Leadership & Character – Responsibility

There are many ways to measure the degree to which a leader demonstrates positive character.  In his book entitled “Return on Character”, Fred Kiel measures the character of leaders based on four universally accepted moral principles:

1. Integrity
2. Responsibility
3. Forgiveness
4. Compassion

Let’s explore the importance of responsibility to character-based leadership.  In his book, Kiel connects the principle of responsibility to two important behaviours:

1. Accepting accountability by offering reparations for mistakes made (this could also include penitence for the error).
2. Self-control – meaning that individuals are accountable for the choices they make (they have the control to choose their response to any situation) and don’t act simply because “that’s who they are”.

Fred Kiel’s explanation of responsibility as it relates to character reminded me of the story of Lance Armstrong.  If you are not familiar with the story, I’ll offer an abridged version.  Lance Armstrong was a professional cyclist who won the Tour de France – one of professional cycling’s most prestigious events – seven times between 1998 and 2005 and a bronze medal in the 2000 Olympics.  In July 2005, Armstrong retired from racing, only to return in January 2009.  After finishing third in the 2009 Tour de France later that year, he continued to race in 2010 and 2011, until he retired for a second time in 2011.

Beginning after his 1999 Tour de France victory, Armstrong was the subject of ongoing doping allegations which he vehemently denied.  He even sued a news media outlet for libel.  However, in 2012, the USADA (United States Anti-Doping Agency) concluded that Armstrong had used performance-enhancing drugs over the course of his career.  After more than a decade of denials, Armstrong chose not to challenge the USDADA charges.   As a result, he received a lifetime ban from competing in all sports that follow the World Anti-Doping Agency code.   This brought his career as a professional cyclist or an athlete in most any sport, to an end.  In addition, all of his athletic achievements dating back to 1998 were withdrawn.  His seven consecutive titles in the Tour de France were then officially removed from the record books.

In June 2010, Floyd Landis, Armstrong’s former teammate, filed a lawsuit against Armstrong, as well as others involved with the team alleging that Armstrong needed to make amends to the Federal Government, who was the major sponsor of the team, for engaging in illegal doping and consistently covering up the affair.  The lawsuit has remained before the courts since that time with ongoing decisions for and against the various claims.

In a 2013 interview with Oprah Winfrey, Armstrong admitted that some of the allegations were true.  Since the 2013 interview, Armstrong seems to have been reluctant to offer amends to those affected by his admitted misdeeds.  The news media outlet that he had sued for libel in 2004 wanted their money back (they paid a settlement for the claim) and he reached a confidential settlement to the countersuit file after the interview with Oprah Winfrey.

However, he does not appear contrite for the damage he has caused to others and continues his court battles seemingly hoping to hang on to his ill-gotten gains.

At one time, Armstrong was seen as a role-model of good character traits given his perseverance in overcoming his cancer to compete at a very high level.  However, in retrospect it seems that winning titles was more important than being the best he could be without cheating.  In the end, this tragedy may be best summarized by a CNN article written in 2012 stating “The epic downfall of cycling’s star, once an idolized icon of millions around the globe, stands out in the history of professional sports.”  The sport of cycling continues to be plagued by the mistrust of competitors, in large part because of the character flaws of past winners in the sport.

Jim Rohn, an American entrepreneur, author and motivational speaker was quoted saying “You must take personal responsibility. You cannot change the circumstances, the seasons, or the wind, but you can change yourself. That is something you have charge of.”  This quote recognizes the importance of self-control and the power all of us have to choose our actions.

In summary, leaders must have a sense of responsibility – to their organizations, their teams and most importantly to themselves.  Research has clearly demonstrated that organizations and individuals benefit from assessment of character traits to improve self-awareness and integration of character traits into leadership training in order to build a Personal Leadership Effectiveness Culture that reinforces the character traits lead to a strong CQ (Character Quotient).

As always, I welcome your feedback. You can connect with me via email or telephone or leave a comment right here on the site.

Until next time,

Dave

David Town, CHRL, is a facilitator and coach of leadership and management principles that enable individuals and organizations to build greater leadership competency, resulting in higher performance and higher employee engagement. David has a particular focus on effectively managing conversations involving confrontation or conflict. As well, he provides insights and assessment strategies for integrating character competencies into leadership skills resulting in increased trust and reduced risk for leaders. David is President of Your Leadership Matters Inc.