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

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