Character

Leadership is about your character. Character is one of the ingredients that make up your personality.  Your actions, your attitude, and your behavior define your character. These are simple but powerful words (actions, attitude, behavior).  If you need to simplify this even more, focus on your attitude.  You may not be able to help it if you’re having a bad day or if you don’t like doing a particular thing, but changing your attitude changes everything.

Personality vs. Character – Leadership has little to do with personality because leadership is not about style.  Personality deals with style while character deals with substance (i.e. behavior). 

Doing the right thing, regardless of audience or solitude, is your character in action.

When you do something that benefits you – that is not character. Character is not about personal gain. Doing the right thing, especially if it costs you something, is an act of character.

A leader must set an example for acceptable behavior. His respect and authority can be compromised if he does not behave in the same way he expects others to. A strong character can be more important and valuable than communication because it speaks louder than words can. Leaders should expect more from themselves than they do from their team.