Character is the solid foundation of every leader.
If the foundation is made of sand, the house will struggle to survive life’s storms. If it is made of rock, you can build a stable house on it.
The quality in detail
Four steps through the quality: understand, check, connect, apply. Open any topic to read more.
The core messageWhat the quality means – and what it doesn’t
Anyone who leads needs a solid foundation of values that words and deeds match. Everything you build as a leader rests on this foundation.
- It does not mean
- That you have to be flawless. Character also shows in how you own your mistakes and make them right.
- That crises are what form character. Above all they reveal what is already there – it is formed in the many small decisions beforehand.
- Strictly speaking
- The evidence is strong that the perceived match between words and deeds is linked to trust, commitment and performance. What is usually measured is how others experience your integrity, not character itself.
- “Every leader” goes too far: people without a settled character find followers too. Character establishes trust, but it does not make you effective on its own – competence is part of it.
- Applies to
- Every situation in which others rely on you: negotiations and personnel matters, the board or committee, volunteer work in church and club, being a mother or father, and decisions that nobody sees.
The explanationWhat the quality means and why it matters
“Never, for the sake of peace and quiet, deny your own experience or convictions.” – Dag Hammarskjöld, UN Secretary-General and Nobel Peace Prize laureate
Crises don’t necessarily make character – they reveal it. They are like an unfamiliar crossroads: either a person stays true to themselves, or they make rotten compromises.
The signs3 signs the quality is present · 3 that it is missing
- You keep your commitments even when it costs you something.
- You say the same thing in private as you do in the larger group.
- When you make a mistake, you raise it yourself before others discover it.
- You adjust your convictions depending on who happens to be in the room.
- Rules you set for others apply to you only with exceptions.
- For the sake of peace you agree to things you think are wrong – with superiors, on a committee or in your own group.
The research5 sources: 2 theories, 2 meta-analyses, 1 review · 2002–2015 · with the limits of the research
- low
- moderate
- high
High – Integrity and alignment of words and deeds (Behavioral Integrity); leader character.
- 2002Tony Simons
Behavioral Integrity: perceived alignment of words and deeds.
- 2007Michael E. Palanski & Francis J. Yammarino
Clarifies the inconsistent meanings of integrity in leadership research.
- 2011Sean T. Hannah & Bruce J. Avolio
Where leader character is to be located and how it can be studied.
What is measured is mostly perceived integrity, not character as such.
The originJohn C. Maxwell · “Character”
- 1999OriginJohn C. Maxwell
The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader, Quality 1
- CharacterIn essence: Be like a rock – your character is what others can build on.
- todayWEGVISOR: Character
The WEGVISOR version calls character the solid foundation of every leader in its core statement and contrasts the house built on rock with the house built on sand. Research mainly supports the match between words and deeds; in doing so it measures how others perceive a leader’s integrity.
The related qualities and lawsL06 Solid Ground · L07 Respect · Q06 Courage · L21 Legacy
Character is the source of trust. If you reliably stand by your values, you create the solid ground on which others follow.
In the long run you earn respect not only through ability but through your stance. Character makes your strength trustworthy.
Character often only shows when it takes courage to stand by your convictions. Without courage it remains invisible.
What you pass on is more than knowledge. Successors adopt your stance – for better and for worse.
The action points5 stages of growth – from first awareness to passing it on
- Become aware This week, watch for one moment when you say or do something other than what you think just to keep the peace, and note it down that evening without judging it.
- Lay the foundations Write down three of your own values and resolve: if I come under pressure this week to act against one of them, I will say openly what I stand for.
- Make it a habit Every evening, note in three lines where your actions matched your values and where they didn't, and every Friday draw one concrete consequence for the week ahead.
- Deepen deliberately Ask two people who have seen you under pressure for an honest example of when your behaviour didn't match your words, and put exactly that right.
- Pass it on This month, agree shared values with the people you work with as the yardstick for decisions – in a team, a project or volunteer work – and explicitly ask them to measure you against it and to speak up when you fall short.
The reflection questions5 questions for you or a conversation with others
- Where are my words and my actions currently out of step – in myself and in what I tolerate in others?
- Which commitment did I last break, and did I address it openly?
- In which decision did I act against my conviction for the sake of peace?
- What would the people I work with say about my reliability if they were free to be honest?
- Which small habit shapes my character more than I would like?
Take your time with one question. Write down your answer – or talk it over with someone you trust.
The picture to rememberThe storm sweeps in from the left. The house on the rock stands firm.
- The storm sweeps in from the left.
- The house on the rock stands firm.
What character looks like in practice
The president who chose to walk away
After two terms, George Washington could simply have stayed in power – but he declined a third. His choice set a standard for the peaceful transfer of power that became the model for his successors.
Rather die than betray his principles
In 399 BC, Athens sentenced Socrates to death for “corrupting the youth.” He could have saved himself through compromise or escape – instead he stood by his convictions and accepted the verdict.
20 Grand Slams, still a gentleman
Roger Federer spent 310 weeks as world No. 1 and won 20 Grand Slam titles. Yet he became just as famous as the “gentleman of the sport”: fair to opponents and umpires, humble in defeat.
