Episode 4: Character: The Compass

Good leaders are good characters. Great leaders have great character.

Same word, different meaning, vastly different outcomes.

Good characters are engaging and fun to be around. They’ve always got a story to tell and they generally always lift the room. They’re good people.

But great character, well, that’s the very essence of who you are as a person. The soul that drives the ship. It’s the guiding principles that compel you to make the decisions you make in the manner you make them when the world looks elsewhere.

But you make them because someone is watching. You are.

I've always believed that the most revealing thing about a great leader isn't how they perform in the big moments. It's what they do in the small ones.

The moments that few witness and fewer record. The ones that go unnoticed by everyone bar those who the moments were for or with. The moments that make a real difference not just on a work level, but on a human level.

Character isn’t the big, visible gestures or the tough decisions made in full view of the board or the client or the team. That’s confidence and conviction.

It’s what sits underneath. The space you make for others to support and guide them. The decisions you make that aren’t necessarily the easiest route. The determination and resolve you show when the waters get choppy and you need to keep guiding the boats to safety.

Becoming a good leader involves learning. There are plenty of books and courses available with a myriad of different leadership methodologies. And good leaders invest time in themselves by committing to self-development throughout their career.

But here’s the thing with character. It’s different. You can't learn integrity. You can’t learn comfortable determination. You can’t learn how to genuinely care.

Character isn't a skill. It's a foundation that’s built upon.

And great character is always built upon an honest base.

Leaders who lack character aren't truly followed because they haven't learned enough. It's because their foundation was never honest. Performative values. Situational integrity. Strategic care. The leadership mask that’s worn when it’s convenient to do so.

Great leaders have great character. They act in a manner that leaves no doubt or second guessing. Through deeds, not words. Through the unwitnessed work of showing up as the same person, with the same values, and the same convictions, whether the room is full or empty.

Character is the magnet that guides you.

It’s the compass for a great leader.