Your Leadership Link by Cullen S. Gibson, Vice President
A Champion is Loyal
Whatever happened to loyalty? It seems such a rare quality. You see professional athletes commit to a team but as soon as free agency looms and the chance of winning a championship is in the cards…boom, those athletes leave for another team. “Faithless is he that says farewell when the road darkens.” –J.R.R. Tolkien.
Loyalty can be a two-edged sword. How many times have you given your loyalty to a person, a cause, or a job only to realize that your trust has been betrayed and your faith has been broken? Without loyalty, families are broken, and the workplace is void of champions. One leader said, “I don’t like to give up on people when they need someone not to give up on them.” This quote represents what is put into practice by many of you reading this article. This is an excellent quality to possess and reveals the heart of a champion supporting a champion.
Finally, I do not believe loyalty can be manufactured at all, for its origin is in the heart. So, how does that play out in the real world? Let us look at those desirable qualities that are representative of a loyal champion:
A loyal champion:
- is willing to try something new.
- has a high-level of trust.
- has a great work-ethic.
- has a high-level of commitment.
- bleeds character.
- is usually very caring.
- looks out for the other person.
- is a great friend.
- does not judge.
- is sensitive to betrayal.
Next week we will take a look at the value of excellence in a champion.