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Decent People, Decent Company

How to Lead with Character at Work and in Life

Robert L. Turknett and Carolyn N. Turknett

Davies-Black Publishing, 2005

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Robert L. Turknett and Carolyn N. Turknett wrote this book before the corporate scandals of Enron, Tyco and WorldCom, so their emphasis on integrity as a crucial component of leadership is prescient. They believe in emotional and life balance rather than ambition, and cooperation rather than competition. Every chapter is full of examples of people who have taken leadership roles based on these values, showing that it is, in fact, possible. getAbstract recommends this book to leaders and aspiring leaders – whether of organizations, companies, departments, or even social or family groups – who wish to find out how they, as individuals, can lead with integrity. Leaders who truly believe in what they are doing and the people they are leading will embrace the challenge of further developing themselves using this leadership character model.

Summary

Integrity is the Foundation

Miep Gies, whose name any reader of The Diary of Anne Frank will recognize, did not believe she achieved anything remarkable in protecting the Frank family and their friends, or in saving Anne's diary from destruction. "I am not a hero," she said. "I just did what any decent person would have done." To carry out what she believed was right, Gies defied the Nazis and risked her own life. Yet she never saw herself as particularly courageous or admirable.

Gies, with her deep integrity, is an example for anyone who wishes to be a leader, at any level, in any kind of organization or community. Great leaders inspire others to emulate them and keep their organizations moving in the right direction. They question assumptions and authority, and when they see something wrong, they act to change or fix it. As they and their followers aim for what Gies might have called decency, they establish an organizational "culture of character."

In such cultures, everyone, at every level, feels personally responsible for the organization's progress and ethics. Cultures of character have these traits:

All members contribute to the group's mission...

About the Authors

Robert L. Turknett and Carolyn N. Turknett co-founded a consulting organization that works with CEOs, executives and leaders of large organizations.

Decent People, Decent Company

How to Lead with Character at Work and in Life

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Integrity is the Foundation

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