One of my favorite authors on the subject of leadership is John C. Maxwell. In this post I want to share thoughts from his book The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader, specifically on the subject of character. In forwarding his discussion on character Maxwell quotes Bernard Montgomery, a British Field Marshal of World War II fame, who described leadership as follows, “leadership is the capacity and will to rally men and women to a common purpose and the character which inspires confidence.” Maxwell then goes on to describe four specific aspects of character: 1) “Character is more than talk.” 2) “Talent is a gift, but character is a choice.” 3) “Character brings lasting success with people.” And, 4) “Leaders cannot rise above the limitations of their character.” Together, Montgomery’s leadership quote and Maxwell’s character qualifications point to character as an indispensable quality that evolves within the successful leader over time and ultimately defines that leader.
Character is a living, breathing thing … it cannot be fabricated, or suppressed, or forgotten. It must be embraced at all times and grown at every opportunity. And at the heart of character is ethics. A true leader is ethical beyond reproach. A true leader lives by the golden rule, does the right thing, is fully transparent and sets the example. Through their display of character, effective leaders inspire and mentor others to grow their own character. And this is when leaders become most effective … when all within a team or a staff equally embrace ethics and strength of character as essential qualities. This is when success has the opportunity to grow to its greatest potential.
Truly, a leader’s character is what binds a following together and inspires a sense of belief in even the faintest of heart. In its absence or if that character is flawed … team commitment, loyalty and trust have no foundation upon which to grow. And in their absence, discontent and discord are sure to follow. Maxwell and Montgomery are most correct, leadership is all about quality of character.
But character can often be confused with charisma, which is a very different thing in my mind. Charisma is a special charm that draws people to an individual, which is a wonderful attribute for a leader to have. But character is something different … something much less superficial. Character is at the very core of a person … it is what drives an individual in everything from decision making to actions taken. And for the leader who cultivates and matures their character, there is the opportunity to evolve to another level of effectiveness. Leaders live and breath who they are … their character is what defines them in their own hearts and in the eyes of others.
In choosing which leader to follow, I will take quality of character over anything else.
Author Cross-references:
John C. Maxwell: Also see post 12/8/08, 6/5/09, 6/26/09, 11/20/09, 3/29/10
Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery: None
Key Word Cross-references:
Character/Integrity: Also see posts 2/3/09, 2/6/09, 3/16/09, 5/1/09, 8/17/09, 11/1/09, 12/5/09
Ethical/Principled: Also see post 1/14/09
Inspiration/Motivation: Also see posts 1/16/09, 2/3/09, 2/18/09, 2/25/09, 5/17/09, 6/26/09, 9/9/09, 2/18/10, 2/24/10, 4/19/10
Mentoring/Nurturing/Developing: Also see posts 12/8/08, 12/12/08, 1/13/09, 2/6/09, 2/28/09, 7/7/09, 9/9/09, 9/15/09, 10/26/09, 12/5/09, 1/6/10, 3/29/10
Setting the Example: Also see posts 12/12/08, 1/13/09, 3/16/09, 5/1/09, 5/17/09, 7/7/09, 8/17/09, 2/24/10
Tags: Leadership
on Leadership ... by Steven Davis, CAE 
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