the effectiveness of our decisions and our relationships. It is vitally important for leaders to understand that we are not the center of the universe where everything rotates around us. Understanding this important truth will negate the egotistical I-centered view of leadership practiced by those who think they are all things to all people. Understanding this fact is humbling to all who grasp its reality and significance. It is a first step to becoming a significant leader of principle.

Some people have a difficult time thinking about leadership and humility simultaneously. It is like “pickles and ice cream,” some things are paradoxical and do not seem to go together naturally. This can be seen in the on-going battle between vanity and humility in our organizations today. In today’s knowledge based and ever-changing global economy, leaders who understand and model humility are the ones who will gain a moral advantage over their competitors. William Steere of Pfizer Corporation believes that arrogance, the lack of humility, keeps companies from being agile and flexible. These companies and their leaders fail to see and react quickly. They miss opportunities to work as a team by choosing to go it all themselves. Humility is required for leaders to step down from the mighty throne and mingle among the masses. It is here, in the field and on the factory floors, where the effective solution to strategic problems can be best solved and future problems avoided.

The wise leader understands that he is subject to the cause and effect consequences of adhering to or in disregarding of universal principles. According to Jim Collins in his thoroughly researched book, Good to Great, highly effective Level Five leaders display humility and modesty. Leaders who failed to exhibit humility, but rather projected vanity and super-egos, contributed to the demise of their organization, or at a minimum, the continued mediocrity of their organization. Organizations and its leaders are humbled when they wisely understand that they are just a small part of a holistic system that is controlled by universal principles. Only when leaders are humble can they begin the journey of principled leadership.

Humility, being the great virtue it is, can strengthen, empower, and imbue the leader with the moral authority necessary to lead their organizations more effectively. Leading by moral authority, rather than positional authority, is the most effective way for twenty-first century leaders to ensure their organizations will be successful, and they as leaders, are significant. To lead with moral authority, those whom we lead must see our basic goodness more than our perceived greatness. This goodness is exhibited through our sincere and authentic concern for others. To lead by moral authority the leader must lead principally and it begins with humility.

Humility is a noble virtue found in the universal principles and in the laws of nature. Leaders never stand as tall as when they are humble enough to be honest and authentic in the service of a great cause. “Honesty and humility are sisters; ‘Pitiless, lucid honesty, and honesty without illusions, is for those who are honest, a continual lesson in modesty; and, conversely, modesty, for the modest, is an aid to honest self-regard.’”

Everyone should take the mirror test from time to time, the superman and the king prince, as well as leaders who are immodest enough to think they are truly principled leaders. Principled leadership demands constant vigilance of our character, and it starts with humility.


1 E Gerald Michaelson, The Art of War for Managers: Fifty Strategic Rules (Avon Massachusetts: Adams Media Corporation, 2001).

2 C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity (New York, Simon & Schuster, Inc. 1952), p. 99.

3 Andre Comet-Sponville, A small Treatise on the Great Virtues: The Uses of Philosophy in Everyday Life (New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1996), p. 141.

4 Immanuel Kant, Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals, (H. J. Patton, Trans.), (New York: Harper & Row Publishers, 1964).

5 Lorin Woolfe, The Bible on Leadership: From Moses to Matthew - Management Lessons for Contemporary Leaders (New York: American Management Association, 2002), p. 70.

6 Ibid., p. 82.

7 Jim Collins, Good to Great: Why some companies make the leap…and others don’t (New York: HarperCollins Publishers Inc., (2001).

8 Andre Comet-Sponville, A small Treatise on the Great Virtues: The Uses of Philosophy in Everyday Life. (New York: Henry Holt and Company, 1996), p. 146.

• An example of loyalty is Mr. Clarence Austin who worked for Hanford Brick Company for 45 years starting in 1958. He has an old company uniform with his name on it and he wants to be buried in it. Burlington Times article July 6, 2003.

• Cowboy loyalty: A cowboy rode for the brand he worked for. He was willing to fight and die for the brand.

• We are all on a earthly journey or mission. It begins at the cradle and ends in the casket – it’s call life. At the casket our mission ceases but if it was successful, the our legacy continues time immemorial.
Jon Fleetwood

Leadership: The Most Important of All Disciplines That Must Be Mastered

Leadership: The Most Important of All Disciplines That Must Be Mastered

The ancient philosophers and historians, from whom much of Western Civilization thought is based, believed that of the four cardinal virtues, prudence, temperance, justice, and fortitude, fortitude is the cardinal or pivotal virtue. Fortitude or courage as it is often referred by, is the cardinal virtue because all other virtues depend on it to be effective. If fortitude is the cardinal virtue, then it can be stated emphatically that leadership is the cardinal discipline since all other disciplines depend upon it for effectiveness. No organization or individual leader can be effective and successful if they have not mastered the discipline of leadership. Regardless of how well the other disciplines are executed the leader will be no more successful than the degree to which leadership skills and abilities have been developed.

The adage that knowledge is power still rings true today but is not a complete definition anymore. Before the knowledge and information age was born, this statement could be accepted as a truth in and of itself. Before the advent of the computer chip, fiber optics, and satellite communication, the few who monopolizes the knowledge horded the power. Usually these were the few who held the high positions in our organizations. Information and knowledge moved and transferred throughout the organization and from one individual to another at a much slower pace than it does today. Today, in what Thomas Freidman refers to as a flat world, information and knowledge is available to almost anyone at anytime. No one can monopolize it or horde the power that it manifests anymore. Information is not a rare commodity it use to be.

The time between creative ideas and execution has been shortened. It is fair then to state that power has been redefined as the rapid and effective execution of knowledge and information. Just possessing knowledge, as more people have access to today, has less power than anytime in the history of world. How quickly leaders put the available knowledge to work to affect the mission and purpose of their organization is where the real power is manifested in the flat world where we find ourselves living today.

Leaders no longer have the luxury of father time when faced with decision making. The playing field has been leveled between countries, organizations and individuals. Technology has flattened the hierarchy of every organization and has heightened, almost overnight, the importance of the decipline of leadership at all levels of an organization. More than ever before in the history of mankind has leadership been so critical to the success of organizations around the world.

The metaphor of a wagon wheel with its outer rim, spokes, and hub illustrates this knowledge and information world we woke up in a few years ago. The rim of the wheel represents the flat world in which we live. The spokes represent the conduits of information and knowledge and the hub represents the leaders of organizations. Before the flattening of the world the wheel looked quite different than it does today. There were considerable fewer spokes or conduits of information channeling toward the leader. Today that wheel is overcrowded with conduits flooding the leader with knowledge and information. This overflow of data demands a restructuring of organizations because leaders at the top of the organization no longer are able to command and control every facet of the organization. It is impossible, impractical, and if it is attempted, then organization implosion will result.

The flattening of our world has forced organizations to restructure to a flatter, more efficient and empowering entity. Where there use to be a few top leaders and a lot of followers beneath them, there is now an organization filled with leaders of all stripes and colors at every level. When a single leader, or a small group of leaders, at the top of the pyramid cannot possible make every organizational decision, it goes without saying, the decisions must still be made by someone. Empowerment has become a strategic necessity rather than an option for organizations. Those who a few years back could only follow commands and directives from the top are now finding themselves empowered and in roles of leadership. They are making both tactical and strategic decisions everyday that only a few years ago would and could only be made by the top echelon of the organization.

If all of what has been stated here is true, and what we now find in our organizations are leaders leading leaders rather than leaders leading followers, no one can argue or doubt the exponential growth and importance of teaching, learning, developing, and mastering the discipline of leadership throughout all levels of the organization. The decision that a private infantry soldier is expected to make in Iraq today, that could only be made by a command officer a few years ago, can have serious repercussions all the way to the White House today. It is of paramount importance then, that foot soldier understands and practices effectively the discipline of leadership. It is no different in our non-military organizations, except perhaps the issues we face in our daily work are not usually life and death issues faced by our military men and women. Leaders in our organization must understand the discipline of leadership and think, act, and lead strategically.

Leadership is the discipline that makes all other disciplines possible. The importance of leadership is greater today than ever before in our history because there are no more followers – we are all leaders. If today’s organizations are not developing and preparing its leaders seriously, there will be a hefty price to pay in the near future. Poor leadership in the round world was more forgiving than it is in the flat world. Poor leadership in today’s knowledge and information based world will leave organizations in the ash bin of failure. Everyone is a leader today. No one can choose whether they want to be a leader or a follower. Organizations that understand that there are no followers anymore, only leaders, will be the organizations that reap the benefits and rewards of the flat world we find ourselves in today. Those that do not grasp this vital insight, well, they will exist no longer, or if they do, will be inconsequential in the knowledge and information world.


C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity (New York: Scribner, 1943).
Thomas Friedman, The World Is Flat: A Brief History Of The Twenty-First Century (New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2005).

My Definition of Leadership

Leadership is the process of influencing and empowering people, individually and collectively, to maximize the unique talents and gifts of their mind, body, heart and spirit, to achieve the goals and objectives of the organization and the individual. Jon Fleetwood