Why? Because the majority in the middle… the average… is made up of people very good at what they do. In fact, in this day and time, very good is the middle. So, to blend in, shoot for very good!

We’ll call this a Leader of Character’s “right attitude,” somewhat borrowing from Buddhist’s teachings.

Positive- Very important!  Nothing will hinder or derail a leader faster than a negative attitude; therefore, it’s vitally important to maintain a positive attitude.  The old saying “One bad apple will spoil the whole bunch” can be attributed to a single person with a negative attitude in a group.  Negative attitudes are very invasive and contagious; one person with a negative attitude can bring the attitude down of a bunch of other people.  Conversely, a positive attitude is also contagious, though not necessarily as powerfully as a negative attitude.

Optimistic- Hope is a very powerful force with people.  We humans are capable of incredible feats as long as hope is alive.  A leader who is optimistic gives followers hope.  Conversely, just like someone with a negative attitude, pessimists, especially perpetual pessimists, have an intensely negative effect on people’s hope for a positive outcome.

Enthusiastic- We enjoy being around enthusiastic people because we get a lot of positive energy from enthusiastic people.  Enthusiastic people are very magnetic because humans are inherently drawn to positive energy. Enthusiasm is also extremely contagious.

Happy- People are drawn to happy people. Actually, if we get down to the most basic reason we do what we do, happiness is the ultimate goal in all of our lives.  We naturally like being happy and we like being around happy people because they make us happy too.

Energetic- People get energy from energetic people.

Can-do- The leader has to be able to get things done, that’s what leadership is all about, a can-do attitude.

Go-getter- The leader must be the first to step up when someone needs to step up.  The leader also must not shy away from what needs to be done.

Flexible- The leader must change when change is necessary.  Change is difficult for many people, so being open to change is one of a leader’s key responsibilities.

Adaptive- The leader must be able to make the best of every situation.

Respectful- The leader must treat people with care and respect.

Inspiring- People want to be inspired and excited.

Attentive- The leader must pay close attention to followers and whatever is going on.

Steady- Followers want the leader to maintain a steady attitude no matter what’s going on.  The leader must especially maintain a steady attitude when others let their emotions take over their attitude.

Consistent- A leader’s attitude must remain relatively consistent so that followers will always know what to expect.  It is hard to trust someone if they have a different attitude every day because you never know what to expect.

Become a friendlier person: your “likability”:

1. Don’t criticize, condemn, or complain. (boy do I need to work on this one!)

2. Give honest, sincere appreciation.

3. Arouse in the other person an eager want.

4. Become genuinley interested in other people.

5. Smile.

6. Remember that a person’s name is to that person the sweetest and most important sound in any language.

7. Be a good listener.

8. Talk in terms of the other person’s interests.

9. Make the other person feel important- do it sincerely.

When we do just enough to get by, who are we really shortchanging?

Why do we shortchange ourselves so much all the time?

1) External Locus of Control People- you know this person: it’s never their fault; other people are idiots and always causing them problems; they have excuses for everything that goes wrong in their life (sounds like a bunch of college students!).    It’s not their fault.  It’s out of their control.  They’re victims.  Victims?… sounds like a bunch of Americans doesn’t it?

2) No Control People- just go through life letting whatever happens happen without giving any thought to why it happened or what they might do to make something different happen.  They trudge or follow along with whatever’s happening at the moment following the easiest path.  They spend little time thinking about their future or their past.  I think most people fit into this category.

3) Internal Locus of Control People- are in charge of what happens in their own lives.  They try to make whatever happens to happen.  They don’t let themselves give or accept excuses because they know that you can find an excuse for everything, for every mistake, every failure, and that always leads to us letting ourselves off the hook, not holding ourselves responsible, or setting our standards so low that they serve us no benefit.  They know that they’re in charge of their own success in life, and failures, mistakes, and even tragedies are simply learning experiences.

So, you have to ask:
Which one am I?
Which one should I be?
Which one is the most successful and happiest people?

So, there you go, there’s lot’s of reasons for LSUS’s lack of growth, one reason is in fact its lack of growth.

It’s hard to be proud of something that’s not dynamic and successful.

There’s also something else: I think education and character are mutually exclusive.  In fact, I’m beginning to think that for some people, the more educated they are the lower their character is.

Which are you?