The first step in choosing a leader, is recognizing that leadership demands character traits that lead to success. Success is determined by the impact a person's ability to govern has on the people he serves. Will it bring unity or division? Sickness or health? Destruction or harmony? Chaos or order? This article will look at essential elements that must be part of a leader's character to yield positive results.
Character Traits for Sound Leadership
Before diving into character traits, it is crucial that "all hands are on deck" as to what this writer means by the word character. Character is "the mental and moral qualities distinctive to an individual." Simplistically, it is the depth of one mental ability to determine right from wrong or good from evil. It's demonstrating a sense of "leadership demands character."
Morality is a mental "line in the sand" that says, "That's wrong, don't do it!" Sadly, there are many people who have no such guard rails. The character of an individual determines whether or not those guard rails are in place. If they are, there is a moral line he or she will not cross. How do we determine a person's character? By the words he speaks, and the actions that follow. Let's discuss a few words that identify a person with character.
Words That Define Character Traits
Because good leadership demands character, here are seven-character traits a leader should have: truthfulness, honesty, humility, respect, self-analysis, empathy and courage.
Truthfulness. A good leader is guided by the highest level of truth in every situation. Truthfulness is not telling lies or having moral qualities that do not correspond to reality. Lying causes an individual to live in a world of his own and make decisions that serve himself, using power, greed and injustice to achieve it.
Honesty is established trustworthiness. It also means being fair and sincere. Individuals who say one thing and do another cannot be trusted. Fairness is not measured by how well it benefits oneself, but how it benefits or affects others.
Humility is a feeling or attitude that says, "I'm no better than anyone else." It has no air of importance or pride. It is not "puffed up."
Respect is a feeling of admiration for someone because of their good qualities or achievements. The foundation of good is measured by a sense of morality.
Leadership demands character is measured by self-analysis, which is a systematic attempt by an individual to understand himself. He strives to understand what makes him think, speak and act and constantly seeks to adapt behavior that corresponds to sound moral values.
Empathy is the ability to recognize, understand and share the thoughts and feelings of others. It's putting yourself in the place of someone else and looking at a situation through their eyes.
Courage is having a mindset that allows you to face difficulty, danger or pain without fear. It's doing the right thing even though the consequences may not be favorable. Choosing and practicing the phrase leadership demands character also takes courage.
Why are sound character traits essential to good leadership? They lay the foundation for societies to grow and develop; they are the bedrock of humanity. Leadership character also influences cultural and ethical climates in countries and the world. It helps to sustain peace in the world. Essential character traits must reflect compassion, forgiveness and a willingness to serve others.
Absence of Leadership Demands Character
In absence of the mindset leadership demands character, humanity experiences unchecked diseases, destruction, gun violence, hate, mass murder and world chaos. Lack of character is like a "loose cannon" because it explodes at any time and in any direction! A person without character is like a house without a foundation. It will crumble because it has no substance or stability, and . . . will not produce leadership that generates success for the people it serves.
Research reveals world leaders who fall into the category of no character are Adolph Hitler, Mao Zedong, Genghis Khan and Joseph Stalin. Forces that placed them in office overlooked "leadership demands character" and only chose leaders. This writer could add a few more. More importantly, however is, how do such people assume power?
In a non-democratic world, it is by force, usually with excessive loss of human life, but in a democratic world, "we the people" place them in office. Thus, when voting, character should become a leading factor in selecting a leader. Notably, leaders lacking character chosen by a country, speaks volumes about that country. It indicates the citizens of the country lack character themselves. "We are what we believe."
How does America rate in selecting leaders of character? Today, almost half of the country would say, we are not doing well at all. For the first time in American history, a convicted felon will become President of the United States. What will happen? Time will supply the answer. In the meantime, we can reflect on the phrase "leadership demands character," and seek to practice the seven (7) character traits discussed in this article ourselves . . . only then . . . will we be able to see them in others.
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