Thursday 28 August 2014
Your Foundation is built on the Rock of Your Character
All leaders, no matter what, will go through and have gone through circumstances of life. How often, I have heard people say, well under the circumstances… What I have learned is to ask and please note that I ask myself as well…who gave you / me permission to be under there?
Crisis and adversity will lead you to a crossroads. The path that you choose to take will define you and either make or break you. Will you choose the path of character or will you choose the path of compromise? Every time you choose character, you grow stronger. Every time you choose character you realize that it may have negative consequences but you know that you have chosen the right path. The development of your character is not only important in your development as a leader but no less in the development of you as a human being.
Integrity is a word but the actions you put behind it are the real indicators of your character. Your character determines who you are. It determines how you see things and how you deal with things. John Maxwell wrote an entire book to show that Talent is never enough. While you are born with talents or you develop the gifts of your talents, they are never enough if you don’t use your character to go with them. True Leadership always involves the interaction of other people. Those whom you are supposedly leading will not trust you if you have or show a flawed character. As a successful leader, you cannot allow yourself to fall into the quicksand of arrogance and other destructive flaws. This is a terrible price to pay for a weak character.
But know that it is never too late. If you find yourself, in a character compromise situation…take a time out. John Maxwell has said many times that if you are in over your head it doesn’t matter how deep the water is. I like to take this one step further, especially as you take a time out to assess your situation. If you find yourself in over your head, try standing up and taking a step forward. Make every effort to find any potential cracks in yourself. Look for weaknesses in yourself. Be prepared to face the music and make amends with those that you must face. And last but never least, rebuild. Getting a do over is always important and ensure that you have created a plan to move forward.
Your character is so important not just on the outside but on your inside. Remember that your character inspires confidence in others and most importantly in YOU! 
As always, I look forward to your comments and feedback. Post here or on my Facebook Leadership page or email me at [email protected]. Peace. BB