It Is Character That Defines "The Heart Of Leadership"

I have long been a fan of Mark Miller‘s work and when I found out I had the opportunity to be on the launch team for his new book “The Heart of Leadership” I couldn’t wait to write this review.

If you have read any of Miller’s recent work, you know that he has a unique way of building a story around the premise of the book and in effect, brings the lessons and the story itself to life. The Heart of Leadership is a follow up, at least as the story goes, to “Great Leaders Grow” (read my review of Great Leaders Grow).

Blake, who got off to a great start as a young leader now finds himself stuck. Stuck in his job and stuck as a leader. He turns back to his mentor Debbie, who had previously been mentored by Blake’s father before he passed away.

Debbie introduces Blake to 5 professionals that take Blake on a journey to find what he has been missing to take his leadership to the next level. He has been missing The HEART of Leadership.

So let’s take a look at just what it is that makes up The Heart of Leadership.

HUNGER FOR WISDOM

Leaders recognize that if they want to be effective over the long haul, they need to be life long learners. They need to commit to not only increasing their knowledge but their relational skills as well. Be self confident and consistent in your beliefs and values but always be open to input, new ideas and the views and opinions of others. We can always learn, even in our failures and difficult times.

EXPECT THE BEST

Miller states it very well; “To expect the best is an attitude, a belief, a choice, a lifestyle and a trait that virtually every successful leader possesses. We believe the best about others and about ourselves.” What a powerful statement. Expecting the best is about attitude and as we all know, attitudes are contagious. Leadership character is about having a positive attitude and creating a culture that expects and produces the best.

ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY

There may be no greater leadership character trait than owning your actions, and not only your actions, but the actions of the entire team. John Maxwell says that “everything rises and falls on leadership.” Miller makes it clear that accepting responsibility, for both the good and the bad, needs to fall on the leader. Along with that, praise needs to be shared whenever possible. Leaders with heart give the credit to others and find their success in the success of their team.

RESPOND WITH COURAGE

Miller pulls a quote from Dr. Henry Cloud; “Leaders get what they create and what they allow.” [Tweet This] It takes courage to create. Often times, leaders are faced with making difficult decisions. Responding with courage, and doing it consistently, will shape your leadership character and help to build trust. Courage is a product of confidence and confidence comes from believing in yourself.

THINK OTHERS FIRST

Leaders need followers and a leader’s responsibility is to turn those followers into other leaders. This only happens when the leader focuses on the success of those he is leading. Miller puts it like this; “It’s about who is responsible for what, and how can I, as the leader, help people to be successful?” Miller makes a valuable point that if we are to become servant leaders, we need to spend time with other servant leaders and learn how they think and understand the real reasons why they do what they do.

I think the biggest takeaway for me from this fine work was the example of an iceberg that Miller uses to describe leadership. The 10 percent above water represents your leadership skills – What you know. The 90 percent underwater represents your character – Who you are. We often judge people for what they know but the true heart of leadership comes from your character – this is the heart of leadership.

I love this quote from the author; “It is ultimately leadership character that determines our opportunity for influence and impact.“ So today I have a challenging question for you: What is included in the 90 percent of your iceberg?