5 Simple Points for Character Development
What can we learn from Tiger Woods since the revelation of his extra-marital affairs, being dropped by his major sponsors and having to take a step back from playing golf?
That Character counts! It was Ghandi that said “One man cannot do right in one department of life whilst he is occupied in doing wrong in any other department. Life is one indivisible whole.” Since many of us today would agree that leadership is influence, we can also see very clearly that other parts of our lives that aren’t going so well could affect our leadership influence no matter how good we might be in our profession.
What is Character?
Repeated patterns of behaviour over a long period of time is what forms character- It is the sum total of our behaviour spanning our whole life i.e. both public and private. Therefore, it goes to say that a trustworthy person is someone that you know and can predict up to some extent over a period of time. Since the foundation of Leadership is trust, it goes without saying that we leaders must consistently be working on our character. I am not saying that we will not make mistakes, however, having Core Values that we strive to uphold will create boundaries for us to work on. We must continually be working on our character to provide effective leadership.
Below are 5 Simple things we can focus on to develop our character:
1. Integrity
Integrity is doing the thing we said we were going to do long after the feeling has left us. Our commitment is what builds trust – these are the silent ingredients of Leadership that inspire others. Think of the many great leaders you know and you will find that they had tremendous integrity which built trust among their followers. Do you do the things you said you are going to do?
2. Apply principled thinking
Knowing the right thing to do starts from having the right thoughts. This comes through having an ever-learning attitude, new insights, paradigm shifts and new ways of looking at things which contribute to our growth in tremendous ways. In a recession or downturn economy, it is essential to seek out a fresh approach to your business. You as the leader need to have foresight- this is what gives you the leadership edge. Not that you see everything, but that even when it comes from someone else, you have the ability to accept it. Who/What shapes your thinking?
3. Give yourself time
You know the saying “Rome wasn’t built in a day”. It’s the same with character development. Effective leadership relies on consistent characteristics, this can sometimes take time to develop. But remember if you work on one thing or area at a time each day, you’ll eventually get there. What’s the one thing you need to work on now?
4. Learn to embrace pressure
When it comes to character development, pressure needs to be viewed as a good thing, there is a saying that “people are like tea bags, they don’t know what’s in them until they are placed in hot water”. This is the same with many of us, our businesses places us under various levels of pressure. We can choose various ways to go about things. It is in these moments of pressure that effective leadership is shown through our character. The ability to say no, especially when no one is looking. What’s your attitude towards pressure?
5. Making decisions in the moment of choice
The forth point (related to pressure) puts us in a position to either lean into the situation or retreat. Once we decide to lean into it, then making a decision is just as important. Effective leadership is shown when a decision is made. Too many of us want to pass the buck because we know that if it doesn’t work out, we are to blame. Effective leaders make tough decisions. Each time you make a tough decision, you are growing in character and increasing your leadership effectiveness. How do you rate yourself when it comes to decision making?
If you can answer these questions on a regular basis, you’ll be working on an essential part of your leadership development.
What are your thoughts?
Toye Oshunbiyi
Discover Your True North
{ 7 comments… read them below or add one }
One important ingredient is missing here: the environment in which you lead. These traits are truly “inspirational”, however, a person would be seen as “odd” “not of the group” and likely ostracized, never able to advance because the culture of the company or organization wouldn’t value these traits. It’s amazing to me how it is assumed that “positive character” is seen as universally accepted and revered – it’s not. It’s important for a person to assure that the “workplace culture” lines up with a person’s value system.
Great post and I agree with Wize Time that some environments may not allow you to lead. This is when you make tough decision to leave those environments. One thing that I’d like you to clarify. The ability to say no, “especially when no-one is looking”. What does that mean? Have you got an example?
Thanks Jason, what I mean by “having the ability to say no when no one is looking” is having the strength of character to do the uncomfortable thing, this could be a simple task such as following through on your schedule for the day, making that difficult call even though no-one is going to ask you. The things that we commit to do and would sometimes do it “because” other people are around so we look good, the real question is would we still do it if we are on our own? Hope this sheds more light
Great article Toye. Some powerful leadership and coaching principles. I recently coached a senior corporate executive who wasn’t achieving as much as he wished. He wanted to be a great leader and in my view had the ability and self-assurance to be so, but he wasn’t getting there. It quickly became clear to me he was missing an important ingredient of leadership that he was little aware of and this was greatly impacting his success. He was focusing exclusively on his own needs, his own strengths and weaknesses, his own successes and failures. To me, leaders need to also be aware of other people’s needs; to be able to also focus on contribution. A parallel focus on contribution is motivating, satisfying, rewarding, gives a broader purpose to our work and a wider measure of our success. So I would add a sixth item … a focus on contribution. My client agreed to spend two weeks thinking about nothing other than the needs and interests of those he met. He said it was a revealing and enlightening exercise. Whether he’s made the adjustment needed to become the leader he aspires to be remains to be seen.
Fantastic Graham, you’ll find similar thoughts in “The Core Four Principles of Leadership” that the ultimate goal of great leaders is to serve and empower others. Hope your clients gets it!
Toye, I have been reading the four core principles of leadership, as character was one of the cores, I realised most of your teachings are similiar to Stephen Covey. are you from the same school of thought? I was interested to hear from you every time I want to, but it seem that I”m learning exactly what Covey wrote in The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, the 8TH Habit, and The principle-center Leadership.
Akol, yes Covey has had a major influence on me no doubt, but more the Bible. The truth is that Principles are “Truths” that we cannot jump over. True North is True North, it doesn’t really matter who discovered it, it just is. Different people are able to articulate the principles to their own audience. I think that is what matters. Thanks for your comment, much appreciated