“This book pricks the consciousness of all leaders to review the ethical standards established in the running of their departments, divisions, or companies.  The current events in business highlight the impact on society when leaders show lack of integrity, honesty, and principled leadership.  People lose jobs, financial markets become suspect, and good people get tainted by the actions of a few.

Let this book serve to motivate and direct leaders to consider integrity, honesty and ethics in their decision making and leadership.”

Jesse R. Penn
President (Retired)
Cordis, Johnson & Johnson

Many of today’s contemporary books on the subject of leadership concerned themselves with the mechanics of leadership.  Encyclopedic volumes have been written about how to lead; and about what to do, and when to do it.  However, few leadership books have given serious consideration to the true purpose of leadership.  That is what this book is all about:  The purpose of leadership.  Creating something of lasting value and worth.

Regardless of a person’s leadership style, there are some fundamental constants that more than anything else define a leader’s legacy.  More than what they accomplish, how they go about accomplishing it, is linked to the person and how they are remembered.  These fundamentals are character, integrity, and ethics.  When these are compromised, the leader will never achieve all that they potentially could have. 

Learning the mechanics of leadership is important.  Leaders must learn how to be effective.  They need to know how to develop strategies based on a well-developed vision.  They must understand the principles of communication, empowerment, delegation, and other fundamental principles of good leadership.  These are all important skills for a leader to have if they are to be successful.  However, what they must always keep in the forefront of their thinking is why they lead.  What is their purpose in leading?

This book addresses the mechanics of leadership.  It clearly presents ideas of the types of behaviors a person must exhibit to be a good leader; including his or her role as mentor, communicator, motivator, change agent, and designer of organizations.  It also addresses the issue of credibility and its important role in the leader’s effectiveness.  Finally, it deals directly with the leader’s character flaws and how to deal with them.  These concepts are presented while illustrating the direct correlation between the leader’s character and integrity to their effectiveness as leaders.   This book will help leaders understand how they can go about creating a legacy that they can be proud of.

Anthony López is the author of “Breakthrough Thinking: The Legacy Leader’s Role In Driving Innovation” and "The Leader's Lobotomy - A Fable.  The Legacy Leader Avoids Promotion Induced Amnesia".   He is also the author of “See You At The Wake: Healing Relationships Before It’s Too Late.”  Tony is a sought after motivational speaker, and is a recognized expert on leadership and management.  He began his career as a US Air Force Officer where he served as a Flight Test Director and Program Manager.  Tony later served as a Human Resources Officer in the Air Force Reserves.  After joining Johnson & Johnson, he held leadership positions in Corporate Engineering, Manufacturing, Marketing, Communications, and General Management.  Tony holds a BS in Electrical Engineering, an MS in Engineering Management with Business Concentration, and is a graduate of the Department of Defense Equal Opportunity Management Institute. You can contact Tony at ablopez85@yahoo.com or tony@thelegacyleader.net

From the Introduction of “The Legacy Leader: Leadership with a Purpose”

So, does character matter?  Does the legacy of a leader matter?  Can it affect the organization’s present and future?  How about its past?  I believe the answer to these questions to be yes.  While the “how to” is critically important as to the success of the leader and ultimately the organization, the “why” can be equally as important.  A leader of high integrity and character will by definition have a vision that is supported long term by the values and believes in the society in which they live.  Ultimately, followers will judge their leaders according to a standard predetermined by their own sense of values and ethics.  For most people there are some shared values despite differences in cultures.  Cheating, lying, stealing, and other unethical or immoral behavior are considered unacceptable for our leaders, albeit in some societies it is seems it is less reprehensible than others.  That is not to say that in those instances, followers are not impacted by these leader traits.  It may only indicate their level of resignation and acceptance to the behavior, and perhaps even by default and lack of action, it may represent their condoning such behavior.  However, given the choice, would they not be more inclined to be motivated following someone they could implicitly trust?  Someone who, time after time, spoke honestly and truthfully.  A person who consistently demonstrated their concern for their well-being?  The answer to this would be yes, with the following condition: the person would also need to have all the other required skills of a leader!  A person with a vision and a passion for that vision.  One who has the communication skills and charisma necessary to rally followers to succeed.  One with the technical skills and intelligence to create and direct the proper organization. 

Therefore, we seem to be back to the basics.  It still is, to some degree, about learning to lead.  It still is about the mechanics of leadership.  But it is also fundamentally about having a person of character who can lead.  It is about weaving in the leader’s character into the inner workings of the organizational culture.  It’s about creating a legacy as a leader that others would be proud of and want to emulate.  For there is no stronger motivator than loyalty.  Well-directed, loyal followers are the most valuable resource a leader can have.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle once said, “It has long been an axiom of mine that the little things are infinitely the most important”.   And so it goes with leadership.  It is usually the small things that make all the difference in the world to the followers.  It is a leader’s day in and day out consistent behavior that motivates and drives an organization.  It is knowledge that whatever may come, difficulties and complicated situations, a leader’s steadiness can be counted on.  If people are to follow a leader must:

            Be of impeccable character and integrity
            Inspire loyalty among the followers
            Inspire trust among the followers
            Sincerely care about his or her followers
            Put the interest of the organization before their own

In his now famous “I have a Dream” speech, Martin L. King said “ I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skins, but by the content of their character”.  Dr. King understood how important character is.  And while he was, of course, speaking about civil rights, and I would not for a second attempt to diminish his purpose, this statement is fundamentally the belief that I hold to be true for leaders.  They must be people of character.  More specifically, they must be people of character who learn to lead.  People who apply principles that will be expanded in this text, and that have been presented in many other books and articles, integrate t