Character and Competance

"Once you become aware that both character and competence are vital to trust, you can see how the combination of these two dimensions is reflected in the approach of effective leaders and observers everywhere. People might use different words to express the idea, but if you reduce the words to their essence, what emerges is a balancing of character and competence." Page 31.

Character: Integrity and Intent

Competance: Capabilities and Results


Scripture

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Credibility Core #1 - Integrity

Defining Integrity - Congruent + Humility + Courage

Congruent: walk-the-talk, acting in harmony with deepest values.

Humility: a humble person is more concerned about what is right than about being right, about acting on good ideas than having the ideas, about embracing new truth than defending outdated position, about building the team than exalting self, about recognizing contribution than being recognized for making it.

Courage: having the courage to do the right thing - even when it's hard.


Scripture


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Credibility Core #2 - Intent

What is Intent? - Motive + Agenda + Behavior

Motive: your reason for doing something. It's the "why" that motivates the "what."

Agenda: it grows out of motive. It is what you intend to do or promotive because of your motive.

Behavior: it is the manifestation of motive and agenda.

Scripture

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Credibility Core #3 - Capabilities

T. A. S. K. S

Talents: our natural gifts and strengths

Attitude: our paradigms - our ways of seeing, as well as our ways of being

Skills: our proficiencies, the things we can do well.

Knowledge: our learning, insight, understanding, and awareness

Style: our unique approach and personality

Evaluation and Correction. To maintain capabilities, one must engage in the discipline of robust evaluation and correction.
Scripture

Test everything; hold fast to what is good. Flee from what is evil. 1 Thessalonians 5: 20,21

Positive Profile - Joshua 11: 16-23. Joshua got the job done (MSB, 257)

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Credibility Core #4: Results

Question to ask: What is your track record?

Results Matter!

They matter to your credibility. They matter to your ability to establish and maintain trust with others.

In considering results, you always need to ask two critical questions: What results am I getting? and How am I getting those results? Most people only ask the what. They have no idea that the answer to the how may be doing them in.

Note: Covey gives 2 1/2 pages of "Defining Results" in the book that warrants reading and understanding what he is writing (pages 115 -118).

Scripture

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Behavior #1: Talk Straight

What Talking Straight is -
  • Telling the truth and leave the right impression
  • Being honest
  • Letin g people know where you stand
  • Not manipulating people or distort facts
  • Not spinning the truth
  • Not leaving false impressions
What Talking Straight is not -
  • Beating around the bush
  • Spinning the truth
  • Being technical and leave a false impression
  • Double-talking
  • Withholding information
Scripture
  • Colossains 4:6 Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you should answer everyone.
  • Proverbs 18:21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue

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1 Samuel 10:3 – 12:25; While Samuel wasn’t “King,” he was the King of Communication. Samuel….

a. spoke words of revelation (back in 7:3)
b. spoke words of inspiration (10:3-6)
c. spoke words of exhortation (10:24)
d. spoke words of affirmation (10:24)
e. spoke words of information (10L25)
f. spoke words of declaration (12:20-25)

Samuel kept his message simple, knew his audience, lived what he preached and looked for a response from the people by urging them to obey God.


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Genesis 2:15-17, 3:1-6; communication was one of many ways that Adam failed by…

a. ignoring some details in the message he was supposed to communicate
b. allowed himself to be influenced more by Eve than God
c. failing to remember, or ignoring, the consequences of disobeying God
d. not taking responsibility for his communication failure

In this example the king’s hunger for power, unreasonable demands, poor decision and unwillingness to listen ultimately led to his destruction.

Listening and hearing are two separate things. While we all hear as it’s a function of our ears, listening is a willingness, even a response to hearing.


Application Points-to-Ponder

- you may be a good speaker, but are you a good communicator?

- do you pay close attention to what God is telling you?

- regardless of your temperament, skill or gifts, do you give appropriate attention to detail?

- as a leader and a follower are you clear about the message your speaking and hearing?

Behavior #2: Demonstrate Respect

What Demonstrating Respect is -

  • Genuinely caring for others
  • Showing you care
  • Respecting the dignity of every person and every role
  • Treat everyone with respect, especially those who can't do anything for you
  • Show kindness in the littel things
  • Don't fake caring
  • Don't attempt to be efficient with people

What Demonstrating Respect is not -

  • Faking respect or concern
  • Not showing respect or concern
  • Showing respect or concern to some but not everyone

Scripture


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Behavior #3: Create Transparency

What Creating Transparency is -
  • Tell the truth in a way people can verify
  • Get real and genuine
  • be open and authentic
  • err on the side of disclosure
  • Operate on the premise of "What you see is what you get"
  • Don't have hidden agendas
  • Don't hide information

What Creating Transparency is not -

  • Hiding, covering, or being obscure
  • Failing to disclose
  • Pretending
  • Making things appear different than they really are

Behavior #4: Right Wrongs

Behavior #5: Show Loyalty

Behavior #6: Deliver Results

Behavior #7: Get Better

Scripture
  • Romans 12:2 Do not be conformed to this present world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may test and approve what is the will of God – what is good and well-pleasing and perfect.
  • Colossians 1:10 so that you may live worthily of the Lord and please him in all respects – bearing fruit in every good deed, growing in the knowledge of God,

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Behavior #8: Confront Reality

Scripture
  • James 1:2-4 My brothers and sisters, consider it nothing but joy when you fall into all sorts of trials, because you know that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect effect, so that you will be perfect and complete, not deficient in anything.


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Behavior #9: Clarify Expectations

Scripture

  • Colossians 1:28-29 We proclaim him by instructing and teaching all people with all wisdom so that we may present every person mature in Christ. 1:29 Toward this goal I also labor, struggling according to his power that powerfully works in me.

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Behavior #10: Practice Accountability

Behavior #11: Listen First

Scripture

“…let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath” 
James 1:19

What Listen First is
  • Listen  before  you  speak.  
  • Understand.  
  • Diagnose.  
  • Listen  with  your  ears  –  and your eyes  and  heart.  
  • Find  out  what  the  most  important  behaviors  are  to  the people   you’re  working  with.  
  • Don’t assume you  know  what  matters  most  to others.  
  • Don’t   presume  you  have  all  the  answers  –  or  all  the  questions.      
What Listen First is not –  
  • To  speak  first  and  listen  last,  or  
  • Not  to  listen  at  all    
What can seem like Listening First, but is just a counterfeit -
  • Listening  without  understanding 
  • Pretending  to  listen
  • Spending   “listening”  time  formulating  your  reply
  • Focusing  only  on  getting  out  your   agenda.  

Behavior #12: Keep Commitments

Behavior #13: Extend Trust