FOLLOW THE LEADER
- Knowing that we are responsible – “response-able” – is
fundamental to effectiveness and to every other habit of
effectiveness...^13
- “The successful person has the habit of doing the things
failures don’t like to do,” he (E. M. Gray) observed. “They
don’t like doing them either necessarily. But their disliking is
subordinated to the strength of their purpose.”^14
- Mental Habits Th at Support Lifelong Learning
Risk taking: Willingness to push oneself out of comfort
zones
Humble self-refl ection: Honest assessment of successes and failures,
especially the latter
Solicitation of opinions: Aggressive collection of
information and ideas from others
Careful listening: Propensity to listen to others
Openness to new ideas: Willingness to view life with an
open mind^15
- The young man of leadership caliber will work while others
waste time, study while others snooze, pray while others
daydream. Slothful habits are overcome, whether in
thought, deed, or dress. The emerging leader eats right,
stands tall, and prepares himself to wage a good warfare.^16
- Leaders who betray their basic values, who brush aside the
principles they publicly espouse, pay a heavy cost with the
passage of time. With every compromise of principle, the
principle itself has less power over us. Before long a pattern
emerges, ultimately solidifying into a habit. Further down
the line, the habit becomes ingrained and a new aspect
has alloyed itself into the character. Our lives are this
way. We are constantly engaged in the work of making and
remaking ourselves – like it or not – by means of the choices
we make day to day...^17
