03.31.16
Heroes, Honor and Leaders
This past weekend someone shared the following research regarding leadership with me and a group of other individuals. I’m not sure who the author of this research is but I found these points interesting and helpful.
These are attributes that are held in common across most cultures. This research went back thousands of years and here are the top six attributes that were most common. For this research they looked at military, martial arts, legal codes and religious precepts.
Honor, Honesty, Humility, Heroism, Generosity, Integrity
Honor
Honor refers to worthiness to be admired by others. It is behavior that is always upright
and blameless and worthy to be emulated by others. Honor respects life and acts to protects
innocent life. Honor respects other persons and acts to protect the defenseless from harm and
exploitation. Honor seeks to help those who are in need. Honor respects and gives grace to
others in love. In this, an honorable person respects cultural norms and manners, yet not in a
manner that would violate another person, even one of culturally low estate. Those who are
honorable also seek justice for others and for society as a whole.
Honesty
Honesty refers to communications (in word and deed) with others with truthfulness and
that does not lie or deceive. Honesty requires absolute fairness in all transactions -a fair scale
and a just heart. Honesty commands the respect of others, even those who are not similarly
inclined, and also actively seeks truth and exposes lies so that deception cannot succeed against
the honest person.
Humility
Humility refers to not holding oneself above anyone else. Humility gives recognition to
others to whom it is due. Humility does not demand honor or glory from others, but accepts
honor gracefully. Humility gives honor to the lowly when it is due. The humble person respects
all who are in authority, and exercises authority over others with respect. Humility brings a
person to do whatever tasks, no matter how lowly, need to be done- humility does not elevate
one task above another.
Heroism
Heroism is the manifestation of courage and purpose above what is required by others.
Courage is the ability to do what is right and needful despite fears. Heroism provides for people
to act and to help others sacrificially (even risking death, if need be). Heroism assumes purposes
of love for others above love for self. The heroic person has purposes above or outside of
himself to accomplish that which a greater good than self-interests. Heroism seeks to deliver and
provide relief for those in need or to remove the sources of their distress.
Generosity
Generosity is giving without expectation of repayment and without a motivation of
endearment or obligation. (Giving generously may be anonymous.) The generous person gives
to satisfy true needs of the needy or of society without any expectation of the acknowledgment of
others; therefore the generous person may be quick to volunteer or to give materially when a
need becomes known.
Integrity
A person of integrity is always the same in character in every circumstance; they are
totally without hypocrisy. Thus, integrity means that a person always acts consistently in his
character without regard of the circumstances. However, integrity also embodies righteousness
and moral or ethical behavior toward others. Therefore, a person of integrity values other
persons and will not violate their personhood physically, emotionally, or spiritually.
This is a great reminder to always look at where we are at and how we can improve. I hope you benefited from it as much as I have.
Regards,
Brian
