A Leader of Character

“Good character is not formed in a week or a month.
It is created little by little, day by day.
Protracted and patient effort is needed to develop good character.”
~Heraclitus of Ephesus

What does it mean to be leader of character?

Leaders of character are those leaders who have a solid foundation and commitment to living honorably and with integrity. They value others and treat them with dignity and respect because of their humanity, not based upon pre-conditions or “quid pro quo” relationships. Leaders of character have personal courage to stand up for what is right, especially when it is not popular. Leaders of character see their role as one of service, not ego and entitlement. Leaders of character do what is right when no one is looking because it is the right thing do. Leaders of character have the personal courage to make difficult decisions, even when it costs them. Leaders of character are intentional about investing in their own character development so they can stand firm when the natural byproduct temptations of power, position, rank, and authority come knocking at the doors to their hearts and heads.

Are we able to improve and develop character?

YES! In fact, everyone must consistently build and grow their character. A leader’s consistent actions will convey their character to those around them, and their organizations should, and often do, reflect them. Thus, we who are leaders should always work on our character and take time to reflect on whether we are living the moral qualities, ethical standards, and principles that we value. This requires that we put in place boundaries and create accountability mechanisms within our organizations to both remind us of who we’ve committed to being as well as provide a transparent example to our teams of that of what we require of ourselves and others.

The US Army is an organization that values leaders of character. They have defined seven “Army values” that create the foundation of expectation for every soldier: Loyalty, Duty, Respect, Selfless Service, Honor, Integrity, and Personal Courage. By themselves, they are nice words, but with the appropriate training and accountability they are actually powerful. Yet, even in an organization like the US Army, where the values are put on walls and dog tags and integrated into leader training at every level, there has been an increase in senior leader character failure. Army researchers studied the topic and discovered that the amount of character development training decreased as Army leaders increased in rank. They model a “leaky character reservoir” where a leader’s character is a bucket with a hole. If that bucket is not continually filled through deliberate character development, the resulting deficit often leads to a failure of character. (Spain, Matthew, & Hagemaster, 2022)

Unlike most civilian institutions, the US Army does have deliberate and integrated character development training integrated into professional education requirements. If then, the US Army faces a character reservoir problem because they do not have enough character development education at the senior ranks, how much more so can we assume the same or worse must exist throughout our civilian organizations of all kinds where the progression and formal education requirements are not standardized, and positions are not stepped and controlled like in the military?

Individual leaders and organizations committed to an intentional culture of excellent leadership and honorable values must approach character development as a key component of leadership development. A quick search on the internet about “character development” will show you that a vast majority of resources exist to help our primary and secondary schools, and to an extent, our higher education institutions, integrate character education into their curriculum. Finding something similar for any other type of adult leader is much more difficult. Many leadership development programs do include character and values as a key component of their curriculum, but if character development is limited only to those who are already leaders, then you run the risk of elevating someone into a leadership position that has little to no pre-requisite development in that area. Character development is best done for everyone.

Maintaining good character is like exercising a muscle. Work it and reinforce it often, and it will be strong and ready when the inevitable test of character arises. Neglect it, and atrophy will set in and your ability to respond to a temptation or a crisis is greatly diminished. Daily habits reflect character, and the idea of being faithful in the small things leading to the ability to be faithful in the big things remains true. Character development pays off today and tomorrow, though it will not always be easy or profitable, it is an important component of developing and maintaining a culture of excellence across the board with long term impacts.

What does character development look like?

A future blog article will explore some more of the specifics of what make a good character development program. To start, consider your personal or organizational values and what is required to truly live those values. What are antithetical to your values? Develop likely good and bad character scenarios that you or your organization are likely to encounter, and from that, determine what character reinforcement would need to happen to encourage the good responses and deter the bad ones. These steps will help you narrow in on the character traits you need to most inculcate, praise, and reward.

Character failure is not inevitable! However, it does require leaders deliberate and transparent approaches, as well as a robust and intentional character development plan that grows with the individuals in it so that, unlike the US Army problem, it never diminishes in importance and is always “filling the reservoir.” This world needs leaders of character who can weather the storms, maintain integrity, and walk humbly. Start with the small and faithful habits of each day so that the greater temptations of tomorrow are a weak assailant that your strong character easily repels.

References

Spain, E. S., Matthew, K. E., & Hagemaster, A. L. (2022, November 18). “Why Do Senior Officers Sometimes Fail in Character? The Leaky Character Reservoir.” The Army War College Quarterly: Parameters, pp. 117-138.