Taking a stand on leadership

Image of a figure walking ahead and leading a group behindOver the last 12 months or so we have been subjected to what I believe has been a distinct lack of leadership integrity. You could not turn on the television without hearing about our own recent federal election and, of course, the ongoing (and seemingly never-ending) US election. The key players have been relentless in their efforts to educate us on why they were best suited to lead our respective countries.

And I couldn’t help feel that they did not understand, nor respect, the huge responsibility that being Prime Minister (or President) has. The decisions they and their colleagues make will have significant direct and indirect impacts on our lives for both the short and long term. These critical leadership positions require people who are prepared to be honest, courageous, considerate, future focussed and collaborative: people who are self-aware, prepared to do what is right and who will use their position and influence to create a better, more just place for us all. In other words, we need leaders.

Believing they were being short changed, a group of leaders in the US have decided to take a stand and created what they are calling the True Leader Creed (Take a Stand for a #TrueLeaderCreed). This creed is a pledge that all leaders can make as part of their endeavours to uphold a set of core leadership values in our work and personal lives. Some of the leadership values that I have discussed in the past (honesty, self-awareness and courage) have been included in this list, but this is by no means exhaustive. It does give us an opportunity for reflection, though.

The good thing about the values promoted by the True Leader Creed is that they aren’t just for ‘appointed’ leaders. Anybody can agree to behave in line with these values and lead their own outcomes. I’d recommend having a look at this True Leader Creed and consider discussing it with your team to identify how you can use it to create a better team environment and a set of agreed behaviours. And finally, if you feel strongly about it, add your name to the list backers and share it with others.

Happy leading!