Charisma may be useful in attracting a following, but it is largely useless when it comes to achieving a long-term, positive impact on the people and organizations we lead. For this, we need character.<\/p>\n\n
In helping people build their platforms, I frequently meet people whose public image is better developed than their personal character<\/a>. They are one person on stage and another when the spotlight is off.<\/p>\n It is this fundamental lack of integrity that undermines their effectiveness and, left unchecked, can destroy their legacy.<\/p>\n Effective leadership is an inside-out job. This is why it is so important to give attention to developing our character. Yes, talent is important. So is education and experience. But in the end, it is our character that makes or breaks us.<\/p>\n In my experience, character is shaped by three forces. If we want to develop our character, we need to give attention to each of them.<\/p>\n But the opposite is also true. Watching endless hours of mindless television, viewing pornography, or uncritically ingesting the worst of popular culture erodes character.<\/p>\n This is why we must be attentive to the input we consume. It affects us in deep and profound ways. It is the raw material out of which our character is formed.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n The relationships we pursue.<\/strong> Jim Rohn<\/a> taught that \u201cyou are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.\u201d If this is true\u2014and I believe it is\u2014we have to be more intentional about the people we choose to associate with<\/a>.<\/p>\n Conversely, dissociate from people who reinforce your worst traits<\/a>. Even the Bible warns, \u201cBad company corrupts good character\u201d (see 1 Corinthians 15:33). None of us can afford relationships that pull us down.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n The habits we acquire.<\/strong> These are simply the consistent ways we think, speak, and act in different situations. They are largely unconscious, which is what gives them their power\u2014both positively and negatively.<\/p>\n Good habits lead to good outcomes:<\/p>\n But bad habits can have the opposite impact<\/a>, too. If you make a habit of complaining about your boss<\/a>, it can come back to bite you. That\u2019s why we have to be intentional about building good habits<\/a> and breaking ourselves of bad ones.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\t\t\n
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