My Ideal Leader

As I began to read the Course Anthology and Stephen Covey’s 7 Habits of Highly Effective People assignments on “leadership”, I immediately knew what I would be writing my discussion board entry about. With each definition of leadership, each classification of what makes a leader effective, each story of the empathetic, fair leader, one person’s face continued to pop up in my mind: my dad.

["Papa" (as I call him) and me one Sunday before Church]

Whether it’s within our household as the organizer of most family activities or at his job overseeing thousands of employees and different offices in the double-digits, my father is my own personal idea of what a truly exceptional leader looks like.

My father is the CEO of The Beck Group: a construction, architecture, and engineering firm.Leadership is in his job description – the very idea of managing on such a large scale implies this – but that’s not what makes him such a role model for leadership in my eyes. I admire my father not because he leads but for how he does so. Covey speaks about “seek[ing] first to understand, then to be understood,” and explains that “when we’re communicating with another, we need to empathize (Course Anthology, 220).” Empathy, I would say, is one of my father’s most admirable and evident qualities. I have had the opportunity to watch him at work, to hear him on the phone with clients and employees, and even to watch him prepare speeches. Inextricably laced throughout each interaction with those he works with (which, by the way, is the phrase he uses rather than saying “those who work for me” – phrasing Covey would probably commend) is an empathy for others and a deep sense of understanding of each person’s thoughts and feelings. He has an acute awareness, I think, of the fact that a company is much more than its managers – and if he cannot understand his employees' various methodologies of working and be able to keep his co-workers happy, then the entire operation will fall apart. Also evident in his dealings as a leader of his company is his humility. Covey calls humility “the mother of all other virtues” and I am inclined to agree (Course Anthology, 221). So much of the respect I – and, I would assume, those who work with him – have for my father stems from the way he carries himself. No person is too “lowly” to receive his full attention, no client is too small for him to bother with. Growing up, I especially appreciated the way in which his sense of humility allowed for me to correct and teach him – for nothing is more exciting and gratifying for a little kid than feeling like you’re teaching your father how to play an imaginary game. Covey explains in 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, “through our human endowments of self-awareness and conscience, we become conscious of areas of weakness and areas for improvement (Covey, 92).” My father does an excellent job of this: he is not afraid to be wrong and, more importantly, not afraid to admit when he is.

The Beck Group’s brand is: Better Buildings, Better Built. On their website, they list the promise behind that brand as follows: “Beck is a full-service Builder for decision-makers seeking a creative partner who excels in delivering their dreams. When engaging our clients, we promise to always be trustworthy, innovative, passionate, proactive, collaborative and fun. We ceaselessly seek to portray our clients as enlightened leaders who value lasting relationships and achieve superior results (www.beckgroup.com).” As I read this promise, the Greek philosophy of influence that Covey refers to came to mind. The Beck Group promises ethos, pathos, and logos to their clients with this statement. The words “proactive” and “trustworthy” invoke a sense of ethos as they fulfill the “personal credibility, the amount of trust or confidence others have in your integrity and competency” that Covey explains defines ethos (Course Anthology, 238). The words “collarborative, fun, passionate” all imbue the empathetic quality that is pathos and, finally, the word “innovative” represents the company’s logos. The firm’s mission statement and brand promise is something that was created by my dad (I still remember the day he came home so excited, holding new business cards inscribed with “Better Buildings, Better Built!”). That, to me, further exemplifies his grasp on what it takes to be an effective leader.

[The "Hunt Building" in Dallas, Tx. One of The Beck Group's - and my dad's - proudest and most beautiful architectural accomplishments, would never exist were it not for the company's inclusion of ethos, pathos, and logos in their brand.]

I have always been in awe of my father for his incredible leadership in his business and I have always appreciated the same qualities he exemplifies at home as our family’s chef, chief advisor, and go-to problem solver. However, I never before realized how closely my dad fulfills what Covey maintains are the main points necessary to be a great leader. I hope someday, as cheesy as it sounds, to be able to follow in his footsteps in terms of leading with empathy, humility, and understanding in whatever profession I pursue and in my everyday life.