On Leading with Authority

Aristotle called it Ethos, but we're more likely to call it credibility or authority. I've had some trouble in trying to articulate my thoughts on the issue, so I thought I'd let a few quotes do some of the heavy lifting:

"When Jesus had finished saying these things, the crowds were amazed at his teaching, because he taught as one who had authority, and not as their teachers of the law"
                                                          -Matthew 7:28-29

"If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader."
                                                          -John Quincy Adams

"Example is not the main thing in influencing others, it is the only thing."
                                                           -Albert Schweitzer

"The older I get the less I listen to what people say and the more I look at what they do."                                                                                   -Andrew Carnegie

The first quote, from the book of Matthew, is what really sparked this train of thought. Here was Jesus, a man who was, by all accounts, a radical, and by many others, a heretic. But his message gained traction with a group of dedicated followers, and eventually reached every corner of the Earth. Not because he was particularly charismatic, or good-looking, or rich (he was as materially poor as they come) but because he was a man of unreproachable credibility. He lived as he taught, and the crowds that grew around him saw it.

I've become more and more convinced that the world is woefully short on credible leaders and yet, without credibility, any influence a leader may wield is fragile, prone to disintegration when the truth is revealed. I'm not sure why this void exists; is it because today's media and social networking cast light on what used to be private areas of one's life? Or is it that practicing what one preaches is no longer as highly valued as it once was? What is clear, is that as more of our lives are exposed to the world, the more our moments of hypocrisy will undermine our capability of leading and creating change.

This is not only important for CEOs, politicians, and others in the public arena. The more I examine successful relationships, the more I have come to understand that they are built on credibility. As a friend, as a co-worker, and especially as a spouse, you will ask people to give, you will ask people to do, you will try to influence behavior in attempts to solve problems and forge stronger bonds. Yet you cannot ask one to give what you are unwilling to give, or do what you are unwilling to do. It is a constant struggle. We are selfish creatures, and we are constantly being told by society that we can get without giving. But its a struggle that must be fought, and the only way to hone ourselves to stand up to the world's inspection and build the credibility required to form relationships capable of accomplishing great things.

One final quote; familiarly misquoted as "Be the change you want to see in the world:"

"If we could change ourselves, the tendencies in the world would also change. As a man changes his own nature, so does the attitude of the world change towards him. ... We need not wait to see what others do."                        -Gandhi

Who is going to lead? The finger points back at ourselves once we stop trying so hard to point it at others.