Character is Often Forged in Adversity

A leader’s courage is not for himself or herself; it’s for the people who are depending on him to lead. – Tim Marks

Tim Marks’s taught thousands this lesson --long term leadership’s depends on solid character. Marks reminded the standing-room-only crowd of business professionals that solid character often has roots in difficult childhoods and provided examples in the lives of greats such as Ronald Reagan and Winston Churchill.

Marks explained, “Here is one, Ronald Regan. Reagan didn’t become the man that he was when he was president over night. Ronald Regan actually started out in a different political party. When he couldn’t agree with the party’s behavior and agenda, he knew he had to leave. Reagan’s character was forged over years of struggle.

“So many of us have probably had rough childhoods. If you haven’t had a rough childhood, then you are the minority. I know I could tell you on one hand the people teaching here that probably would say, ‘I had a great childhood.’ People that would say, ‘My parents they loved me and encouraged me. They were at all my football games. I never saw my dad get drunk....’

“The rest of us normal people are dysfunctional right? (Cheering) And we aren’t alone in history. Winston Churchill came from a dysfunctional family and had a rough childhood and so did Gandhi. There are all kinds of different leaders who have come from a rough childhood and that difficulty forged their character.

Character is Built in Youth

“A solidarity tree, if grows at all, grows to be strong and sturdy, and frequently a boy deprived of his father’s loved feels determined to win that love back even after the father has gone. It is said that famous men are usually the product of an unhappy childhood,” wrote Winston Churchill. At age seven, Winston was sent to boarding school. His mother rarely visited him; she even forgot his Christmas presents. His father, Lord Randolph, was never sure how Winston was and never visited him although Winston begged him to. (Source: Winston Churchill, My Early Life)

Tim Marks continued,” When Ronald Reagan was ten or twelve years old, he’d find his dad passed out in the front lawn, vomiting because he was so drunk. He had to pick his dad up and drag him into the house, clean him up and get him to bed. That wasn’t a one time occurrence. Can you imagine what that does to a kid? Some of you probably don’t have to imagine it.

”Everybody has these different circumstances. Ronald Regan became an actor and he was actively fighting the communist party that wanted to control everybody and make them think the way they wanted them to think. Reagan was under attack by the communist party. I mean they wanted to take him out. Obviously he became president years later and what is Ronald Reagan famous for around the world? It didn’t happen overnight but he did it. Took down the wall didn’t he?

“What a story! He would never have been able to fight that battle and negotiate all that if he hadn’t had his character forged when he was a young man.

“A leader’s courage is not for himself,” observed Marks. “Ultimately if he or she is a true leader; it’s for the people who are depending on him to lead.”

Character Means Being An Example Each Day

“How many people just by a show of hands noticed the color of my tie yesterday? Wow! Look at that! You notice today that it is red. I just wanted to see if you noticed.

“Be an example because people are always watching. No matter where you’re at, no matter what you do, if you’re at church, if you’re at work, you’d be surprised who watching you. Especially when you become a leader.

“It only takes one little mess up for a leader and what you did, not only hurts your own character but you deprived somebody of something because they might have looked up to you. That should be the biggest fear of every leader is letting down those who follow him or her. That scares me!

“I feel a great sense of responsibility to do what I said I was going to do and never give up,” concluded Tim Marks.