In days gone by, there was a phrase "honor among thieves". The concept being that even those who stole from people, had a code of honor among themselves. There was a code for those in the mafia that they never "whacked" someone in front of their family. There was even a code in prison that those that had hurt children, were tortured the worst. In this day and age, we see very little honor. CEO's stealing from retirement funds. Public figures admitting publicly to infidelity. Sports figures taking steroids. Children teasing each other to the point of suicide. You can't even get everyone to take turns when they merge in traffic. This has become the day of "as long as I get mine...". Now I totally get that most everyone wants to "win" or "be the best". But how you get there should matter, too. Did you win following the rules? Or did you cheat, or at least bend, the rules? Is that truly a victory? Are you winning at the expense of others? Good leaders excel by bringing up everyone around them - not by climbing over them. Is your leadership code honorable?
A few years ago, I found myself in front of a 100 or so scrapbookers wearing a coconut bra and a grass skirt. The "tiki" theme that we had chosen dictated the need for my costume. The fun part was that everyone in the room knew that when I hit the stage in my crazy outfit, someone was going to win a prize! Shouldn't a leader be above dressing silly at a big event? Never! Would it help if I mentioned that I did have a t-shirt on under the coconut bra? And that we all wore Hawaiian shirts the rest of the time? Or that I've worn a Santa hat, light up necklace, blue hair, pink bowling shirt with matching glow-in-the-dark bowling shoes for other events? So why did I go the extra mile? Did I have to wear a coconut bra and a grass skirt to give away prizes? No. But did it add to the excitement and the atmosphere? Yes. It brought a sense of fun to the event and unity among the team. A large event is a huge undertaking. Havi...
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