By Andrea Klee
When we imagine the Stone Age, we immediately think of the principle that the stronger person wins against the weaker person. Have we made any advance since then? Is it possible to have a system in corporations that allows people to be who they are, and not to use their elbows for whatever they would like to attain?
The impression today is that in many places, we are still living according to the Stone Age principle. Especially in the corporate world, people lie and take advantage of others, often in very tricky ways. Should someone who is just more corrupt than another person get a promotion, or should we set other values?
If we really want to say good-bye to the principle of the stronger person, it appears necessary to create or use a vision of very high moral values and standards. Morality is our weapon against the domination of the strongest. Nothing else has ever helped against it. However, high moral values need always to be supported by an attitude of integrity. It is never enough just to recognize what is right or wrong according to our moral values. We also need to behave in a way that will help other people to trust us and to believe that we are doing what we say.
No matter what we will say or try to communicate, the truth is always communicated through our attitude. When we don't behave according to our words, then it becomes obvious that we are not trustworthy. Other will copy us, but they will copy our behavior, not what we tell them about how someone should behave. This is a very crucial point in leadership, since we need to be aware of the fact that we cannot hide our true selves from others.
Other people know more about us than we believe they know, or than we think they can know. Our voices, our appearances, and our attitude in different situations tell much more about us than we want to be true. Another person might even be able to derive from our words and from our attitude whether or not we are a person of integrity. Most of these conclusions are true even though we don't like to accept this fact.
If we really want people to advance from the concept that the stronger person is the more powerful one, then we need to honestly examine if we as leaders behave according to our promises and suggestions. Should we find out that we don't live as we preach, it is time to revise our own lives first before we think about changing the corporate environment. Change always starts with a person changing herself or himself. If we want to advance leadership in the corporate world of today, we will have to cope with our own possible lack of integrity.
Andrea Brigitte KleeAuthor and SpeakerE-Mail: andreaklee@gmx.net
EXPRESS YOUR VOICESupporting you to convey your thoughts, encourage listening and make an impact.http://www.express-your-voice.com
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