BLUE LIGHT LEADERSHIP

THE FLEETWOOD GROUP IS DEDICATED TO DEVELOPING THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY POLICE LEADER AND OTHER PUBLIC SECTOR SERVANTS. WE BELIEVE THAT LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT IS AN INSIDE-OUT PROCESS. ONLY WITH CONSTANT AND CONTINUOUS CHARACTER GROWTH CAN WE DEVELOP INTO PRINCIPLED LEADERS. WE CANNOT BE IMMORAL INDIVIDUALS AND MORAL SERVANT LEADERS. THIS BLOG WILL EMPHASIZE THE MORALLY PRINCIPLED DIMENSION OF CHARACTER AND LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT. A TREE WILL ALWAYS BE KNOWN BY THE FRUITS IT BEARS.

“It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat.” Teddy Roosevelt

Friday, December 3, 2010

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."

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Great Leadership Quotes

Character is like a tree and reputation like its shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing. Abraham Lincoln
Rules cannot substitute for character. Alan Greenspan
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. Warren Buffett
Courage is the first of the human qualities because it is a quality which guarantees all the others. Winston Churchill
The challenges we face today are not economic, environmental, social, or legal; they are challenges of character and leadership. Phil Eastman
If you create an act, you create a habit. If you create a habit, you create character. If you create character, you create a destiny.
The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done, and self-restraint to keep from meddling with them while they do it.
The best executive is the one who has sense enough to pick good men to do what he wants done, and self-restraint to keep from meddling with them while they do it. Teddy Roosevelt
Character is like a tree and reputation like its shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing. Abraham Lincoln

Arete"

Arete' is a Greek word which means excellence. Excellence in both competence and character. It defines the commitment of the ancient warrior to strive for the achievement of his highest purpose. It implies a respect of the wholeness and oneness of life.

Phronesis is a Greek word which means "practical wisdom." It is the wisdom of knowing what to do while understanding if it is worth doing. It can also mean knowing the right thing to do while understanding if it is congruent with doing what is right.

Friday, December 3, 2010

Character verses Rules

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