"Waste no time arguing what a good man should be.  Be one." 

- Marcus Aurelius

 "The best way to end an argument about whether a stick is crooked,

is to lay down beside it a straight stick."   

- Unknown

Building Excellence

Leaders do not command excellence, they build excellence.  Excellence is "being all you can be" within the bounds of doing what is right for your organization. To reach excellence you must first be a leader of good character.  Excellence starts with leaders of good and strong character who engage in the entire process of leadership.  And the first process is being a person of honorable character.

"We define character as the sum of those qualities of moral excellence that stimulates a person to do the right thing, which is manifested through right and proper actions despite internal or external pressures to the contrary." 

- U. S. Air Force Academy

Character affects every area of our lives - our beliefs, our thoughts, our decisions, our words, our actions, our attitudes, our goals, and our relationships.  In fact, any breakdown in life can almost always be traced back to a breakdown in character.

Character develops over time. Many think that much of a person's character is formed early in life. However, no one really knows exactly how much or how early character develops. But, it is safe to claim that character does not change quickly. A person's observable behavior is an indication of their character. This behavior can be strong or weak, good or bad. A person with strong character shows drive, energy, determination, self-discipline, willpower, and nerve.

The Nine Building Bricks of Character - "TRACER DOGS"

>Trustworthiness    >Respect    >Attentiveness    >Compassion    >Enthusiasm    >Responsibility    >Discretion    >Obedience    >Gratitude    >Service 

"The time is always right to do what is right."  

- Martin Luther King, Jr. 

"Of all the properties which belong to honorable men, not one is so highly prized as that of character."

- Henry Clay