Be a person of integrity and honor...

·      Debs was a major historical figure in my college learning – at Cornell’s School of Industrial and Labor Relations, he loomed larger than most.

·      I suggest adding ‘or woman’ to today’s quote because the meaning of ‘man’ today is more limiting that when Debs said this. 

·   For me, I think a better term would be “mensch”, as in: “it takes a mensch to be somebody”.

 

mensch

/men(t)SH/

Yiddish noun (for male and female)

1.     a human being (literal translation)

2.    a person of integrity and honor (interpretive translation)

a.     It's used as a high compliment to describe someone who is kind, thoughtful, honorable, and upstanding.

 

People who lead - the one’s we hold up as role models, must be thoughtful, honorable, and upstanding. I’m not a politician so I won’t make this a statement about that, but as a successful business executive I know the importance of being a mensch when leading others. Of having mensch-like qualities. Employees crave and deserve leaders who have integrity and honor, are ethical, kind, thoughtful, and upstanding, practice open two-way communications, are aware of and understand what their people need, and keep their promises. Those who are quick to praise, love coaching, and lead by example. One of my most important roles was discovering and selecting the people who would be on our management team – from first-level supervisors, managers, department heads, and executives, we looked for those who could be somebody of character, like those who fit the definition of “mensch”. We didn’t call it that, but we did focus on integrity and honor and the soft or management skills needed to provide inspired leadership. Anybody could apply, but only those who could be described as having those qualities found in the definition of mensch (above) would be selected. Men and women alike. Because they were the ones who had what it took to be great leaders. Because we knew that great companies have great leaders who develop great employees. Aspire to be a mensch-like great leader today.

 

Eugene V. Debs (1855 – 1926): American socialist, political activist, trade unionist, one of the founding members of the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), and five-time candidate of the Socialist Party of America for President of the United States.