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Ten Values of Success


Achieving success in our modern world requires a mindset of leadership – even if you are only leading yourself or your family unit.  Great leaders have a set of virtues that are readily identifiable in the way they operate in their personal and professional lives.  Anyone that chooses to study and adopt these values in their own lives is taking steps down a tested and proven path to success.

Integrity – Display sincerity, integrity, and candor in all your actions.  Deceptive behavior will not inspire trust.  If someone wants people to follow, he or she must be trustworthy.  That requires realness and transparency.  An honest leader presents the facts and circumstances truly and completely, no matter how critical and harmful those facts may be.  In other words, they do what is right.

Humility – Modesty keeps the leader from exerting a “fake” leadership derived from the authority of position.  The true leadership is NOT associated with positions of authority, but obviously the converse has to be true if the organization is to succeed.

Courage – Courage is the quality of mind that enables us to risk what we value for a higher purpose.  It requires having the perseverance to accomplish a goal, regardless of the seemingly insurmountable obstacles.  Display a confident calmness when under stress.

Fortitude – This is about sticking to something that is worthwhile.  It relates to enduring until the goal is reached.  Fortitude requires the willingness to suffer some, if necessary, to do what is right, good or healthiest in the long haul.

Grace – No leader ever gets to the top without a tremendous amount of grace along the way.  Isn’t it only fair that a leader reciprocates the grace received into grace given?  Generosity is one of the most obvious virtues among American Indians.  Lakota people actually measured their worth by how much they gave away.  Those who have remained unadulterated by western culture's emphasis on material wealth still do.  Generosity is about giving and/or sharing our time, our wealth, our ideas or our possessions in the interest of others.  One way to think of it is as the opposite of greed or selfishness.  A person with this trait has a good balance between taking care of self and taking care of others.

Self-confidence – Leaders know themselves and exhibit a practiced control over their behavior.  Moreover, leaders know which tasks are within their reach, and don’t set unrealistic goals.  This way, leaders know what their virtues and limits are, and they don’t hide them.  Self-confidence gives the force to be persistent to attain the task and vision.  Remember that more often than not, leadership implies defying the established order, the status quo.  Therefore, self-confidence is vital to success.

Passion – Leaders exhibit a passion for their work and are faithful to their visions and beliefs.  This quality is required not just for a leader but everyone.  However, this is especially necessary for a leader.  A leader needs to be positive and motivate his team, in times that are hard and times that are brutal.  When times are tough and his team is absolutely down, when times are really frustrating, a leader is the one who carries his team and his organization forward.  That is what a leader needs to do – look at the bright side of each and every occurrence.

Respectful – The next important quality of a good leader is building and maintaining relationships.  A good leader innately knows the importance of relationships.  They know that the strength of a leader comes from the people that follow and support them.  That is why a good leader respects others.  An ethical leader should not use his followers as a medium to achieve his personal goals.  He should respect their feelings, decisions and values.  Respecting the followers implies listening effectively to them, being compassionate to them, as well as being liberal in hearing opposing viewpoints.

Restraint – It would seem to most people that success in our world often focuses around the extremes: the fastest, the biggest, the loudest, etc.  When, in fact, it is still the lesson of Tortoise and the Hare that shows us the benefit of “slow and steady.”  Avoiding excesses and practicing moderation in life are safe ways to avoid many foolish pitfalls.

Reverence – This virtue is a kindred spirit to humility and respect, but it goes one crucial step farther.  It is a choice to display honor in all one’s dealings out of sobering respect for or fear of something more powerful than oneself.  For many this could be a religious belief for others it could an internal urge to contribute to society.  Whatever the motivation, without reverence many of the other crucial values mentioned above will likely seem disingenuous to others.