Developing the Character of a Leader
(Fortitude, Adaptability both physical and mental)
Introduction Leadership is a broad subject. For me, leadership is about serving other people. Setting an example to be followed, managing and developing others for the good of an organisation and for themselves. Developing the Character of a leader will therefore benefit an individual and the organisation in which they sit. The Character of anyone is constantly evolving. Shaped by interactions and experiences. Character can be developed, leadership can be taught. However, if you want to lead others. First you must learn to lead yourself! The following, short essay, will look at how an individual can develop the character traits of a leader. Focusing on the character traits of Fortitude and Adaptability, both physical and mentally.
Character “Good character is not formed in a week or a month. It is created little by little, day by day. Protracted and patient effort is needed to develop good character.” Character is formed by what we repeatedly do. To develop the character of a leader then we must be intentional in our actions, set routines and cultivate good habits. These are deliberate acts, ones which requires self discipline as it can be hard work. When motivation wains, as it can, then being strict with yourself will maintain that continuous effort for self improvement. Decide what’s needed, what are the areas that need developing. There will be more than one discipline. Likely there will be several that mutually support each other. These habits and routines could include planned, progressive physical activities. ‘Mens Sana in Corpore sano’ - A healthy mind in a healthy body. In addition to the health benefits, remaining fit and active also improves self confidence and an escape from more mentally demanding activities. Studying, research and reading are all good habits to incorporate into daily routines. However, a theoretical understanding is useless if there is no practical application. Therefore, practice is crucial to learning development. Accept that you won’t always be successful, which is fine. Failure doesn’t make you a bad leader. Failing to learn from mistakes and repeating them does! There are some simple actions that can be taken to enhance learning. Break skills down to small parts. Master them before moving on. Know when you’re becoming frustrated and when to stop. Taking a rest and returning to a problem or barrier can make a positive difference and precede progress. Choosing mentors in different areas allows you to learn from others. Harness their experience, develop and improve on existing knowledge to fit evolving circumstances where necessary. An After Action Reviews is a process which examines what happened in specific situations. Self reflecting on what was asked, how was it done, why were decisions made and for what reasons, how could it be improved. What, Why and How are three useful questions to continually ask before during and after events to improve understanding and enhance learning.
Adaptability “Out the box thinking doesn’t necessarily mean out the box but knowing the box so well, (equipment, resources and capabilities) that you can re-shape the box.” If someone is adaptable they can react to a situation with minimal fuss, they are comfortable with uncertainty. This is not an innate natural ability, it is something that can be nurtured and developed by deliberate thought and actions. 3 By their very nature new environments and new experiences can be uncomfortable, due to a sense of uncertainty, lack of understanding, a loss of personal control. However, by deliberately and continuously exposing ones self to new experiences a bank of references is built up. Prior experiences that offer an anchor point for a new experience that has similar characteristics. A starting point to develop a plan or solve a problem. The larger and more varied this reference bank is the more likely someone is to have come across a similar experience or problem before and the quicker they can then react to a new situation. The previous chapter advocated the benefits of routines and good habits to develop character but this doesn’t mean doing the same things all the time. Part of these routines and habits should to be putting yourself into ‘uncomfortable’ situations. Experience new activities, new thoughts and feelings. By trying something new you are automatically accepting risk, accepting the fear of failure, accepting appearing silly or lacking ability. What you’re really developing is a knowledge bank, mental references that you can anchor to in more serious situations. The more reference points you have the calmer you will remain in any given situation. Remaining calm and maintaining the ability to thing clearly is key to being adaptable. Contentiously remaining calm in day to day events can also become a habit, one that will become an automatic reaction over time. Panic and the anxiety it can cause is unhelpful. John Boyd developed the OODA loop; Observe Orientate Decide Act. It’s a reiterative process that develops awareness of a situation, what’s involved and the ability to make effective decisions that influence the situation. Maintaining a measured temperament can significantly improve the ability to adapt through clear, logical thought. General Matis is an avid reader, he doesn’t claim that his extensive library will offer the solution to the problems he encounters. But he does say that the contents of books provide the torch that lights the way. Again, obtaining knowledge through the experiences of others will increase adaptability. Understanding your abilities, that of others as well as the capabilities of kit and equipment affords the ability to wrestle more control of a situation. The quicker a situation is understood and controlled the more manipulated it can be. If a situation can be viewed from a different perspective then it can be truly understood.
Looking at a problem as a competitor might view it or ‘red teaming’ a course of action, anticipating problems, further increases those mental references, reducing the impact of a changing environment. By exposure to different events, thinking about them, existing or potential, and planning against them they become expected and prepared for, thus improving adaptability.
Fortitude “Fear is an emotion, courage is an action” Everyone experiences fear, not everyone responds to it in the same way. Courage in one aspect of life doesn’t necessarily equate to courage in all aspects of life. The more varied someones experiences the more rounded they become. Courage can be moral or physical. Physical courage is often easier to prepare for, it’s better understood and its actions are generally lauded by others and widely recognised as it often requires considerable risk to life and limb. Moral courage and the challenges presented are more common though. They appear in our day to day lives. Maintaining moral courage can be more difficult and by not doing so can lead to personal regrets. By exposer to different scenarios fortitude will also be developed. Testing physical courage can be replicated whilst considerably mitigating the risk to life and limb. Conducting strenuous physical activity, at height and with time constraints is such an example. Fine motor skills and judgment can become impaired under such circumstances. These conditions can replicate the fight or flight instinct and pre-condition an individual to it. Any activity that can induce these feelings will develop a mental armour crucial too dealing with real life situations.
Keeping fit and healthy on a daily basis improves confidence to take part in these training scenarios. Just as knowledge and understanding improves adaptability then it also dispels fear. The reference bank of experiences reduces the unexpected, the more unexpected something is the more likely it could knock the centre of balance of an individual, physically and mentally. Physical courage can also be accompanied by a degree of pain. It’s only by experiencing degrees of pain and hardship, in a controlled environment, that an individual can understand how far they can go. It’s a fine line, its understanding the difference between hurt and injured. Injured being more serious. Something that if you continue will likely incur long term or permanent damage. In such instances, ceasing the activity is likely the best course of action to try again at another time or take a different approach. Hurt, on the other hand is an inconvenience. It may well be unpleasant but doesn’t prevent continued progress.
Moral courage can be significantly harder to achieve. Arguably the hardest too fulfil and is ultimately more commonly encountered. It requires doing the right thing and the right time for the right reasons. Usually against popular consensus, otherwise it wouldn’t be a problem in the first place. Moral courage often relates to our values and standards. Principles that an individual holds dear. Characteristics that make us who we pertain to be. When we fail to live up to them it can have a big impact. Which can lead to regret, replaying in our mind what happened and what we wish we’d done. This is, in essence, an internal ‘After Action Review’ and can become harmful in the most serious of examples where regret is replaced by guilt. In these circumstances professional help and council should be considered. However, for less serious events the same process can be used to an advantage. Accept that the past can’t be changed, understand that failing to stand up for your principles was ultimately harder than not having the moral courage to display them in the first instance. The chances of repeating this will be much less if subsequently faced with a similar situation. However, we don’t have to wait until after an event, prevention is better than a cure! Once again it is only by placing individuals in testing situations, even if simply scenario based, will this be developed. Having open discussions and deliberate thought about what could possibly be encountered and your preferred reaction to it will considerably improve decision making under duress and the fortitude to uphold that moral courage. Make your big decisions early, decide what you stand for and guard against anything compromising that.
Summary
“It’s supposed to hurt. That’s how you’ll develop the will to endure and persevere through life’s many difficulties.” Leadership character development is a conscious, deliberate act built on over time. It’s done by habitual actions and setting routines. By deliberately putting yourself in difficult and adverse situations in a controlled environment you are preparing for them in unforeseen circumstances. We train our bodies for physical activities and trials. Why not use the same principle to train our minds with mental activities. Prior exposure to as many different experiences as possible across a spectrum of scenarios will develop character and the qualities of fortitude and adaptability. By doing so a positive example is being set. An example that will achieve results and encourage others to emulate. As others follow, by their own free will, then by definition leadership has occurred.
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