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The Fall Of A Leader, my friend and mentor Michael Dlouhy (author of “Success in 10 steps” and founder of “Mentoring for Free”) shared this article about being a leader with me today.
I share it with you – uncommented and unedited.
When a great leader falls because of a lack of integrity, it is very painful for all involved. Tearing another person down to build yourself up, only leads to a false impression of yourself.
When someone is tearing others down in front of You this is a guarantee they will do the same to You behind Your back. Ultimately you will crash and burn from your lack of character.
The question is:
Would You Want This Person As Your Sponsor ?
Life can give us challenges in many areas of our life. How we handle those challenges ourselves and who helps us, can determine our success or failure. Loyalty to do the right thing enters into all decisions. Friendships built on loyalty and trust are like support beams for a foundation.
A foundation is the beginning. This applies to your marriage, your friendships, your home and your business. If you build them correctly, they will sustain you your lifetime. If you
build carelessly everything will crumble around you.
Leaders are built. Day by day, Lesson by lesson. When a leader chooses to fall, they sacrifice their integrity, their honor and their character.
If after knowing the facts and fully utilizing their “critical thinking skills” when someone decides to leave Your Team please wish them all the best.
Excerpt from “Launching a Leadership Revolution” Foundational Leadership Quality: Honorable
Integrity can be considered as the condition of “not doing what’s wrong.” Character can be defined as doing the right things, for the mere reason that it is the right thing, even if
that thing is difficult and unpopular.
The two sewn together make honor. Author Jeff O’Leary, in The Centurion Principles, writes, ” ‘Honor’ encompasses the virtues of integrity and honesty, self-denial, loyalty, and a servant’s humility to those in authority above as well as a just and merciful heart to those below.”
Honor is such a rarely used word in our times that it seems a little old-fashioned. But living a life of integrity and character is timeless and, for a leader, absolutely necessary. It’s about choices, and a person’s choices in life follow him to the grave.
Is this to say that a person needs to be perfect to become a leader? Of course not. Perfection in this life is not possible, and we, the authors, are certainly not exceptions. However,
a leader must strive continually toward perfection even though she knows she can never exactly attain it.
It is a question of the heart. The most effective leaders through out history have led with their hearts, in trust, and with honor. If a leader cuts corners, misuses people, or misrepresents, the truth, a time bomb begins ticking. Someday, somewhere, the bomb will go off. It is obvious in our times only too often: public figures at the pinnacles of power and fame crash and burn in the cloud of self-inflicted shame. From political scandals to high-profile corporate frauds, these calamities are brought on by a lack of honor in the leadership.
“Human happiness and moral duty are inseparably connected.”
The difference between leaders we revile and those we praise is their individual level of honor. In fact, honor is the force that holds a leader’s hunger in check.
Without honor, hunger runs rampant and ultimately serves only selfish interests. Honor is the component that makes hunger productive for the leader’s fellow man. In fact, what
we are basically describing here is another “old-fashioned” word: duty.
George Washington said of duty, “Human happiness and moral duty are inseparably connected.” So leadership is spawned by hunger and held in check by honor.
Under that combination, leaders will find happiness in the fulfillment of their duty to others. It has been said that the character of a man is the only thing that will walk back from the grave into the hearts of the people who knew him.
That is the legacy of a leader. The words a leader say and the walk a leader walks must match. As the saying goes, “Your word is your worth and your worth is your word.”
Andy Stanley, author of The Next Generation Leader, says, “To become a leader worth following you must give time and attention to the inner man.
To leave a legacy that goes beyond accomplishment alone, a leader must devote himself to matters of the heart.” Character is developed in the valleys and the peaks of life, enabling a person to overcome obstacles and deal with success.
Abraham Lincoln observed, “Nearly all men can handle adversity, but if you really want to test a man’s character – give him power.” Character connects a person to what is right and true.
If reputation is what others think of you, then character is what God knows about you. This concept of honor is so important to a leader because people will follow a leader only as far as they feel they can trust him.
People will not follow a leader they can’t trust. According to R. Ruth Barton, “We set young leaders up for a fall if we encourage them to envision what they can do before they consider the kind of person they should be.
” Warren Bennis tells us, “In the leadership arena, character counts. I am not saying this casually, of studies, observations, and interviews with leaders and with the people near them…. I’ve never seen a person derailed from [leadership] positions for lack of technical competence.
But I’ve seen lots of people derailed for lack of judgment and character.” And, as Heraclitus said, “Man’s character is his fate.” Finally, it should be remembered that a major component of honor is personal courage.
Without the courage to do what’s right because it’s right, regardless of ramifications to self, one is not truly worthy to be called a leader.
When people don’t “Believe” they deserve Success they will self destruct every time…. This is the reason we tell everyone we meet to “Participate” in the 30 Day Mental Cleanse if You want to own Your life.
Thank you Michael for sharing these thoughts and insights with us. I appreciate the hard work Linda and you are dedicating to us.
What are your thoughts about being and staying a leader ?
I always love your feedback, so please leave me a comment down below with questions, thoughts, or feedback. And (yes, here’s my call to action) please share this post with your Twitter and Facebook friends by clicking on the share buttons below.
I appreciate you telling others.
To a prosperous life,
Oliver Tausend
+49 1512 9125216 (Germany/outside US)
+1 201 984 5664 (US)
Skype ID: guernsey2016
wordpress@olivertausend.com
Read Michael Dlouhy’s free MLM ebook “Success in 10 steps”
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I like this…
“Andy Stanley, author of The Next Generation Leader, says, “To become a leader worth following you must give time and attention to the inner man.”
Going within and listening to your heart is the key to successful living. It’s all the more important for a leader to do so since they encounter more potentially character-testing situations than a follower.
An awesome read Oliver, thanks for sharing.
Ryan
Ryan recently posted..Everything Comes Out Of Nothing
[Reply]
Oliver Reply:
June 28th, 2010 at 20:41
Hi Ryan,
that’s exactly why we’re doing the Mental Cleanse: In order to be able to listen to your heart, you must first remove the clutter in your mind and stop the chatter ! Thanks for your comment and come back soon.
Take care
Oliver
[Reply]
I agree, liste to inner voice is one of the essential skills that we should develop. If we act by listening inner voice we can do amazing things.
Great post.
Jiri Majkus
Internet Marketing Coach and Author
Jiri Majkus recently posted..How To Increase Capture Page Opt In Rate With This Simple Method
[Reply]
Oliver Reply:
June 28th, 2010 at 20:39
Hi Jiri,
thanks for your appreciative comment. The tough part is to discriminate between the bad and the good voices
Take care
Oliver
[Reply]
Twitter: prfuller
says:
What a great read, thanks Oliver and a special thanks to Michael Dlouhy.
Integrity is very important for me when choosing an opportunity. That does not mean that I am perfect or anything like that. It just means that if I cannot look someone in the eye and tell them that based on their needs the opportunity is a good one, then I will not recommend it.
Thanks Oliver.
Peter Fuller MBA recently posted..Why I started my own Home Business
[Reply]
Oliver Reply:
June 28th, 2010 at 20:35
Hi Peter,
. I think it’s about providing people with all the information they need in order to take a good decision for themselves. Come back soon.
thanks for your appreciation. Yes, that’s truly a great read to start the week with
Take care
Oliver
[Reply]
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Sinyo Michael, Sinyo Michael and Oliver Tausend, prfuller. prfuller said: RT @luckyoliver70 The Fall of a Leader – from the Desk of my Friend and Mentor Michael Dlouhy http://bit.ly/bXzzyh [...]
Twitter: dianeaksten
says:
Oliver: This is a wonderful piece from Michael; quite frankly, in my opinion, if you’ve destroyed your own integrity, you have nothing left to offer anyone. Honesty and integrity are such a huge part of the network marketing business and the lack of those qualities are the very thing that give this industry a bad name by those people who’ve been burned by unscrupulous individuals and companies.
So very happy to say that I don’t have to worry about the integrity of the leaders in my company…
[Reply]
Oliver Reply:
June 30th, 2010 at 23:15
Hi Diane,
And yes, our integrity is all we have at the end of the day.
thanks for commenting on my post. I don’t have any doubt either
Take care
Oliver
[Reply]
Hey Oliver! This is a great post. I read this before and it should be shared with other network marketers. Thanks for sharing!!
Sherman
Sherman Smith recently posted..WHAT’S REALLY IMPORTANT WHEN YOU’RE PROSPECTING
[Reply]
Oliver Reply:
June 30th, 2010 at 23:16
Hi Sherman,
thanks for your comment. So let’s get the word out to our fellow network marketers !
Take care
Oliver
[Reply]
Oliver, this is brilliant post.
No one should ever do something (especially if he is transferring it to others) if he doesn’t truly believe in it. Looking deep into our inner being and admitting the truth to ourselves is crucial for everything in life. If we don’t really believe in our business opportunity we can never be successful in it, no matter how hard we try – and we can never try hard enough if that true energy from inside us doesn’t push us forward.
Thank you for this post, its very powerful,
Milena
[Reply]
Oliver Reply:
June 30th, 2010 at 23:14
Hi Milena,
thanks for your comment. You are right: Deep rooted faith in ourselves and our team are crucial for everybody’s success.
Take care
Oliver
[Reply]
Hey Oliver,
I liked this post very much so. I’m glad you shared it with us, because leadership plays an instrumental part in having success.
There are more followers who are looking for leaders, so if people like you step up, you’ll be able to show others the way.
Have a great day,
Jerome Ratliff
Jerome Ratliff recently posted..How to Use the Law of Vision For Your Home Business
[Reply]
Oliver Reply:
June 30th, 2010 at 23:09
Hi Jerome,
thanks for your comment. Napoleon Hill makes an even finer distinction when writing about an “intelligent follower” in “Think and grow rich”.
Have a blessed day either.
Oliver
[Reply]
You are absolutely right about a 30 day mental cleanse. We are so bombarded with negativity on the automatic income reducer and the radio that it seems as though you cant hide from it. Only if you turn them off you are safe…LOL. Part of my wife’s and my cleanse will consist of a camping trip to get in touch with nature and gain more inner peace!
Keep the great info coming!
Carl
Carl Anthony Hackett recently posted..Take Action Stop Waiting to Achieve your Goals
[Reply]
Oliver Reply:
June 30th, 2010 at 23:02
Hi Carl,
thanks for your comment. And getting in touch with nature in order unclutter your mind is certainly a great idea. I like the word “automatic income reducer” – of course I dislike the mechanism behind it.
Take care
Oliver
[Reply]
Oliver,
Excellent post you share on Honor and Integrity, I know for anything i do, i always make sure that it it ethical and right before sharing it with anyone, I will not endorse or support a product, team, group that does not believe in these two things, Honesty and Integrity.
Chris Bernardo recently posted..Saving Money and Time by Working Smart
[Reply]
Oliver Reply:
July 3rd, 2010 at 00:50
Hi Chris,
that’s absolutey crucial. We can’t cheat here, only ourselves. We cannot cheat the universal law of economy, it will – sooner or later – backfire. Thanks for your comment and have a blessed holiday weekend.
Take care
Oliver
[Reply]
Twitter: TristramLodge
says:
Hi Oliver,
Great to be back on your blog again. This is a great post and I agree with Michael that to be a leader we must have good character. People will always be attracted to others with honer and integrity.
Thanks for sharing.
Tristram Lodge
Tristram Lodge recently posted..Who To Follow On Twitter
[Reply]
Oliver Reply:
November 18th, 2010 at 14:57
Hi Tristram,
yeah, great really ! Welcome back
I’m glad you can relate to Michael’s idea.
Thanks again for sharing this post with your Facebook group.
Take care
Oliver
[Reply]
[...] a cruise in the Mediterranean Sea, Michael Dlouhy, his beautiful wife Linda and other leaders stopped in Genoa (Italy) and Marseille (France) and we [...]