Quick,

What do these folks have in common?  First the people line up

Samuel Sharpe

Abraham Lincoln

 Winston Churchill

OK, what’s your answer?

Give up?

Well, all three became great leaders during tough times!  The under girding principle that drives leadership is trust; trust based on demonstrated character and competence.

Those famous words of Winston Churchill during the relentless bombing of England still rings true.  Never give up!  These words ring true with courage instead of fear, resolve instead of capitulation.  These words represent a currency that is in short supply as we are experiencing major whipsawing in our economic reality.

As I write these words, you may be faced with an upcoming job loss, or you may be the person who have to deliver the tough news.  How do you deal with these issues from such different perspective, and reach common understanding?

The biggest toxic floating around is fear.  We do need leaders to step up to the plate and deliver game changing performance to eliminate this deadly pollutant!  They need to deliver a confidence that will elevate the trust currency.  Certain behaviors will need to be evident in these leaders to be worthy of such investment.  Some of the critical characteristics are:

• Take responsibility
• Exhibit transparency
• Deliver straight honest talk within ethical and legal boundaries
• Demonstrate respect for all involved.
• Involve folks as much as possible in formulating a solution.

I attribute these attributes from my reading of Stephen Covey best seller, The Speed of Trust.

When you as a leader practice these principles, your world, and those within your sphere of influence will be given a steadiness within the chaos of our times.

I know some of you may be thinking I am the resurrection of Pollyanna. Permit me to remind you of a people at a major juncture of their difficult journey. It is the Biblical story of Israel about to cross over into the Promised Land.  They sent twelve spies out to gather some intelligence.  Two reports were produced, a majority report, and a minority report.

The majority report was fear based, while the minority report was faith based.  The record shows that the majority report was adopted, and Israel wandered around for forty years in the wilderness.

Fear can more contagious than a viral flu bug.  Thankfully, there is a remedy for it.

Take a huge dose of emotional vitamin C, i.e. courage. I do believe that we can make an inspirational difference in this chaotic season!  Remember moral leadership has more weight than positional leadership.  So, find a passion for making a difference in a life, and just do it!

Now, it’s your turn. Share an encouraging word you have heard or shared.