Leaders are Honorable
Kouzes and Posner, in their book The Leadership Challenge, found that honesty is by far the most often cited of all the qualities people look for and admire in a leader. Although most often cited, it is often used interchangeably with trustworthiness, authenticity, and integrity. My experience shows me that all these traits are components of honor.
The dictionary definition of honor that I prefer is “adherence to an ethical code.” Still, I would add that honor or honorable is the state of being morally fit. Being honorable requires work and development, like building muscle. The many codes of honor established across history are a testament that, like exercise strengthens the body, moral exertion with a purpose produces honor. This process has been valid throughout history, especially where and when laws and regulations were absent and people were bound by their honor. On the battlefield, honor ensures that commanders on the field can trust that each will fulfill their roles in the battle. Our Signers of the Declaration pledged on their Sacred Honor.
So, If honor is moral fitness and the state of adherence to an ethical code, then the exertion that builds moral strength must be adhering to the code, which is called integrity. So, integrity is the moral workout program, which means the values defining the code must be moral exercises. Values like faith, honesty, trustworthiness, patriotism, and courage may constitute the code. I call mine unifying principles, and they are the highest values to which I aspire daily. Our Republic has a code in our Declaration of Independence and Constitution. Your code must be authentic to you.
As such, you will attain genuine honor by pursuing your authentic values.
It is important to remember that living what one believes forms a habit and builds honor. Failing to do so establishes patterns that eventually lead to catastrophic personal or leadership failure because of the inability to stand up under pressure. When we see great leaders fall, it is because they stopped living with integrity, failed to exercise their moral muscles, and eventually forgot that maintaining honor like strength takes effort.
So this week, evaluate your candidates, are they people of honor?
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Remember, “all things are possible through prayer and heavy deadlifts.”™
