Becoming a leader of character is a process that never ends. It is a never ending road towards a destination you can never completely reach. But, leaders must take this road daily in order to grow and lead well.

I had the benefit of my father, General Jim Anderson, and four years of training at West Point to guide me towards being a leader of character. One of the reasons I began to blog, consult and coach on this subject is I realized how blessed I was compared to most aspiring leaders. I had guides!

I define character as: Our habitual way of operating.

But how does one develop character without the benefit of a leader of character for a dad or a 4 year leadership school? It starts by understanding how our character is formed.

Character:

• Begins with our thoughts.
• Our thoughts become our words.
• Our words lead to our actions.
• Our actions become habits.
• Our habits determine our character.
• Our character determines our destiny.

4 Steps To Becoming A Leader Of Character

1.Character Formation Begins With My Thoughts: I must spend time filling my mind with positive influences.

Do This:

• Read: A leader who doesn’t read has the same opportunity to grow as and illiterate.
• Mentors/Friends: I become most like the people I spend the most time with. Spend time with people who already are where or who I want to be.
• Turn Off TV: It amazes me how much more time I have to read when I fast from the television.

Avoid This:

• Reading Pulp: Entertainment magazines, only junk novels, rants on the internet that offer nothing but criticism.
• Negative Friends: These are people who live life for only themselves. They have questionable moral standards and rarely offer anything positive to say.
• Limit Mindless Input: Do we really need to watch EVERY singing competition on TV, SportsCenter multiple times a day, House Hunters reruns or tasteless YouTube videos?

Recommendations:

• Read these: the Bible, biographies about role models, leadership books, articles and blogs.

2. My Thoughts Become My Words: I must capture my bad thoughts and share my best ones.

Do This:

• Speak truth- Speak aloud my convictions about right and wrong.
• Be A Problem Solver- Offer positive solutions.
• Share- Character building things I learned this week with others.

Avoid This:

• Gossip- Serves no purpose but to make me feel better about myself.
• Complaining- Without offering solutions.
• Silence- When I see a moral wrong/injustice.

Recommendations:

• Join or create a group of like-minded people to discuss important issues and make each other better.

3. My Speech Leads To My Actions: “Well done is better than well said.” -Benjamin Franklin

Do This:

• Be authentic- If I say I believe in something, then I mustACT like it.
• Be consistent- Act on my convictions in every circumstance.

Avoid This:

• Being A Hypocrite: Everyone knows one and no one respects them.
• Situational Ethics: See Hypocrite.

Recommendations:

• Begin today and act like my convictions matter. Unless I act on them, my convictions are meaningless. (See Hypocrite)

4. My Actions Become My Habits: Virtuous actions repeated over time become my habits.

Do This:

• Small things- Follow my convictions in the small things and the big things become easier.
• All things: There are no small decisions when it comes to my character.

Avoid This:

• Procrastination: If I don’t make the right choice in the small decisions, I will not make them in the big things.

Recommendations:

• Exercise: Just like I build muscle with low weights first, I must choose the right thing to do in little decisions: littering, tipping, language, follow-thorough. This will begin a new habit and prepare me for larger tests of character.

Our Habits Determine Our Character and Our Character Determines Our Destiny.

I can’t read a book or go to a training seminar or a Sunday sermon and suddenly be transformed into a leader of character. Becoming a leader of character is a life long pursuit that will determine my destiny.

If I maintain my focus on becoming a leader of character by following the steps above, I will become a person others believe in, want to follow and want to emulate. That is a road worth travelling and a destination most people aspire to.

Question:

What actions do you take to build your character? How can organizations help there people become leaders of character?