How to Boost Your Confidence and Self-Esteem Daily
June 19, 2024
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The list of skills one must possess to sustain success as a leader is long. However, the list of skills that cause a leader to fail utterly is much shorter. You can almost boil it down to one: character.
Significant examples of character failures are Jeff Skilling, the CEO who caused the collapse of Enron, and Bernie Madoff, who orchestrated one of the biggest Ponzi schemes in history. However, more minor shortcomings in character can be just as detrimental to a manager’s ability to lead a team effectively. Because if people don’t trust you, you can’t lead them. In terms of a leadership principle, it would be this:
If you fail at character, you fail at leadership.
However, the presence of character in leaders has the inverse effect. 75% of employees believe that integrity is the most essential attribute in a leader, and 85% of executives agree that character is crucial for effective leadership.
While important, most managers think less about character and more about power and authority. Author Jordan Peterson said, “The better ambitions have to do with character and ability rather than status and power. Status you can lose. You carry character with you wherever you go, and it allows you to prevail against adversity.”
Character is an engraved set of disciplines to do good. It’s the mental and moral qualities distinctive to you. It comes from a Hebrew word that means statue. Character is predictable because it doesn’t change regardless of the circumstances. Character is proven when people can predict what you’re going to do.
Even though no leader is perfect, you can always have a preference for better character. Too often, organizations settle for leaders with below-average character by saying, “That’s just the way she is,” or “That’s ok; he produces a lot of revenue.” This is a detrimental attitude regarding leadership because employees follow people, not titles.
Employees follow people, not titles.
Having great character also shows up on the balance sheet. One study found Leaders who prioritize character development see a 26% increase in team performance and 90% of employeesare more likely to stay with a company if they trust their leadership. Character plays an enormous role in performance and retention. It also can be broken down into virtues.
Here are some of the most important ones:
If you have yet to consider your character as a leadership skill like coaching, accountability, or emotional intelligence, here are the three significant benefits of prioritizing your character development.
Do you remember the last time you told a lie, and it caused you to lose a little sleep? A well-developed character reduces stress by fostering a sense of integrity and authenticity. When you act in alignment with your core values and principles, you will experience less internal conflict about doing something you know isn’t right.
When your beliefs and actions are in alignment, it creates inner peace and reduces the mental strain associated with trying to maintain a facade trying to get someone to believe something that isn’t true. This doesn’t mean doing the right thing all the time is easy. In fact, it is hard. Being a person of high character requires sacrifice and discipline, which is why most people fail. Character is made virtuous by sacrifice and discipline.
Character is made virtuous by sacrifice and discipline
If what matters isn’t enough, character is the foundation of having great relationships in your life. People who spend enough time with you eventually figure out the kind of character you possess. That matters because without character, there is no trust, and without trust, there is no relationship. As I wrote in Building the Best:
Trust is a function of competence and character repeatedly expressed over time.
Since leadership requires relationships, one could argue that without character, all of the other key leadership skills like coaching, vision, and communication are irrelevant without it. Character is the leadership skill from which all other skills start.
One of the most critical skills for leaders to develop is effective decision-making, which requires discernment. Research suggests we make as many as 35,000 decisions every day. While it’s hard to imagine the number is that high, it’s impossible to make effective decisions without the foundation of a strong character. Leaders with strong character are guided by honesty and integrity, which help them navigate complex situations and make decisions that are not only effective but morally sound.
When leaders don’t have a strong character and a mature moral compass, poor and selfish decisions follow.
Said differently, it’s more vital that you make decisions that are right, not decisions that are easy.
There isn’t a magic pill to improve your character; however, having an engraved set of disciplines to do good is essential in life and leadership. Seek feedback from others to gain a perspective on your character. Actively engage in character-building activities like reading, demanding physical exercise, and journaling.
Character is a lot like commitment; it might seem like it doesn’t matter, but it always does. It’s possible to trick people into believing you are a higher character person, but ultimately, the mirror doesn’t lie.
The best part is your character is up for grabs. You can always have a preference for better character in yourself. The only question is whether you are willing to do the work to become a leader of higher character.
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About the Author John Eades is the CEO of LearnLoft, and creator of the Accelerate Leadership Program. He was named one of LinkedIn’s Top Voices. John is also the author of Building the Best: 8 Proven Leadership Principles to Elevate Others to Success. You can follow him on Instagram @johngeades.
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