“Leadership is the capacity and will to rally men and women to a common purpose and the character which inspires confidence.” Bernard Montgomery, British Field Marshal

How a leader deals with life’s circumstances really shows their character. Crisis and challenges reveal our character. When we have challenges in our life, we can choose character or compromise.

Choose character and remember the keys to character:

1. Character is more than talk. – Focus on the right actions.
2. Talent is a gift, but character is a choice. – Choice to be a person of character.
3. Character brings lasting success with people. – Use your character for good relationships.
4. Leaders cannot rise above the limitations of their character. – Become better so you can do more with your gifts.

To improve your character, take action with the following:

• Search for the cracks – spend some time looking at the major areas of your life and write down every instance you can remember from the past two months.
• Look for patterns – examine the instance you wrote down and identify your areas of weakness or types of problems.
• Face the music – face your flaws, apologize, and deal with the consequences of your actions. Create a list of people you need to apologize to and then follow through with sincere apologies.
• Rebuild – build a new future by creating a plan that will prevent you from making the same mistakes again.

Daily take-away…

Become bigger on the inside, than on the outside!

*This post and podcast are based on content from John Maxwell’s 21 Indispensable Qualities of a leader (Chapter 1). To learn how to become a better leader, get the book click here