Leadership is the capacity and will to rally men and women to a common purpose and the character which inspires confidence. -Bernard Montgomery, British Field Marshal
The dictionary defines character as
char·ac·ter (noun)
By now you hopefully have read the first chapter of our book of the month, if not, click the last post and you can find the first chapter there. But it is only the first chapter.
The first chapter is about CHARACTER. How Maxwell defines character was summed up at the end of his first story about Bill Lear. Bill Lear after creating the Lear Jet, realized there were some issues that cause crashes. So he took up the plane to recreate the scenario of the crash so he could diagnose the problem. When he discovered the cause, he grounded all the lear jets so he could fix them. It cost him a great deal of money, but it was the right thing to do.
“Grounding the planes cost Lear a lot of money. And it planted seeds of doubt in the minds of potential customers. As a result, he needed two years to rebuild the business. But Lear never regretted his decision. He was willing to risk his success, his fortune, and even his life to solve the mystery of those crashes – but not his integrity. And that takes character.- page 3″
Maxwell then goes on to talk about how leaders and character. Here was the golden sentance for me…
“Crisis doesn’t necessarily make character, but it certainly does reveal it”.
Think about your own business. How do you handle crisis? Do you run and hide from it, hoping that it will resolve itself and go away? Do you tackle it head-on? Do you complain about it?
Here are some bullet points about character
- Character is more than just talk. I guess that is when you walk the walk and talk the talk, eh?
- Talent is a gift, but character is a choice. NOW this is a strong statement. Because when you have a choice, you accept the outcome of your decisions. Self responsibility is a tough pill if you lack character and make poor choices.
- Character brings lasting success with people. People will gossip and talk about you. Just human nature. What do you want them to say about YOU?
- Leaders cannot rise about the limitations of their character.
I love Maxwell’s advice for how to improve your character:
Homework for you!
- Search for the cracks. Take time to review the major parts of your life and where you may have cut corners, compromised, or let other down. Write this down for the last two months. Okay, this may be a challenge for some of you.
- Look for patterns. Is there a particular area where you have a weakness or a type of problem that keeps surfacing?
- Face the music. The beginning of character repair comes when you face your flaws, apologize and deal with the consequences of your actions.
- Rebuild. Create a plan that will prevent you from making the same mistakes again.
So I drove 8 hours to an event this past weekend in Atlanta. Spent the night with the host, had a great time in her home, and after doing the event, decided to drive 8 hours home. I was exhausted but so glad I went. Not because I said anything earth shattering. I went to tell the team “thank you” for all their hard work and effort. Our company was late in doing proper recognition, something that was important to me. So I took it upon myself to spend the money and time to create certificates. I mean really nice ones. Some people thought they were cheesy but many others more just wanted to know that there were appreciated. So I did my best to present everyone with some recognition.
During the long ride home, my daughter asked me, “Why didn’t you just mail them? Why did we drive all that way?” I replied, “because I said I would. Also I wanted them to feel how much I appreciate them.” And she quietly replied “that’s cool. That’s why people follow you. You do what you say.” I’d like to think I have good character.
I’m always looking to improve it and hope the exercise here helps you identify the areas you can improve yours.
Leave some feedback and tell me what you think about character. Next up: charisma. This should be a doosy.
-Expect success!
Donna
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