A Leader’s Character is Determined by their Actions

what makes a great leaderI remember first reading the quote: “adversity builds character”. I thought this was a valuable insight. However, I later came across a revised version of this quote which stated: “Adversity doesn’t just build character, Adversity reveals character”. The distinction really caught my attention. I believe that there is a great truth here. The essence of a leader’s character is not the situations they have been through – it is how they act when challenged by current situations.

As individuals we all demonstrate leadership effectiveness in how we act. The question is: how do leaders nurture positive character attributes to prepare for moments when our character will be tested? The answer lies in the actions we take and the commitments we keep each and every day. As we continually act with good character, it becomes a habit. When the moment of truth comes to test our mettle, our good habits will reveal our good character.

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Qualities of Great Leaders – Self-Awareness & Positive Self Image

Leadership Facilitator TorontoMost leaders have a high level of self-awareness and a positive self-concept. They are confident in what they believe in. When the time comes to take action, great leaders know what to do and have the confidence to do it. “He who knows others is wise; he who knows himself is enlightened.” ― Lao Tzu

The need for a clear sense of self is critically important to leaders. One of the fundamental precepts of leadership is that it requires an individual to decide on a course of action that intentionally or unintentionally provides a direction for others. Leadership is action that influences the thinking and behavior of others. So, in order to decide to take action, you have to know what you believe in and have the confidence to act on it. We are all value-centered (what we do is based on what we value). It is important to focus on the source of our values – the culture at large, our habits, our traditions or universal principles? Great leaders possess a clear set of positive character principles to augment their self-awareness and self-concept.

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Focus on Solutions not Problems

Leadership FacilitatorOne of the virtues of great leaders is the ability to focus on solutions and push the negatives aside. Henry Ford has been credited as saying: “Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t — you’re right”.

The value of this quote is in seeing that as often as not, the secret to dealing with difficulty is in the way that you frame the situation. If you see nothing but problems, then the focus will likely remain on problems.

One of the secrets to great leadership is the ability to move forward and the only way to move forward is to find solutions rather than focus on the problems. This is not to say that we should ignore problems or not spend time analyzing them. The key is to spend just enough time on a problem to learn from it and then focus on how to fix it.

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Great Leaders Make Things Happen – They Choose Their Destiny

Leadership ValuesGreat leaders make things happen – they choose their destiny. This blog is part of a series of blogs focusing on the importance of character and how it impacts leaders and leadership. In my previous blog we looked at values and virtues and how they are integrated with a person’s character. In this blog we’ll reflect on how leadership, a positive attitude and character intersect.

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Values and Virtues

business leadership facilitatorThis blog is the third in a series of blogs focusing on the importance of character and how it impacts leaders and leadership. Following on the previous blog “What is Character in Business Leadership“, In this blog we’ll seek to understand a little bit about values and virtues and how we might measure them. Read more

What is Character in Business Leadership?

character leadershipIn this blog I plan to continue on the theme of understanding the importance of character to leadership. In my last blog, I outlined the importance of good character to leaders.  Leaders want to enable their followers to exercise independent thinking and decision-making that serves the leaders vision and goal. In order for a leader to feel comfortable with delegating independent decision-making, they must have trust in the person and individuals who exemplify positive character traits are very trustworthy.

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Why Character Matters to Leadership

character leadershipThis blog is the first in a series of blogs commenting on character traits – particularly positive character traits – and why they are important to leadership. Let’s start with understanding the concept of character. The dictionary definition according to dictionary.com is as follows:

  1. the aggregate of features and traits that form the individual nature of some person or thing.
  2. one such feature or trait; characteristic.
  3. moral or ethical quality: a man of fine, honorable character.
  4. qualities of honesty, courage, or the like; integrity: It takes character to face up to a bully.
  5. reputation: a stain on one’s character.

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