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Billy Long

I am a Christian, a Husband and a Father, in that order. Leadership is important to me, because I see too many outside influences acting on the lives of my children, and I need support to make sure I am the most dominant influence. I appreciate your feedback and enjoy reading your input. Thanks in advance for being part of this endeavor.

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Leadership Ethos

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ethosEthos is a Greek word meaning “character” that is used to describe the guiding beliefs or ideals that characterize a community, nation, or ideology.  Ethos forms the root of ethikos, meaning “moral, showing moral character”. Late Latin borrowed it as ethicus, the feminine of which is the origin of the modern English word ethics. Strong morals however, without a strong “Ethos”, will only create a pseudo leader in the eyes of subordinates, due to one’s inability to turn a decision into action, especially during a crisis situation, when there is no play book to follow, and the ability to seize the moment is a must. It is my belief that leadership strategists, to a degree, have ignored the cultivation of a leadership ethos, and have instead created moral compartmentalization, behaviors that focus on self preservation and careerism, which inevitably erodes the important foundation of trust between would-be leaders and their rank and file. In my opinion, this does nothing to encourage the “follow me” leadership attitude needed to move ahead in today’s challenging times.

Aristotle described “ethos” as a type of leadership in which a leader influences others to change their values, and thus their performance. A leadership ethos is not about what a person says or promises. It is about one’s presence, behavior, beliefs, and core leadership principles that affect how others will follow. A leadership ethos creates a personal “aura” that is attractive and one that others will turn to in time of need.

So what is a leadership ethos?

A leadership ethos is based upon principles rather than values. Principles are foundational and timeless, whereas values are usually derived from accepted norms whose underlying bases rely on contemporary wisdom of ideas of the day. Values tend to fluctuate with trends and conventional wisdom. Principles however, transcend time, feelings, and individual desires, and involve fundamental truths as the basis for reasoning or action.

In his book, “Leadership Secrets of the Rogue Warrior”, Richard Marcinko (founder of SEAL Team Six) created his own leadership ethos which contained seven basic principles that include: 

  1. I will test my theories on myself first. I will be my own guinea pig
  2. I will be totally committed to what I believe, and I will risk all that I have for these beliefs
  3. I will back my subordinates all the way when they take reasonable risks to help me achieve my goals
  4. I will not punish my people for making mistakes. I will only punish them for not learning from their mistakes.
  5. I will not be afraid to take action, because I know that almost any action is better than inaction. And I know that sometimes not acting is the boldest action of all
  6. I will always make it crystal clear where I stand and what I believe
  7. I will always be easy to find: I will be at the center of the battle

 

I leave you with one final thought on character. I once heard it defined as this:  Your character is defined as how you act, and what you do, when nobody is watching, or how you treat people when you have no reason to treat them well. 

I think to be a good leader, you have to be willing to be a good follower.  One of the men I am following is Richard Marcinko.  And that is a bit of my leadership ethos.

 

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The Modern Sheepdog

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In today’s society there are typically three (3) types of people, there are sheep, there are wolves and there are sheepdogs.

All 3Most of the people in our society are sheep, they are kind, gentle, productive souls who are truly only able to hurt each other by accident.  Occasionally they will be provoked into hurting one another under extreme circumstances, but the vast majority of these crimes are committed by a very small element of society based on the total number of citizens.

I mean no offense by calling the majority of population “sheep”, but I compare it to the pretty blue robin’s egg, or the vibrant green butterfly cocoon.  Without the firmness, rigidity and protection of these hard outer layers, the beautifulness would never be able to flourish.

If we have sheep, (the good) we must have wolves, (the evil). There are people in this world with evil in their hearts, who want nothing more than to feed on the sheep, they are the wolves. They are capable of evil deeds, they will descend on the flock without mercy, and the moment you turn your back or pretend they don’t exist, you become a sheep. There is no safety in denial.

If you have no capacity for violence, and are a productive member of society, then you are a sheep, if you have a capacity for violence and no compassion or empathy for your fellow man, you are a wolf, but what if you have compassion and love for your fellow man, you are a productive member of society but you have developed a capacity for violence?

Then there are the sheepdogs.  The real issue with sheepdogs is they look a lot like the wolves, so the sheep tend to keep their distance.  They have fangs and a capacity for violence and do not fear the wolves. The difference however is a Sheepdog, either by design, by will or by shear understanding of their position will not and must not ever hurt a sheep.  If a sheepdog ever was to hurt the tiniest of little lambs, he must be punished and removed.

The sheepdog disturbs the sheep, he asks questions, and enforces rules and trains in ways that disturbs the lives of the sheep.  The sheep don’t always like the sheepdog because he is a constant reminder of the wolves lurking nearby.  The sheep don’t like it up to the point where the wolf shows up.  Then the entire flock expects to hide behind one lonely sheepdog.

Please know there is nothing morally superior about being a sheepdog, it is simply a choice.  They are typically the people that are willing to work late, they are the ones who volunteer.  You can usually find them out on the perimeter sniffing the breeze, barking loudly at things that go bump in the night.

Here is how the sheep and sheepdog think differently; recently there was a horrible shooting at a certain movie theatre in Colorado.  The sheep are all thankful they were not in that theatre and had to witness the terrible things that went on there.  The sheepdogs, while praying for peace for the families that were affected, wish that they had been there, as maybe they could have made a difference.

Some people may be destined to be sheep, and others may be genetically predetermined to be wolves or sheepdogs, but I believe most people can choose which one they want to be, and I am proud to say I strive every day to provide the best protection I can to my flock.  Be a sheepdog.

The Modern Sheepdog Concept,. Interpreted by Billy Long, originally by Lt. Col Dave Grossman, US Army Special Forces (RET) as told to US Navy Special Warfare Group 10 in 1990.