In the inaugural edition of this column published in the November/December issue, I shared five key principles of effective leadership. The first of the five was having the highest ethics and integrity. I placed this principle first because I believe it is the most essential quality of successful leadership. To further examine this principle, I’d like to consider it under the broader umbrella concept of character. Character extends beyond ethics and integrity. We’ll look to answer a few key questions about leadership character to assist our understanding of the concept: How is leadership character defined? Why does it matter? And how can it be measured and developed?
We can break leadership down into three main components: competency, commitment, and character. Competency refers to knowledge and skills. Commitment means a willingness to do the hard work. Character is somewhat more difficult to define and measure. It can be thought of as a combination of values, traits, and virtues that shape how a leader goes about their job. Values are beliefs about what is important and worthwhile. Traits are habitual patterns of thought, behavior, and emotion. VVirtues are a concept that is less understood.
The ancient Greek philosophers defined virtues as courage, moderation, justice, and wisdom. With a few additions, such as accountability, humility, etc., I think this definition still stands today. Character is doing the right thing, for the right reasons, and with the right mindset. It is central to being able to effectively lead people and organizations. So, although character can seem subjective and difficult to comprehend, it can be reliably defined, developed, and measured.
When leaders are faced with especially tough situations, their character is revealed and becomes most critical. Martin Luther King, Jr., said, “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of convenience and comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.
Many organizations do not devote adequate attention to leadership character. This is a significant missed opportunity. Character matters because it can affect the quality of leadership and the outcome of a leader’s actions. Leaders can marginalize it, not realizing that it is foundational to other important leadership attributes or that it can have a major impact on the organization’s culture. And there is certainly a correlation between leadership character and organizational performance. Research has shown that leaders and organizations with high leadership character scores deliver five times the return on assets than those that score lower.
A leader’s character shapes how they interact with their environment, and most importantly, it shapes their decision-making process. Every day, leaders make decisions, large and small, consciously or unconsciously, such as between speed or quality, long-term vs. short-term results, or whether to terminate an employee. These decisions can have a significant impact, both internally and externally.
When leaders are faced with especially tough situations, their character is revealed and becomes most critical. Martin Luther King, Jr., said, “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of convenience and comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.” These “moments of truth” can differentiate a great leader from the mediocre and shape a leader’s legacy.
We find various organizations investing much more in competency development than character growth. Leaders can be exceedingly competent and achieve great operational success, yet still lack character. This often leads to organizations with strong results but an unhealthy culture and poor employee engagement. Character, therefore, can be considered as important as competence when it comes to evaluating leadership potential.
Organizations need to be more intentional when it comes to leadership character development. Mere posters on a wall and clever catchphrases are insufficient. We know that what management focuses on gets done and what is ignored is dismissed. To place the right emphasis on leadership character development, it needs to be a regular part of the conversation. It should be included in position profiles and assessments. Making it a criterion for promotions, succession planning and recruitment is also important. It should be included as part of coaching and mentoring initiatives and reinforced through company training programs. Validated assessment tools can help measure progress.
Over the past decade, we’ve come a long way in our understanding of leadership character. A leader’s character can now be assessed and developed as easily as leadership competencies. Strong leaders possess more than just leadership competencies; they also possess leadership character. Character enables leaders to navigate change and drive better alignment, teamwork, productivity, creativity, and overall organizational effectiveness.
Lack of character can have a significant negative impact on the organization and result in leader derailment. As we progress in our career, and our responsibilities grow, our character will be tested at new and higher levels of intensity. So, character development needs to be an ongoing process.
In conclusion, I would submit that leadership character can and should be appropriately viewed from the perspective of a strategic and competitive advantage for the organization.
