By Ray Blunt

Exploring three "courses" essential to learning to lead-reflective work that results in a guiding life worldview and purpose; learning from the life and experiences of mentors; and being part of a community of practice that learns together and holds each other accountable.

Nearly all men can stand the test of adversity, but if you really want to test a man's character, give him power.
                                                                                         -Abraham Lincoln

Lincoln was no stranger to adversity; nearly all biographies and illustrations concerning the greatness of Lincoln stress the many setbacks and hardships he endured before he reached the presidency. Even then, students of perhaps the greatest leader in our nation's history find that he only had begun to face the opposition and severe personal and leadership challenges of national divisions and war that plagued his life until his untimely death. How is it then that in his own estimation, the ultimate test of his leadership capacity--and his character--came not in the loss of a child or the betrayal of friends; neither in the repeated failures to be elected to office nor in the unprecedented slaughter of the young men that he had called upon to wage war against their brothers? Rather, it came in reaching the very goal that he had so long sought--leadership of the nation. What a paradox. Yet this is the paradox that ultimately tests the character of all who aspire to reach leadership once they arrive. It is the ultimate crucible of leadership. And sadly, from what I hear in my work, many fail that test.

Growing Future Leaders

For almost eight years now, I have been spending much of my time--the second half of life--on the purpose of helping to grow the next generation of public service leaders. My 35 years in government had convinced me that the need for growing good leaders is a large, and often misunderstood, challenge and one that is generally not well addressed in any systematic fashion. The recent survey of human capital only underscored the widespread beliefs that most federal employees do not trust or respect their senior leaders. A lot of my research in these past years and extensive interaction with both rising and current senior government leaders only has confirmed that conclusion. But also I realized how little I really did know eight years ago and how much there is yet to learn about how to prepare good leaders for the task.

What I have concluded is that developing future leaders lays not in the lack of systematic and intentional leadership development programs in government--what is now called human capital planning or leadership succession programs--and which does remain a gap. Rather, the larger issue lays squarely in resolving the very paradox that Lincoln understood so well. Developing character in leaders that will withstand the crucible of acquired power over others--whether as a GS-13 team leader, a senior executive, or an assistant secretary--this is the central, root issue to address. This "character gap" remains both the most discussed and yet least acted upon leadership challenge in public service today. How can I say that? Simple. It is the parable of the emperor's clothes--or at least that is the story that seems to be told most often to me.

Great Leaders-Lousy Leaders

"Aslan," said Lucy, "you're bigger."
"That is because you are older, little one," answered he.
"Not because you are?"
"I am not. But every year you grow, you will find me bigger."
          --from Prince Caspian in The Chronicles of Narnia

Some leaders grow in our estimation. The better we know them; the more often we see them in tight circumstances; the higher they go in rank--we learn what lies in their hearts and we like what we "see." For others, it is the opposite--we begin to realize that they are without the clothes of trusted leadership in the crucibles of work and life. Let me elaborate on that somewhat disturbing observation by using an illustration of something I have used with young leaders to demonstrate why we follow others--in other words what is it most people look for in a leader? In short, why would someone follow you? It is a simple exercise called Great Leaders -- Lousy Leaders. Having done it now probably at least 50 times I can almost predict the outcome. (And, by the way, "great" and "lousy" refer to their leadership and not necessarily to the people, themselves.)

Great? Lousy?

Think of two people for whom you have worked. Each one asks you to come work for him or her again--he or she is starting a new leadership job and wants you on board the bus. If the first one were to ask, you would drop what you are now doing in a heartbeat to go with him or her to help get the job done. However, if the second one approached you with the same request, you would get away from him or her--and without a second thought. Now here is the question: What qualities do each possess that would cause you either to follow him or her where he or she is going or to turn away from him or her without looking back? The learning part of this exercise is that each time I have done this with a group of mid-career or senior leaders, and we all have stood back and taken a look at our collective handiwork, we see a very interesting pattern. What does it reveal? The first impression is that it demonstrates that what experienced people look for in a leader does underscore at least some of the current leadership competencies of which most are aware--the Executive Core Qualifications (ECQ). The most often named are vision, communications skill, decisiveness, and flexibility.

The Main Thing

But second, with a deeper look, what people really are looking for in leaders falls much more into an arena that can only be referred to as character: humility, courage (moral and personal), caring, integrity, and perseverance, being the five themes that are identified consistently. This is what I continue to find as to why, primarily, people follow and trust their leaders, particularly in the crucibles of change or crisis.

Now I realize, these are not scientific findings, but, if anything, these repeated results are far more powerful in my estimation and in the estimation of those rising leaders with whom I work. These are the lessons of experience. So what does it tell us? Listen in on what might be called an "us and them" conversation that normally follows the exercise. In group after group this is what I hear about "lousy" leaders.

• "She talks a good game, but doesn't walk it."
• "He never listens to anyone. He thinks he knows everything."
• "In two years, I've never seen him come out of his throne room to talk to people except when there's a problem."
• "She will never accept responsibility for a screw up-especially publicly. It's always someone else's fault unless we have a success, then it's all her doing."
• "Things go into his office for a decision, but unless he knows his boss agrees, it just sits on the desk for months until there's a crisis. He just won't cross his boss even if it's the right thing to do."
• "I had hoped things would change around here, but even though our core values look nice on the wall, they've become a bad joke around here."

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