Crisis doesn’t necessarily make character, but it certainly does reveal it. Adversity is a crossroads that makes a person choose one of two paths: character or compromise. Every time he chooses character, he becomes stronger, even if that choice brings negative consequences.
1. Character is More than Talk.
Anyone can say that he has integrity, but action is the real indicator of character. Your character determines who you are. Who you are determines what you see. What you see determines what you do.
2. Talent is a Gift, but Character is a Choice.
We do choose our character. We create it every time we make choices.
3. Character Brings Lasting Success with People.
True leadership always involves other people.
4. Leaders Cannot Rise Above the Limitations of Their Character.
Arrogance, aloneness, adventure-seeking, adultery.
To improve your character, do the following:
• Search for the cracks.
• Look for patterns.
• Face the music.
• Rebuild. It’s one thing to face up to your past actions. It’s another to build a new future.
A man took his young daughter to a carnival, and she immediately ran over to a booth and asked for cotton candy. As the attendant handed her a huge ball of it, the father asked, “Sweetheart, are you sure you can eat all that?” “Don’t worry, Dad,” she answered, “I’m a lot bigger on the inside than on the outside.” That’s what real character is—being bigger on the inside.
From "The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader" by John C. Maxwell
