Important Business Leadership & Character Trait – Perseverance
Identifying the traits, values and virtues that are present is a person of good character is a pursuit that has been going on for centuries. Aristotle identified twelve virtues that are present in someone of good character. As you might expect, the virtues are not mutually exclusive and can provide great insights to how good character impacts business leadership. For example, Aristotle included courage, practical wisdom and right ambition in his list of virtues. Many studies of leadership traits identify perseverance as an important trait that successful leaders possess. At the heart of perseverance is the concept of persistence. This is where character comes into play.
Persistence without good intentions or right ambition is problematic. It can lead to someone pushing hard to achieve outcomes that may serve an individual agenda rather to the detriment of others. Persistence without practical wisdom can lead to bad decision outcomes because it involves someone driving others to follow a path that would – under scrutiny – be seen as a poor choice. I think that perseverance is the persistent pursuit of outcomes that are both wise and good. Furthermore, it takes courage to persevere particularly in the face of failure. Thomas Edison invented the light bulb – a great accomplishment – but it took him over 2000 failed attempts to reach success. He certainly demonstrated courage to keep going. He also demonstrated wisdom and right ambition and so his perseverance is seen is a positive light. Read more
Change is an everyday occurrence. You’ll find well-rounded leaders embracing change and having the ability to recognize the opportunities that change can bring and to “Realign Rigorously”. In order to do this, the leader needs to become a pro at innovation. And, that means never start with “it can’t be done.” What is needed, is the ability to create new mindsets, break the mold, think outside of the box and innovate. ‘Success comes in cans’ is a great play on words that contains profound truth.
This 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:
