The Power of Character in Leadership

1. Character is Leadership's Most Valuable Asset

Character is the cradle of credibility for the leader.

Character over skills. The most valuable component of leadership isn't power, position, talent, or management skills; it's character. Strong, noble character is the foundation of credibility and protects leadership from potential failure. Many leadership programs overlook this vital aspect, focusing instead on mechanics like vision, skills, and teamwork.

Protection and longevity. Character acts as a personal security system, safeguarding leaders from internal frailties and external pressures like temptation and difficulty. It ensures personal and professional success and extends the longevity of a leader's influence. Without character, talent and skill are insufficient guarantees of staying on top or avoiding destructive consequences.

A good name matters. An ancient proverb states, "A good name is more desirable than great riches." Leaders who lack integrity often lose everything they worked for, nullifying their potential contributions. Character is the most powerful force a leader can cultivate because it protects their life, leadership, and legacy.

2. The Global Crisis of Character Demands Action

The nations of the world do not lack people in leadership positions. They lack genuine leadership in their leaders.

Widespread ethical failure. The world stage is filled with leaders lacking character, leading to turmoil and moral decay across political, economic, and social spheres. Scandals involving financial misconduct, abuse, and corruption are commonplace, eroding public trust. These failures occur because leaders prioritize vision, intellect, or charisma over moral force.

Leadership determines destiny. Leadership is central to human society; nothing happens, succeeds, is altered, develops, advances, improves, or is corrected without it. Societies are guided, influenced, or manipulated by leaders, making the current crisis alarming. Problems won't be solved without a renewed emphasis on positive, effective leadership grounded in character.

Consequences for all. Character problems are widespread, affecting leaders at all levels, from national figures to parents. Character flaws hurt innocent people and can destroy lives and legacies. No one is too smart or safe to avoid the consequences of a lack of character, which risks failure in personal life, leadership, and future.

3. True Leadership Stems from Inherent Purpose and Conviction

Genuine leadership cannot be separated from the essence of the leader as a person.

Leadership is inherent. Leadership functions like a natural bird's flight, not a mechanical plane's. It's an expression of knowing who you were born to be, not just implementing techniques or styles. True leaders recognize their special purpose and inherent gifts, which determine their area of leadership.

Purpose ignites conviction. Discovering one's inherent purpose ignites conviction, a deep belief in one's significance and a 100% dedication to that purpose. Convictions are foundational beliefs about how one should live and guide character development. Without solid convictions, leaders vacillate and compromise.

From purpose to influence. The process of true leadership development flows from purpose to conviction, vision, passion, inspiration, and finally, influence. This internal motivation frees leaders from needing external validation or resorting to manipulation. Pursuing true purpose avoids ethical pitfalls stemming from wrong motivations like fame or money.

4. Character is Built on a Foundation of Beliefs and Values

If a person wants to change his belief system, he has to change his ideas about himself and/or his ideas about the world.

Beliefs shape character. Character development follows a progression: beliefs lead to convictions, which produce values, forming morals/principles, leading to conduct/discipline, manifesting as ethics, resulting in character, which determines lifestyle. Our philosophy, shaped by influences and accepted ideas, constructs the foundation of our lives and leadership.

Values define worth. Values are ideas, principles, and qualities on which we place high worth, acting as standards that determine conduct and policy. They grow out of personal philosophy and are more important than external rules, as they are internalized motivations. Values can build up or tear down ourselves and others.

Identifying and living values. To develop character, we must identify, believe in, receive, live out, and share our values. Writing down values helps clarify them, and reviewing them internalizes them. Living according to values means adhering to them as parameters for life, guiding decisions and actions, and sending clear messages to others.

5. Beware Flawed Theories Prioritizing Talent Over Character

To educate a man in the mind and not in morals is to educate a menace to society.

Inherited flawed philosophies. Many traditional leadership concepts, especially in Western nations, stem from ancient Greek and Roman philosophies that prioritized birth traits, divine selection, charisma, or external factors like education and circumstance over character. These ideas fostered beliefs in superiority and class systems.

Talent without character is unstable. Our culture often values talent, reputation, and position more than character. Talent is innate gifts and skills; character is submission to principles that protect talent. Overemphasizing talent leads to overlooking character flaws, resulting in unstable, unreliable leaders who may fall despite their abilities.

Reputation vs. Character. Reputation is what others think; character is the truth about you. Reputation is public image; character is private reality. Focusing on reputation over character is ethically hazardous and unsustainable, as private reality eventually manifests publicly. True leaders prioritize character, which earns genuine respect and trust.

6. Values Shape Both Personal Conduct and Corporate Culture

A leader’s values are personal—but they are never private.

Values impact others. A leader's personal values and moral principles significantly influence those in their corporate entity (family, business, nation, etc.). Leaders set the tone, transform culture, establish policy, and determine the group's direction and ethics. Corporate entities, like individuals, manifest character based on their values.

Intentional corporate values. Leaders must be intentional about establishing positive corporate values that become guiding principles for achieving the group's vision. Core ethical values, based on shared beliefs and purpose, minimize corruption and control associations, standards, and environment. Specific values define the group's focus and approach.

Shared values are crucial. Corporate values must be clearly communicated and require total commitment from all members. When members personally embrace corporate values, their individual visions align with the larger group purpose, fostering unity and effectiveness. A breakdown in shared values leads to disorder and the emergence of unspoken negative values.

7. Our Moral Conscience is Anchored in Timeless Principles

If we are to go forward, we must go back and rediscover these precious values—that all reality hinges on moral foundations and that all reality has spiritual control.

The conscience as guide. The conscience is an inborn, permanent internal guide for moral goodness or blameworthiness. It's distinct from emotions and provides moral certainty. A principled leader is led by their conscience, which aligns with correct moral code and is in sync with divine principles.

Ignoring the conscience. Ignoring the conscience leads to it becoming dull or even "seared," making it possible to commit acts contrary to inherent moral sense. Society's confusion about values and the conscience contributes to this, producing leaders who don't value or listen to their inner guide.

Divine bedrock. The bedrock for character and moral foundation is a knowledge of God and His nature, which is the epitome of character (consistent, predictable, trustworthy, just, loving). God created humanity in His image, giving them character before leadership, and established principles as safeguards and guides for living productively and ethically.

8. Embracing Principles Simplifies Life and Unlocks Potential

I will walk about in freedom, for I have sought out your precepts.

Principles are first laws. Principles are comprehensive, fundamental, unchanging laws established by the Creator for how life and humanity function, both physically and morally. They are not arbitrary but specific to our purpose and are found in the "Corporate User's Manual" (the Bible).

Benefits of principles. Knowing and following principles safeguards us from harmful substitutes invented by humans, which are burdensome and damaging. Principles simplify life and decision-making, providing clear guidance in ethical situations. They liberate us from confusion and negative consequences, allowing us to walk in freedom.

Principles enable potential. Violating principles prevents us from reaching our full potential and destiny. Obedience to principles means following proven standards, which is necessary for growth and fulfillment. When we adhere to moral principles, we submit to vital standards for becoming the leaders we were meant to be, leaving lasting legacies.

9. Character is Fixed, Predictable, and Built Through Integrity

A principled leader is predictable to the point that his character speaks for him in his absence.

Fixed and stable. Genuine character is fixed, predictable, and stable, like the letters of the alphabet or physical laws. There is no "price" for a leader of character; their principles are their life. Being "set in their ways" ethically means they cannot be easily swayed to compromise.

Predictable trustworthiness. Predictability means being consistently responsible and trustworthy, allowing others to rely on you. A leader's character should be the same yesterday, today, and forever, providing security to those around them. Their conduct should be so consistent that others can accurately predict their actions in various situations.

Integrity is wholeness. Integrity means being "whole" or "one," integrating thoughts, words, and actions. A leader with integrity is the same person in private as in public, without hypocrisy or "many faces." Achieving this consistency requires daily discipline and vigilance, as character is tested constantly.

10. Tests and Trials Forge Strong, Trustworthy Character

To be tempted is to be assessed for moral weaknesses—"spots"—in our character, so they can be removed, and so we can become leaders of principle.

Tempering process. Character is strengthened through trials and temptations, much like a Roman sword is tempered by fire, hammering, and cold water. Suffering produces perseverance, perseverance produces character, and character produces hope. Tests reveal our weaknesses, allowing us to acknowledge and work on them.

Intentional development. Character building involves intentional self-evaluation to identify ethical "spots" and rooting them out through discipline and adherence to principles. Publicly stating values and standards invites life to test our commitment, forging character through pressure and demands.

Trustworthiness is earned. The distinguishing mark of character is trustworthiness, which is a product of stability established through tests over time. Leaders become trustworthy by staying consistent through changing circumstances, challenges, and temptations. Trust is the indispensable currency of leadership, earned by demonstrating faithfulness, reliability, and consistency under pressure.

11. Principled Leaders Cultivate Accountability, Humility, and Responsibility

A leader’s willingness to be accountable reflects his commitment to be consistent in what he says, what he does, and who he is.

Accountability is key. Principled leaders embrace accountability on three levels: to themselves (self-evaluation), to others (evaluation by trusted partners or groups), and ultimately to the Creator. Accountability protects against hypocrisy and helps align life with standards. Avoiding accountability risks self-deception, isolation, and misuse of power.

Humility is down-to-earth. Humility means being "down-to-earth," expressing one's true self in accordance with purpose, not pretending or seeking external validation. It manifests as servant leadership, prioritizing serving others over controlling them. Genuine humility frees leaders from fearing others' opinions and allows them to approach challenges with peace and confidence.

Responsibility is welcomed. Principled leaders eagerly accept responsibility and are faithful in smaller tasks, which leads to greater opportunities. They are productive and look for useful work, contrasting with those who avoid responsibility but seek exciting opportunities. Responsibility is crucial training for developing dependable leaders.

12. Restoring Character Requires Integrating Vision with Values

Leaders stand for something—vision. Leaders stand on something—values.

Character is a lost treasure. Character has become a forgotten treasure in contemporary culture, relegated to the background. Restoring a culture of character requires rediscovery, reprioritization, and resurgence among leaders at all levels, from education to government and business. It demands a new breed of leader who embraces accountability.

Vision reflects values. Vision is an interpretation of values, reflecting and communicating what a leader or organization holds dear. Where a leader invests their time and resources ("treasure") reveals their principal values ("heart").

Values protect vision. Vision is only as safe as the values that undergird it. There must be a marriage of purpose and principles; purpose guides direction, but principles protect the journey and ensure longevity. Prioritizing values and consistently living by them is essential for realizing and preserving any vision.

Last updated: May 2, 2025