As a 25-year student of leadership, I’m grateful for the rise of new media like podcasts. Some of my favourite thought leaders include Carey Nieuwhof, Jim Collins, Patrick Lencioni, Andy Stanley, Don Miller, and Craig Groeschel. Each episode provides emerging trends in leadership development.
There is no shortage of new ideas and concepts coming from these contemporary gurus. Their teachings are a gift to all leaders, but in particular, to Pastoral leaders. It’s edifying to see Andy Stanley and Carey Nieuwhof influencing Catholic priests and Bishops the world over. I pray that their influence deepens, not lessons, over time. The new evangelization needs new leadership models and methods.
All that said, there is a very special place of gratitude in my heart for thought leaders whose contribution to leadership development has endured the test of time. I can think of no book deserving more praise than The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People written by Stephen R Covey.
There is a special place of gratitude in my heart for those thought leaders whose contribution to leadership development has endured the test of time. I can think of no better example than The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People. Click To TweetOn May 19, 2020, Simon & Schuster published The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People: 30th Anniversary Edition. I cannot overstate the impact of the original work by Stephen R Covey. It changed my life and that isn’t creative hyperbole. It literally put me on a different trajectory.
The 7 Habits has been called the most important business book of the 20th century. Over 40 million copies have been sold. It has transformed the lives of CEOs and teachers; parents and Presidents. Contemporary business and leadership influencers have high praise for the enduring wisdom contained in the pages of Covey’s most acclaimed work.
“No person lasts forever, but books and ideas can endure. Stephen R Covey’s life is done, but his work is not. It continues, right here in this book as alive today as when it was first written” (Jim Collins, International Best Selling Author).
Daniel Pink, also an international best selling business writer said, “Every so often a book comes along that not only alters the lives of readers but leaves an imprint on the culture itself. The 7 Habits is one of the rare books.”
Every so often a book comes along that not only alters the lives of readers but leaves an imprint on the culture itself. The 7 Habits is one of the rare books. - Daniel Pink Click To TweetThirty years after it first appeared, the wisdom is more relevant today than ever before. Organizational leaders are burning out. Marriages are dissolving and families are fragmented. Political leaders are mistrusted and spiritual leaders even more. There is a leadership crisis in the world – everywhere and in every industry.
Of all the wisdom contained in the 7 Habits, Covey’s exhortation for a return to the character ethic is even more important today than it was when he first wrote the book in the late 1980’s.
In preparing his manuscript, Covey dove deep into a review of the success literature of the past 200 years. He discovered that for the first 150 years, every significant contributor to the success narrative pointed to the character ethic as the critical factor for achieving success.
The character ethic refers to the universal, timeless principles and virtues of the soul. The character ethic suggests that the animating force for success is integrity, justice, fortitude, service, self-control, honesty, kindness and respect. Once the individual, any individual, conforms his or her life to these virtues and principles, they would move toward success. The character ethic was centred around an important idea, that there is no real success unless the one pursuing it is also pursuing significance.
As Covey reviewed more recent contributions to the success literature, he discovered that in the most recent 50 years, the success literature shifted from the character ethic to the personality ethic. The personality ethic requires nothing of the person desiring success. It is not rooted in personal transformation at all. It doesn’t demand the individual to conform to timeless principles and virtues.
Worst of all, in the personality ethic, success has been truncated from significance. It is totally fine to pursue temporal success with no regard for eternity. Maximus’ words do not hold true, “What we do in this life echoes in eternity.”
The personality ethic is not rooted in personal transformation. It requires nothing of the leader desiring success. No need to submit to timeless principles nor develop any virtues of the soul. It's hallow and will crumble. Click To TweetThe personality ethic is not about becoming someone worth following, it’s enough to only appear to be worth following. The personality ethic is all about learning how to lubricate the processes of human interactions to gain from people what they may not give if they knew who you really are. The personality ethic wants nothing to do with the idea that character has its own reward. It pursues success in and of itself, nothing else matters.
With the rise of social media, influencers are tempted to move one step further from the character ethic, to the persona ethic. Click To TweetIt is my firm conviction that Covey’s exhortation to embrace the character ethic is more important today than it was even 30 years ago. The continual challenge for everyone pursuing authentic leadership is to be rather than to appear (Esse Quam Videri). With the rise of social media, influencers are tempted to move one step further from the character ethic, to the persona ethic. Psychologists define persona as a mask or appearance one presents to the world. A persona is a character played by an actor.
In today’s leadership landscape, there are massive temptations to conform one’s behaviour, voice and contribution, not to timeless principles or virtue but to the likes, shares, retweets and views one receives online. Influencers are tracking algorithms and measuring their SEO to extend their influence.
In today's leadership landscape, there are temptations to conform one's behaviour, voice and contribution, not to timeless principles or virtue but to the likes, shares, retweets and views one receives online. Click To TweetAll this focus on persona, what we appear to be to the world, might be taking us further and further from our true north as leaders. At the most fundamental level we leaders are to embrace our dignity as children of God, sons and daughters of the Father with the real potential of being Christ’s hand, and feet and voice for a hurting world.
We live in crazy times. Many political leaders to whom we should look up to are anything but admirable. A growing number of spiritual leaders have lost our trust. Teachers have manipulated their students and coaches have abused their athletes. In the absence of authentic leadership, our stars have become our heroes and society suffers for it.
We need to return to the lessons that Covey presented in the 7 Habits. We need to embrace the challenge to restore the character ethic to its rightful place in leadership development. In addition to the 30th-anniversary edition of the 7 Habits, I would recommend the following resources:
If you have other go-to resources that speak to the character dimension of leadership, please share. Thank you in advance!