From a bishop-friend:


The Christian Karen people in Burma have a practice of choosing a verse from the bible to be their "motto". This year it has been Philippians 4:8:


"Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things".


Almost coincidentally, I have been reading a great deal about the importance of character and values in shaping leaders. One of the more stimulating books that I have been wrestling with is "Questions of Character - Illuminating the Heart of Leadership through Literature" by Joseph L. Badaracco (Harvard Business School Press, 2006).


The book is the result of a class taught by Badaracco at the Harvard Business School in which he uses characters drawn from fictional literature to illustrate aspects of leadership. He uses fiction rather than "real life" case studies because he believes that in fiction, if a character is well developed, we are given opportunity to look into the heart and soul of a person.


In real life we only get partial glimpses into the source of ideas and decisions; case studies and interviews with leaders are (at best) a filtered version of events that occurred.


"...Serious literature offers a view from the inside. It opens doors to a world rarely seen except, on occasion, by leaders' spouses and close friends. It lets us watch leaders as they think, worry, hope, hesitate, commit, exult, regret, and reflect. We see their characters tested, reshaped, strengthened or weakened. These books draw us into leader's worlds, put us in their shoes, and at times let us share their experience."
He outlines eight works that help us understand fundamental challenges that test a leader's character. They are:
Arthur Miller's 'Death of a Salesman' Do I have a good dream? Do my deepest aspirations impel me forward through hardships, and do they engage others' aspirations and dreams?
Chinua Achebe's 'Things Fall Apart' How flexible is my moral code? Will my moral code help me make the right decisions for my organization, even as business conditions change?
Allan Gurganu's 'Blessed Assurance: A Moral Tale' Do I have unsettling role models? Do my role models provoke me as well as embody values I can emulate?
F. Scott Fitzgerald's 'The Last Tycoon' Do I really care? Do I have the patience, courage, and tenacity that leadership requires?
Joseph Conrad's 'The Secret Sharer' Am I ready to take responsibility? Can I set clear performance standards for myself and others - and follow through on them?
Louis Auchincloss's 'Come as a Thief 'Can I resist the flow of success? Do I recognize the hidden hazards of success and the ways to avoid them?
Robert Bolt's 'A Man for All Seasons' How well do I combine principles and pragmatism? Can I make the difficult trade-offs needed to run my unit or business?
Sophocles' 'Antigone' What is sound reflection? Do I think through high-stakes decisions adequately despite relentless pressure on my time?
While they are not the only questions to reflect upon they are among the more important ones. I was not familiar with many of the works of fiction he used and may have chosen other books or characters to reflect upon. He has helped me apply the same or similar questions to the characters in the books I read.


On the theme of leaders with character, while reading another book on leadership, I came across the following quote from Gandhi.


"Keep your thoughts positive, because your thoughts become your words.
Keep your words positive, because your words become your behaviour.
Keep your behaviour positive, because your behaviour becomes your habits.
Keep your habits positive because your habits become your values.
Keep your values positive because your values become your destiny."


December 2006