Don McMinn

“In leadership, character counts. We maintain that leadership is character.” Bennis & Goldsmith

Let’s consider two character qualities—honesty and integrity—in the lives of two historical leaders: Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Lindemann.

In Jordan Ellenberg’s new book Shape: The Hidden Geometry of Information, Biology, Strategy, Democracy, and Everything Else, he writes, “What distinguished Lincoln as a thinker, his friend and fellow lawyer Henry Clay Whitney recalled, wasn’t his brilliance; lots of people in public life are smart, and among them one finds both the good and the bad. What made Lincoln special was integrity, his belief that you should not say something unless you have demonstrated that it is right. Whitney writes: “It was morally impossible for Lincoln to argue dishonestly; he could no more do it than he could steal; it was the same thing to him in essence, to despoil a man of his property by larceny, or by illogical or flagitious reasoning.”

Frederick Lindemann was a brilliant physicist who became one of Winston Churchill’s best friends and close confidant during World War 2. He was a ruthless debater and a good strategist, but he lacked character. One of his biographers, Frederick Smith, said of him, “He would not shrink from using an argument which he knew to be wrong if by so doing he could tie up one of his professional opponents.”

While everyone should aspire to have good character, it is non-negotiable for effective leaders. If you don’t have good character, your leadership will always be wanting. In Thomas Wren’s book, The Leader’s Companion, Insights on Leadership Through the Ages, Kirkpatrick and Locke contribute these thoughts, “Honesty and integrity are virtues in all individuals, but have special significance for leaders. Without these qualities, leadership is undermined. Integrity is the correspondence between word and deed and honesty refers to being truthful or non-deceitful. The two form the foundation of a trusting relationship between leader and followers.” 

Let’s apply this lesson in two ways.

First, don’t follow a leader who has bad character. If you do you’ll need to justify his or her actions, which will weaken your own character. It will not end well for you or the organization. 

Secondly, if you’re a leader, prioritize developing and maintaining stellar character. Interestingly and fortunately, character is not an innate quality; we’re not born with character any more than we are born with beliefs or values. Character is developed. So if yours is lacking—improve.

Best article I read this week – How to Wait Well, by Jason Farman. It is well worth your time to think his thoughts.

For the last 14 months of its life, the check engine light in my old Subaru Forester (230,000 miles) was constantly on. I would fix one issue that triggered the alarm and then another would flare up. I became so weary of the issue that I didn’t even want to have it checked out. I just ignored the light and would have disconnected it had I known how to. 

Years ago (before Mary and I vowed to live debt-free) when our credit card bill would get out of hand, I avoided checking the balance because I knew it was high and out of control.

In both cases, I was exhibiting the ostrich effect (OE).

According to a persistent myth, ostriches bury their heads in the sand when they’re scared or feel threatened. They think they are safe if they can’t see the danger. (They don’t really do that.) 

The ostrich effect is a cognitive bias that causes people to avoid information that they perceive as potentially unpleasant. From a psychological standpoint, OE is the result of the conflict between what our rational mind knows to be important and what our emotional mind anticipates will be painful. Instead of helping, it drains us of time, energy, and resources and offers nothing of value in return. 

Here are some examples of the ostrich effect

• You may avoid getting a professional medical diagnosis because you’re afraid of hearing bad news (although, ironically, health information is crucial for health maintenance).
• You regularly check your retirement fund when the market is going up but not when it’s going down (although, to manage your money wisely, you need consistent data).
• Parents may hesitate to have a child who is having trouble in school tested.
• A business executive may postpone delving into what may be problems in the organization.

As is often the case with cognitive biases, the first step towards clarity is self-awareness. We must realize and admit that we’re falling prey to unhealthy thinking. I think the ostrich effect is one of the easiest biases to recognize: Just identify areas in your life in which you’re procrastinating or reluctant to get information because you think it might be bad news. 

The antidote to the ostrich effect is also simple and straightforward: Immediately pursue areas that you’re avoiding and pursue them aggressively. Put them at the top of your to-do-list; pledge that you’ll not eat again until you address the issues.  

The ostrich effect offers no value—there’s no upside—but overcoming it is very beneficial. As the Bible says, “The truth will set you free,” even if the truth is unpalatable.

Your mood affects your judgment. When making a decision, if you’re happy at that moment, you may decide differently than if you’re upset. For instance, a judge may issue a severe judgment on a criminal defendant because his roof leaked the night before and ruined his favorite desk. The same judge may issue a lenient judgment because he’s happy about leaving on vacation the next day. (Clever people learn how to use this truth to their advantage: when needing a decision from someone, they’ll wait until the person is in a good mood before asking.)

Generally speaking, a positive mood and disposition leads to a better life and sense of well-being than a negative mood or disposition. And relative to interpersonal relationships, we prefer to spend time with people who are happy and positive rather than those who are grouchy and pessimistic. 

But there’s at least one instance in which pessimism can be an asset. Being in a good mood (or by nature positive and optimistic) can make us naive and we can be easily misled. When we view life through rose-tinted glasses, our optimism can lead us to make bad decisions.

So, while it’s better to have a positive outlook on life than a negative one, be aware that positivity has a downside; it can distort our judgment. Be positive but don’t be gullible. Don’t believe everything you’re told. Don’t be swayed by charming people. Don’t be overly influenced by first impressions. Don’t be duped by misleading information.

When it comes to interpreting information and making decisions, skepticism is better than credulity. Unbridled optimism can render you naive and lead to bad decisions.

“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” Margaret Mead

Prior to War World 2, the US military produced fewer than 3,000 planes annually. Then came war. In the next five years Americans built 300,000 planes. That’s 6.8 planes an hour, 24 hours a day. Our industrial complex also built five ships per day for four years.

Several years ago I wrote a post highlighting the fact that in 2016, the Queen Mary 2 (which at 148,528 tons and 1,132 feet long, is one of the largest passenger ships in the world) was totally remastered in 26 days. It was totally rebuilt—engines overhauled, cabins redesigned, painted inside and out, technology updated—in less than a month. Try to imagine the complexity of that project. But it got done by a focused, motivated group of people, no doubt led by a determined leader.  

Leaders, your greatest opportunity and greatest challenge is to harness human potential. Begin by creating a vivid, viable vision that will activate and focus dormant human resources and motivate people to achieve things they could never imagine doing on their own.