I remember when I was a kid and used to hear things like “what kind of character do you think you are?” or “do you think a character like you is the kind of person that people will like?” At the time, my main objective was to stay out of trouble. That didn’t always work out so good!
I grew up thinking that being a character was a bad thing … a trouble maker, an instigator, basically one who thrives on creating chaos. It was not until later in life that I understood what character is all about.
You have probably heard the expression; “true character is how you act when nobody is looking.” That may be true but what about when they are looking? I won’t dispute the merit in that statement and I believe that it is probably true. But I think the more important point is that who we are when nobody is looking shapes who we are when we are being watched.
I look back at my life and could easily site several times when acting as a character I was clearly acting without character. Fortunately, I can say that those experiences have given me a good understanding of the difference between the two.
So how important is character? Well, let me tell you what I think. Character trumps just about every other personality trait we can have. Why? Because everything else flows through this idea. People of poor character are seldom trusted or respected. People of poor character are not committed or dependable. People of poor character may equally demonstrate values in ethics or morals.
Simply put, if you lack character, you will lack the skills needed to be a leader. Now maybe you are thinking “so what, I am not, nor do I want to be a leader anyway.” Well let me share a little insight with you. John Maxwell says that “Leadership is influence, nothing more, nothing less.” He also says that “Everything rises and falls on leadership.”
You may or may not agree with those statements, but let me ask you a question. Do you ever try and influence others to agree with you? Have you ever tried to persuade someone to believe what you believe? Thought so!
Here is my point. Character represents who you are. It doesn’t matter what you do, your ability to influence others is going to boil down to their perception of your character.
So how do you demonstrate strong character? Simple – start by doing the right thing. If you want to have more influence and heaven forbid, be an influential leader, you need to do more than just the right thing, you need to do the things that you don’t have to do.
Look around and see who you believe is an influential leader. My bet says they are doing things that they don’t have to do. Non-profit work. Community involvement. Donating time to help those lacking the knowledge or resources to do something on their own. The list goes on.
No, you don’t have to do these things but guess what? People of high character, no matter where you are, will be doing things they don’t have to do.
So let me ask you a question; “If asked, would someone who knows you refer to you as a character or a person of character?” They don’t have to be mutually exclusive but they better be individually identifiable!
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SAVE THE DATE: On October 10th, John will be doing a WEBCAST to teach from his new book and introduce the Maxwell Leadership Assessment. CLICK HERE TO REGISTER FOR THE WEBCAST
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Barry Smith 10/7/13 photo by author © Building What Matters 2013
