Ethics 101: What Every Leader Needs to Know by John C. Maxwell

Author:John C. Maxwell
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Tags: Leadership, Business
ISBN: 9780446578097
Publisher: Center Street
Published: 2005-05-10T22:00:00+00:00

6

Seizing Your Golden Opportunity

I THINK JUST ABOUT EVERYBODY IS LOOKING FOR A GOLDEN opportunity. Businesspeople in particular possess a keen eye for such things. Recently I asked my research assistant, Kathie Wheat, to search the Web for a “golden opportunity.” She reported that in less than one-fourth of a second, the search engine Google returned 1,310,000 hits on that phrase. You name it, and there was an offer for it, claiming to be a golden opportunity. You could buy fried chicken restaurant franchises or bride’s jewelry. You could sign up for yoga classes, get tips on hot stocks, or engage in multifamily recycling of solid waste. There was even an offer to develop recombinant proteins in chicken eggs—whatever that means!

How do you find a true golden opportunity among all the offers that are really made of lead? You don’t look outside yourself. Most people think their greatest opportunities come from a job, an investment, or a market niche. But the truth is that the greatest opportunity you have is to change who you are. It’s like offering a position on the Olympics team to someone who hasn’t trained for their event. The good news is that he has been granted a shot at winning. The bad news is that he’s not ready for it.

YOU CAN’T CAPITALIZE ON AN OPPORTUNITY YOU RECEIVE ON THE OUTSIDE UNTIL YOU’VE DONE THE GROUNDWORK ON THE INSIDE.

ONE THING LEADS TO ANOTHER

I suspect that was the problem for some of the CEOs who ruined their careers and destroyed their companies in recent years. They hadn’t done the ethical groundwork on the inside before attaining power. Their weak character prompted them to make bad decisions, and with each poor choice, they got into deeper trouble. Character problems tend to snowball. C. S. Lewis gave insight into the process using a military metaphor. He explained,

Good and evil both increase at compound interest. That is why the little decisions you and I make every day are of such infinite importance. The smallest good act today is the capture of a strategic point from which, a few months later, you may be able to go on to victories you never dreamed of. An apparently trivial indulgence in lust or in anger today is the loss of a ridge or railway line or bridgehead from which the enemy may launch an attack otherwise impossible.1

If you want to be able to pursue golden opportunities, then pursue the development of strong character first. That will position you well to face any ethical challenges that may lie ahead and to make the most of your chances when your time comes. Here’s how I suggest you proceed:

A PERSON OF RESPONSIBILITY CAN TRUST HIMSELF TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT THING OVER THE EASY THING.

1. Take Responsibility for Your Actions

U.S. President Woodrow Wilson observed, “Responsibility is proportionate to opportunity.” Why is that? Because a person of responsibility can trust himself to choose the right thing over the easy thing. He takes to heart the words of historian Will Durant, who said, “Never mind your happiness; do your duty.

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