Jan 09, 2026 Final Installment:
Developing & Enhancing a Leadership Persona – Parts 18–27 & Closing Thoughts
In our previous parts, Keith Bushey gave you the foundation and the daily disciplines and he taught you how to protect your people, your organization, and your own integrity when trouble is still only a faint cloud on the horizon.
Now we reach the summit—the practices that define a complete, fully matured leader. These final ten principles are not for the ambitious or the merely competent. They are for those who understand that real leadership is measured not when everything is going well, but when the stakes are highest, the choices are ugliest, and the easiest path is to look away.
These are the habits of leaders who finish well. Leaders who walk out the door years later with their reputation intact, their conscience clear, and the quiet knowledge that they never sold out the mission or the people who depended on them.
They demand the rarest forms of courage: the courage to know exactly where you will not bend, the courage to deliver pain in person, the courage to remain decent in an indecent moment, and the courage to be patient when every instinct screams to act now. Master these, and you will leave behind something far greater than a successful tenure—you will leave behind a standard that others will still point to long after you are gone.
18. Be Clear About Your “Line in the Sand”
This is a very difficult area to discuss as each person’s individual, family, and career thoughts and ambitions are often on the line. Each leader must be clear, to the extent possible, about what situation(s) will cause a parting of the ways with the appointing authority. This is not a perfect world and there are sometimes situations when a leader is expected to support things for which there may be disagreement but are neither unethical nor criminal. However, for some in political positions the line can be very blurred, and the leader can end up in a very difficult and no-win situation, to the point of eventually being the scapegoat for the troublesome behavior of public officials. Stern talk in an academic situation is far different from actually being driven home by a former subordinate and telling one’s spouse that employment has been terminated. Beyond the very real issue of livelihood, other considerations include future employability and professional reputation. For what it is worth, my observations over the years have been such that a person who acts or acquiesces to unethical behaviors loses professional credibility and significant future employment viability.
P.S. If you reach a point where you are expected to give some type of an advantage to an unworthy person at the expense of more worthy employees, you now stand at that line in the sand.
19. Insist on Documentation at Every Supervisory Level
It cannot be overstated or said enough times that if something is not in writing, it did not occur. The scenario is always the same in disciplinary hearings: the agency and the aggrieved employee each give their version of events. The attorney for the aggrieved employee has been assembled and has admitted volumes of information (some assembled covertly while the employee was “keeping book”). The agency, on the other hand, has very little documentation because a supervisor(s) didn’t want to be the “bad guy.” The attorney for the employee asks if the rules require documentation of deficient behavior (they always do), the agency acknowledges this requirement and then tries to argue (almost always unsuccessfully) that such documentation wasn’t really necessary. Finally, the employee typically prevails because agency supervisors and managers did not do their jobs! Every person in the organization has the responsibility to ensure that unprofessional behavior is dealt with before it becomes misconduct.
20. Deliver Bad News Personally
It is easy and tempting to delegate the task of providing bad news to another person, but it is a mortal sin when a leader fails in this critical leadership expectation. Whether critical personal information such as a death notification, demotion, termination, or any other type of difficult bad news, this is the job of the command person in charge. In very large organizations, that person may hold a title such as division commanding officer, facility manager, or something similar but certainly above the level of first line supervisor. Additionally, these types of notifications, especially in the case of death or injury to a worker, need to be made immediately before the family learns from another source.
21. Avoid Rigid Partisan Advocacy & Labels
We all have political and social positions but we must be constantly aware that strong support for a particular position may be perceived differently by those who either support or oppose your perspective. I recommend being outwardly neutral and making clear your respect for opposite points of view. Strive to be seen as credible and someone who, despite opposite viewpoints, is respected for diplomacy, candor, and non-confrontational conversations. Best to avoid partisan discussions whenever possible.
22. Leadership Without the Family Factor is Not Leadership
The actions and consequences of an employee just about always have ramifications for the family, in some instances threatening the very standard of living (i.e., demotion, termination, etc.) and need to be recognized. While not always practical or advisable, there are times when difficult courses of action can be dealt with in a manner that mitigates hardships on the family, or when there are support groups to work with the family in alleviating the negative consequences of a severe employment action. Without suggesting this course of action, there are some organizations that play a role in helping terminated or suspended employees gain alternative employment. Finally, be reminded that in cases where termination is the appropriate course of action, the welfare of the employee’s family is not the organization’s responsibility.
These types of situations and dilemmas are a reminder that a leader must be cognizant of the difference between the heart and mind.
23. Disseminating Information
The best methods to disseminate information rapidly and accurately is to frequently do so personally or in writing, preferably both. Anything that can be distorted will be distorted. Sometimes this occurs intentionally but often just because of the inevitable natural distortion that will ALWAYS occur as information is verbally passed from one person to another. The wise leader will develop an information distribution conduit in addition to the normal directives that are part of every organization. Such an information system is best used in a proactive manner before an organizational crisis arises. A good method may be something such as “A Note from the Corner Pocket,” where the leader can disseminate information that does not fit the profile for a conventional directive.
Always know that whatever you put out in any way, be it intended as formal or informal, it is still an organizational directive and is subject to discovery.
24. Anticipate and Plan for the Consequences of Your Actions
Everything you say and do will have consequences, some insignificant and others enormous. Just as a pebble in a pond will generate numerous concentric ripples, your actions will have the same effect. Be forward-thinking and always look over the horizon to identify the likely consequences of your actions, and plan accordingly. This is a critical process in selecting the most appropriate courses of action.
25. No Bad News on Fridays
While we all wish it were not the case, the reality is that all of us take our problems home with us at the end of the day (I envy those who are able to leave their concerns at work!). Just as you want to go home and enjoy your families and not worry about work issues, your employees have those same thoughts. Except in situations when there are no reasonable alternatives, lead in such a way that your employees can enjoy their families or other interests without having to worry about workplace issues. Except in extraordinary situations, the issues can wait until Monday morning.
26. Be Patient Even When Painful
This can really be tough! I doubt that I am alone in my long efforts to resolve troublesome issues, especially where I am concerned about the scorn of my boss at the end of the work week or before I leave on vacation. Realistically, this is not always possible or advisable if the time is not right, when the related issues are yet to be understood, or when your boss may not be in the mood for a conversation. This is not a perfect world and not all days off are guaranteed to be worry-free; sometimes you just must suck it up and accept the misery of unresolved painful issues.
27. What You Hope Others Will Say About You
Over the years, I have heard many descriptions about persons in leadership positions, and think the following are examples of the types of things that I would personally find flattering (using a single gender solely for ease of understanding):
- I don’t always agree with him, but must say that he works hard to be fair
- He listens closely and gives the person to whom he is speaking full attention
- He always has a positive attitude
- He goes out of his way to be just as cordial to the janitors as to the chiefs
- He is not reluctant to apologize if found to be wrong
- You never know what he is thinking on issues until the final decision is made
- He is great to work for and very considerate of his staff
- He practices what he preaches
- He does not go off “half-cocked” — he thoroughly thinks things through
- He is not quick to place blame until an issue has been thoroughly examined
- He does not hold grudges; once an issue is over, it is over
- He always goes out of his way to say hello or otherwise acknowledge my family
- When he has bad news to deliver, he is the one who delivers it
- He is the first to acknowledge something he does not know
- He does not tolerate incompetence or poor behavior by supervisors
- He keeps all of us informed and puts out the “straight scoop” as soon as he is able
Summary
Well folks, there you have it! It is always good to learn from our mistakes; it is even better if you can learn from the mistakes of others, including mine. If mistakes translate into wisdom, feel free to call me Solomon, as I have made just about every mistake imaginable and may have finally stumbled across the best courses of action through the process of elimination! This document is now yours to add, delete, and modify in ways consistent with your vision as to how best to develop and enhance your leadership persona.
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Leadership is built in the quiet moments—how you apologize, what you don’t say, and how you truly listen. Explore more insights from Keith Bushey on The Bushey Perspective →
