Post 2: Leadership Quotes of President George W. Bush from his 2010 Memoir:



President Bush

 This is second posting of leadership quotes I lifted from Decision Points.  I hope you will read the first posting too, if you haven't already.  It can be retrieved from the blog archive which is to the right of posting area.  The leadership trait that corresponds to the quote is included at the end of the quote along with the page number.  Have a great and safe week and remember:

"Character based leadership is from the inside-out."

“I had told Tony (Blair) that I admired Churchill’s courage, principle, and sense of humor-all of which I thought were necessary for leadership.” P.108


“Everyone was on time. That was what I expected. Timeliness is important to make sure an organization does not get sloppy.” P. 109 Punctual and disciplined


“I learn best by asking questions.” P. 109 Inquisitive


“I had constantly questioned my assumptions and weighed the options again and again. With the decision made, I felt a sense of calm.” P.119 Thoroughness


The measure of their (former presidents) character, and often their success, was how they responded (public opinion). Those who based decisions on principle, not some snapshot of public opinion, were often vindicated over time.” P.121 Integrity


“I found solace in reading the Bible, which Abraham Lincoln called “the best gift God has given to man.” P. 140 Faith and Prioritizing


“We started the Cabinet meeting with prayer.” P.145 Faith and Prioritizing


…the wall. Over time, the government had adopted a set of procedures that prevented law enforcement and intelligence personnel from sharing key information.” P.160 Communication and Openness


“Yet the man from Missouri (Truman) knew how to make a decision and stick by it. He did what he thought was right and didn’t care much what the critics said.” P.174 Decisiveness and Integrity


“The atmosphere (at Camp David) fosters reflection and clear thinking.” P.184 Reflection and relaxation


“Pray as if it all depends upon God, for it does. But work as if it all depends upon us, for it does.” P. 190 Faith and work ethic (Here, Bush is quoting a passage from St. Ignatius of Loyola)


“I did not try to manage the logistics or the tactical decisions. My instinct was to trust the judgment of the military leadership. They were the trained professionals; I was a new commander in chief.” P.195 Delegating and Trust


“I placed a high priority on personal diplomacy. Getting to know a fellow world leader’s personality, character, and concerns made it easier to find common ground and deal with contentious issues.” P. 195 Relationships


“If you would win a man to your cause,” Lincoln once said, “first convince him that you’re his friend.” P. 195 Relationships


“I offered advice and made request, but I was careful not to give him (Karzai of Afghanistan) orders. The best way to help him grow as a leader was to treat him like one.” P. 208 Personnel Development and Relationships

Esse Quam Videri!

Carpe Diem
Arete'

Post 1 on Leadership Quotes of President George W. Bush from his 2010 Memoir: Decision Points

I just completed the reading of Decision Points written by former president George W. Bush. I highly recommend it to you or any aspiring leader. Irrespective of your politics, this book is full of leadership lessons particularly about the process of making tough decisions and desirable leadership traits. I would like to use the next few blog postings to list a few of the leadership nuggets of gold I unearthed as I plowed through the book. After each one I will list the page number and the leadership trait that is most prominent.

These postings are not intended to promote partisan politics or one politician over others. It is about learning to be better leaders. Generally speaking we can learn something of value from anyone we meet, whether it is in person or in a book, if we look deep beneath the surface and put aside our individual biases. So take the high road here, look beyond the politics and contemplate on the lessons of leadership that are contained in the quotes. We can disagree on whether any politician models certain leadership traits or not, but it is difficult to argue the importance of the trait itself.

Leadership!

“Of course, in the presidency, there are no do-overs. You have to do what you believe is right and accept the consequences.” P.xii. Decisive and accountable


“When you know you have unconditional love, there is no point in rebellion and no need to fear failure.” P.8. Love and Relationships


“I’ve never been afraid to make a decision….” P.27. Decisive


“Proximity to power in empowerment.” P.43. Empowering


“When people did not perform, we made changes.” P.47. Accountable


“Karen was my kind of person-one who put family first.” P.54. Prioritizing


“…I learned the importance of properly structuring and staffing an organization. The people you choose to surround you determine the quality of advice you receive and the way your goals are implemented.” P. 65-66. Communicator


“For major appointments, I interviewed candidates face to face. I used my time to gauge character and personality. I was looking for integrity, competence, selflessness, and an ability to handle pressure. I always liked people with a sense of humor, a sign of humor, a sign of modesty and self-awareness.” P.66. Integrity


“As was my habit, I got up around 5:00 a.m. After two cups of coffee, I was anxious to get moving.” P.70. Initiative and Work Ethic


“Win or lose, we would finish this race as a team.” p. 72. Team Player


“I told him that in Texas, it meant something when a person gave you his word.” P.78. Honesty and Integrity


“I wanted a structure that was tight enough to ensure an orderly flow of information but flexible enough that I could receive advice from a variety of sources. It was important that advisers felt free to express concerns to me directly, without passing through a filter.” P. 82. Communicator


“Most important, I trusted Dick. I valued his steadiness. I enjoyed being around him. And he had become a good friend.” P. 87. Integrity and Trustworthiness


“The decision came down to Harriet and Pricilla Own. I decided to go with Harriet. I knew her better. P.101. Relationships

LeaderUp!  Have a great and safe week and remember,

 "Leadership is from the inside out!"

Esse Quam Videri!
Carpe Diem

Arete'

Clean the Inside of the Cup First: Leadership is an Inside-Out Process

I have often written about leadership being an inside out process. The premise being that we cannot be effective leaders without having a strong ethical and moral foundation. A leader has to be an ethical individual if he is to lead ethically. A leader has to be a moral individual if he is to lead morally. The Laws of Nature prohibit any other way. Leaders must have congruency between their heart and their hand. If there is incongruence the real character of the person will sooner, rather than later, rise to top for all to see. The fruits of the heart, whether they are good fruits or bad fruits, will be seen and known by all in due time.


As Stephen Covey tells us in The Speed of Trust the real meaning of integrity is when there is no gap between intent and behavior, or has I stated above, between heart and hand. Leaders who have this “sameness” or congruency walk their talk. There is no duplicity or hypocrisy. Their leadership behaviors are founded upon their true values and principles from which is no variation or deviation.


Leadership development must therefore be an inside out process as well. It is the duty of organizations to help their leaders clarify personal and organizational values and beliefs. It is the foundation for developing organizational leaders of the future. Teaching rules, regulations, policy and procedure will get you only so far. Rules cannot replace character. In developing our organizational leaders we should help them to clarify, within their own minds and hearts, three things:


• What do they truly believe?
• What are they willing to do about the things they believe?
• How are they going to lead based upon those beliefs?


Again, leadership and leadership development is an inside out process. I recently read a couple of Bible verses from the book of Matthew that seem to make this point very well. See what you think!


Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.
Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.

Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also.

Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchers, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness.
Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity. Matthew 23: 24-28 (KJV)


I might as well just throw in the following to reinforce the point that we cannot live or lead a lie!
For every tree is known by his own fruit. For of thorns men do not gather figs, nor of a bramble bush gather they grapes. Luke 6:44 (KJV)


I will close here as the greatest Leader of all has spoken, and who am I to add or subtract from it?


Esse Quam Videri!

Carpe Diem

Arete'

Character verses Rules

I have always held that an organization cannot rule, policy or procedure its way into an ethical entity.  Unethical people cannot lead ethically, ever;  regardless of the strength or multitude of rules in place. The only way to become ethical for the long haul is from the inside out.  Leaders of character must be people of high moral character. 

You should not expect to bring a competent but unethical person into your organization and hope to make him moral.  But, you can and should hire morally good people and then proceed to train them in job competencies. 

Always hire for character, train and develop for competence.

Alan Greenspan, the former head of the U.S. Federal Reserve, said it well.

"Rules cannot substitute for character." 

Great Quote by Warren Buffett, CEO Berkshire Hathaway

Warren Buffett

"I look for three things in hiring people.  The first is personal integrity, the second is intelligence, and the third is a high energy level.  But, if you don't have the first, the other two will kill you."