Category Archives: Character Quotes
Marcus Aurelius – Roman emperor, best known for his Meditations on Stoic philosophy, AD 121-180
Jefferson made this famous quote in a letter to his daughter, Martha, on May 5, 1787. It speaks to the character quality of Diligence.
The definition we use from the Character Training Institute is:
The wisest man who ever lived, King Solomon, understood the importance of diligence:
Seest thou a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings…
The etymology of the word “character” comes from a Greek word that means “an engraved mark” much like you would chisel into a stone. In the same way, it is our character that leaves a lasting mark on our reputation and the lives of others…
I’m reading Larry Kreider’s new book “21 Tests of Effective Leadership” and so far have been very impressed. Larry identifies 21 tests that each leader must/should encounter and pass in order to be truly effective. If you do not learn the lesson the first time around, God will keep bringing you back to until you do. Each test is identified with a maxim that explains the principle underlying the test.
The first test is the Calling Test and the maxim is: An effective leader will discover his calling and trust God to manifest it.
According to Larry, “God will not call you to something he does not give you the grace to do.” I have used very similar words in counselling those who are seeking to find God’s call in their life.
And it certainly applies to the field of law enforcement. In the early days of my career, I was an “evangelist” of sorts, always trying to recruit young folks into the profession. Later on, as I began to see the destructive effects of the police lifestyle on the lives and families of officers under my command, I took the opposite approach. I began to encourage them to find something else to do with their lives.
Then, as I matured in my leadership roles, I realized that neither extreme is correct. Now, I counsel would-be officers to examine their hearts to determine if they are genuinely CALLED into the profession. If the answer is yes, pursue it with all of the energy God gives you. If not, find something else to do because you will likely be miserable and unsuccessful.
It ties in with Stephen Covey’s thoughts about the ideals of law enforcement. As you may know, he is the author of the Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. Some years ago he put together a law enforcement version called the Seven Habits of Highly Effective Police Officers. I took my entire command staff to attend the seminar and it had a profound effect on our performance. I highly recommend it.
Go to Larry’s website to learn more about the 21 Tests of Effective Leadership.
I just started reading “21 Tests of Effective Leadership” by Larry Kreider and already found a great quote in the Introduction! Larry outlines 21 tests that God takes leaders through as He develops their character. I can relate to many of them just by reading some of the chapter titles:
- The Calling Test – An effective leader will discover his calling and trust God to manifest it.
- The Humility Test – Effective leaders give credit to others
- The Releasing Test – An effective leader knows how to empower others
- The Transition Test – An effective leader understands and leads to process of change
- The Criticism Test (I can really relate to this one) – An effective leader accepts criticism and grows in the process
- The Conflict Test – An effective leader embraces healthy confrontation
- The Integrity Test – An effective leader is the same in public as in private
- The Security Test – Effective leaders find security in who they are, not in what they do
- The Expectations Test – Effective leaders avoid unmet expectations
- The Perseverance Test – Effective leaders never give up!
- The Timing Test – Effective leaders understand times and seasons
- The Kingdom Test – Effective leaders focus on the eternal kingdom
Right now Larry is offering his book at a 50% discount. You can learn more about it at http://www.dcfi.org/House2House/21_Tests_of_Leadership.htm
I can already tell that these principles are very consistent with the principles of Police Dynamics and Dynamic Leadership. I look forward to reading the rest of the book…