That’s the question I’m contemplating today. What is “good”…and what constitutes “good”? Is there enough in it for me? Will I “feel” good? Will it “fire me up” and will it give me the kind of motivation and passion to move forward? Will I have my share of fun in the “good”? And lastly, where will “good” take me and will it lead me to places I want to go? (I certainly don’t want the look or the behaviors of a blowfish!)

If I have enough of the extrinsic motivators (recognition, money, things) then I can define those as rewards of “good”; with those ‘carrots’ dangling I can do all the “good” you expect or require of me. However, what about the intrinsic motivators of doing what is “good”? What about the awareness…the knowledge…the courage…the presence…the synergy…and the ethic of right leadership. When I am in the “good”, then I will have what I truly want…what I am truly looking for…what I may feel should be attainable? Is this right? What is the “good” factor within faithful leadership?

A paralleled conversation that comes up consistently is in the defining of happiness vs. joy. I may not always be happy when in the “good”. The “good” may be painful and not so much fun…it may even feel obligatory, but you know that others are watching…accessing…critiquing you at every turn. Sometimes that pressure can create enough energy that I feel like I am ready to blow! That constant measurement is too much accountability. However, history has shown that I can experience joy when in the “good”. Joy that comes from doing what is right…joy that the consequences will be ones that I can look at…own as mine…make a difference with…and live with them into eternity.

Wow…why can’t things just be like the popular cultural phrase, “it’s all good”? Because it’s not all good. You can find yourself momentarily happy because of the circumstances you believe are “good” and then be miserable forever for that experience…or you can experience joy because you were in the “good”…and that is a lot more palatable when you have to carry it around with you 24/7. Living within that kind of joy can illuminate our souls and inspire us toward greatness. It’s the joy expressed in right leadership that may be harder to do…but easier to live with.

Hence, the next question I ask is, “How do I recognize “good”, specific to me, and how do I sustain “good” in my life?” Now we are getting to the core…the core of truth, the core of epistemology, the core of love, and the core of ethic…the accountability factor…big time!! Now before I go on….I have to admit that I get tired at times when you fling that accountability word in my face. Why can’t I just ‘wing it’ and have fun…no harm done there, huh? Wrong.

Whenever we can ascertain what is “good” that we can enter into…that we can join…that we can become a “part of”…then we are using more than the good angel on the shoulder opposite of the guy in red on our other shoulder. You got it…we are using our micro-community. We are using the lens of affiliate relationships that can challenge as well as encourage. This community of ours won’t always be in agreement with us…they won’t always say how wonderful we are…they won’t accept the bad choices and behaviors that are less than what we can be. That’s why the micro-community is critical to our leadership…how we lead from the inside out and how “good” is going to be contextualized….because it will show up; sooner or later. How we live out our leadership is visible to all and will impact and influence those who are watching…for the positive or the negative. Therefore, who we choose as our micro-community is of extreme importance as they are the lens that we need in order to sustain what is deemed “good”.

So…where does that lead me today? What do I need to reflect on, become aware of, listen to, and design as my matrix of “good”? It begins with the questions of, ‘what is important’, ‘what do I do about it’, ‘who will help’, what is the plan’, ‘what needs to be developed’, and ‘how do I achieve sustainability of excellence…the “good” that will define who I am as a leader from the inside out.

What is “right”…”truthful”…”good” for you? Who can lead you to the mirror on the wall and steer you from self-deception? Who can love you enough to be truthful with a spirit of honesty that seeks to support rather than tear down? Who can walk beside you in a relationship of accountability that raises your game…ups your level of leadership…celebrates the joy of being in the “good” that defines the purpose and quality of your life?

Find those people…with all speed…with pugnacious intent…and with an openness of spirit. Find those people that will aid in your response to what is “good” for your life and will cheer you as you take the steps…the possible leaps of courage…whatever it takes to live the life of a faithful leader. Those relationships are the real rewards of a life lived as “good”. Remember, it’s always the people that matter in life…not the things.

The shield of Authenticity, Execution, Greater Good, Integrity, and Sustainability. 

You might be thinking that with the topic of today’s coaching notes, AEGIS, that there will be references to shields that have some ‘bounce’.  That might not have been a bad idea back when these shields were made and used.  I kinda like the idea of having the ability to repel those things that are harmful; it would also make for a good laugh just to see it in action.

And I can tell you that this week as I cut my finger and had to have stitches at the Holland Emergency room that I would have wished that the knife would have ‘bounced’ off my finger!!@!!  But, I guess I was getting a bit ‘cocky’ about not ever having stitches from an accident.  Hopefully, it will be my last time as I am not so tough when dealing with my own injury!  Anyway…back to Aegis…

      

When the fiends have come there is nowhere to hide

      

I must swing my axe, my brothers at my side

      

Feeding on our own fear, passions running high

      

Fleeing not a choice, better to fight and die

 

      

In the shield-wall we stand to defend our land

      

Holding till the end

 

      

Brace the storm and keep the shining blades at bay

      

Fight to let our kingdom live another day

      

Heed the old one’s cries, we mustn’t let them down

      

We will slaughter them to keep them from the crown

 

      

In the shield-wall we stand to defend our land

      Holding till the end 

                  

–Battle hymn or paen–

 

Ahh…I love the historical movies that depict battle; the struggle, the sacrifice, and the heroism.  So when I watched the movie “300” I was locked-in to the characters and the sacrifices that were made during that final battle. Yet, what caught my passion were the concepts of the shield-wall and the formation of the phalanx.  My thoughts immediately started to blend this concept with the concept of leadership; the faithful leadership that puts others first.  This phalanx wasn’t designed to cover your own person, but to protect the person on your left.  You are only as strong as the person on your right…they are protecting you as you are using your own strength and skill to protect another.  Novel idea, huh?  You don’t find too much of that kind of leadership, especially in corporate business…unless maybe your reality is a battlefield.  (Maybe a battlefield is an accurate depiction of corporate?)

 

Men wear their helmets and their breastplates for their own needs, but they carry shields for the men of the entire line.

—Plutarch, Moralia

Now, if you watched the movie, those guys were built…I mean “well-muscled”…all over!   Yes, I couldn’t help but notice…I’m married but not blind! But in the days of the Greeks, most of these men were approx. 150 lbs…carrying approx. 70 lbs. in armor!  Incredible strength and skill was necessary; and another component…resolve, a ferocious resolve!  And because of the shield-wall…no man was greater than any other…it was the combined strength, skill, and resolve that would define the outcome of the battle; victory or defeat, life or death.

 

Signs of courageous leadership came as the rows upon rows of men were arranged typically about eight ranks deep, and stretching for about a quarter of a mile or more.  The commanding general –the strategos—took position in the front rank, at the extreme right – the most exposed position in the entire army.  Generals typically had short careers (take note)!  As lines neared, both sides would break into a run.  The challenge for the general was to maintain cohesion (and the shield-wall) while still gaining enough momentum for the crash.  It took all the ranks to push and hack and spear and shatter the army in front of them.  Although gruesome to watch sometimes in the movie, the battle was very decisive; short with low casualties in comparison to modern combat.  Battles were kept short –even a single battle – so that people could get back to their lives. 

 

Aegis, in Greek mythology, was the shield made by Zeus from the head of the snake-headed Medusa.  Aegis, now in modern English, is to mean a shield, protection, or sponsorship.  The concept of doing something “under someone’s aegis” means doing something under the protection of a powerful, knowledgeable, or benevolent source.  Bottom line…its protection given by your “community” needed against strong forces.

 

As you all know by now, I love to create acronyms that have meaning toward leadership principles.  This is what I came up for ‘aegis’:

 

      A  -  Authenticity – what’s real and true

      

E  - Execution  -  action with decisive results

      

G  -  Greater Good – faithful leadership impacting others; putting

         aside ego

      

I  -   Integrity -  commitment towards honesty, right choices, and

      

follow-thru

      

S  -  Sustainability  -  strength to stand and run into fears with the

      

          shield-wall of core convictions.

 

You know, we all might be in situations that could be better.  They’re not ideal; they rarely follow the story I told last week.  But we do have choices in what we are going to decide; how we are going to live and lead.  There is meaning in truth and honesty, meaning to building trust in our relationships along with motivation to not just do better but be better, and meaning to foster micro-community relationships and to have a resiliency to get through what life throws at us!  But just think about the power of a group of leaders that can come together, with all of their differences (strengths and weaknesses), despite the silos that they have used to define and protect their boundaries, and become that shield-wall when ‘battle’ is necessary.  Remember, it’s not an everyday occurrence, because work and life need to continue, yet it gives me goose bumps to think of leaders (you) that see the bigger picture…they see it in big screen size…they get ‘it’; true and faithful leadership.  

 

My challenge, and yours, is to put aside the self-destructive habits of denial, arrogance, complacency, defensiveness, entitlement, and poor execution and find ourselves picking up our shields, falling into rank, and covering not just our own self but the ‘other’ on our left.  Build the relationships and develop the communication skills that enact great leadership principles.  Your team, your micro-community, your family…they are the ranks in your personal phalanx.  Learn to carry the shield, strengthen your core convictions, and be the faithful leader that runs forward with tough resolve and resiliency.

 

As you and I all encounter and face the challenges to be more than an effective leader, especially in work environments, let me say how much confidence I have in your ability to lead from within…from the convictions that have been stamped and approved by experience, reflection, accountability, wisdom of age, and the daily choice we all have of ‘right action’.  Don’t just settle…don’t just exist…don’t “fold”…there are others that are depending on the protection of our shields.