CHARACTER COUNTS: an email from Scott Lingamfelter, candidate for Lt. Governor of Virginia.

My Friends,

As a commander of soldiers in the Army, I followed a long-standing tradition of leadership that embodies this idea: all that happens or fails to happen in the unit is my responsibility. I subscribe to that idea today both in business and politics. In my political campaigns, I have taken this concept further by letting my campaign team know that all mistakes my campaign makes are “my mistakes”. In other words, I am responsible for my campaign, its conduct and actions because both are part of defining the character of the candidate. And we have made some mistakes too. Sometimes in the form of excessive and passionate rhetoric that did more to offend than to affirm. Sometimes in over energetic actions that made us appear overbearing. But these mistakes—as I insist to my team—are my mistakes. And in being willing to take ownership of them before they even occur, my team works hard to avoid such problems whenever they can. And rest assured we have not committed our last mistake, even as we hope we have.

The flip side of taking responsibility for the actions of your organization is to shift credit for success to others who did the hard work to achieve it. General George C. Marshall (VMI Class of 1901) was fond of saying “There is no limit to the good you can do if you don’t care who gets the credit”. This is a wonderful leadership characteristic and it works too. But it’s tough for politicians because many—including me—often speak of “our personal” accomplishments when in fact many people come together around good ideas and they too should share in the credit. There is very little I can point to in politics that I can say—honestly—that I did that on my own. But when I was willing to listen and pull in the ideas and considerations of others, together our accomplishments were significant, whether it was advancing the audits that found waste in government, repealing the completely unnecessary one-gun-a-month law, or crafting and advancing the “Boneta Bill” that would protect the rights of small farmers and property owners from overbearing government.

Both of these concepts, (1) owning mistakes and (2) shifting credit for success to others, are essential qualities in good leaders. They are also a window into the character of a leader. Now look. I have made many mistakes in life. And that includes some less than wise political ones. But by observing these two concepts, I strive to be the kind of leader I look for and have seen in others. President Ronald Reagan loved the Marshall quote on shifting credit for success. He also took responsibility for the mistakes of his Administration. I think he was right and I will strive to be that kind of leader as your Lieutenant Governor if you nominate me to be your candidate at the Republican Convention on May 18th.

A final thought. One of our Founding Fathers, President John Adams, said that people “have a right, an indisputable, indefeasible, and divine right to that most dreaded and envied kind of knowledge, I mean of the character and conduct of their leaders”. Adams was writing in the context of a newly established democratic republic—the United States—having thrown off the shackles of tyranny for a system of elected government where the character of its leaders are decisive in whether that government would respect the law and the rights of its people.

Character counts, folks. And while none of us are perfect, that is why all of us need the redeeming power of a loving God. Those of us who seek your support would be good to begin with some simple lessons on leadership; take responsibility for your mistakes and learn to acknowledge the hard work of others.

I'm pretty sure he's got my vote.