Learning From a Different Place – Part 6
David Freund, Chief Leadership Officer

A February 2022 Pew Research study showed that societal trust has dropped in every category measured over the last seven years. We have fallen so far that, according to a second Pew study, as Americans, we can’t even agree on facts. We don’t believe the evidence people show us is real. So, what is at the root of this issue? How did we sink this low? We have abandoned the Law of Solid Ground.

John Maxwell’s Law of Solid Ground is built on a foundation of character and competence. The blending of character and competence makes trust possible, and trust is the foundation of leadership. You won’t follow someone who isn’t competent and living out good values such as honesty, integrity, and treating everyone with respect.

So how do we return to Solid Ground? We start with character. Let’s take a quick look at three ways character supports The Law of Solid Ground

• Character Communicates Consistency – You want to follow people who consistently show up every day, value others, and are ready to help the team move to higher ground. This isn’t a one-and-done process. It’s built daily over time and, when done correctly, leaves lasting results.
• Character Communicates Potential – You will never reach your potential without character. It fuels your discipline, allows you to communicate with authenticity, and helps you live a life of integrity. As a person of character, people and their resources are drawn to you as a wise investment in their futures.
• Character Communicates Respect – Character is an inside job. It’s knowing what to say, how to say it, and always speaking the truth in love. Respect is earned on difficult ground. Sometimes that means taking the short end of the stick when the easy way would adversely affect others.

Roy Disney said it best, “It’s easy to make good decisions when you know what your values are.” When things get tough, your values become the filter by which you make your choices. It’s time we all work on being a person who values others and adds value to them. When this happens, we are living The Law of Solid Ground. Let’s try to get those numbers up over the next ten years.

Next week I’ll talk about The Law of Respect.