Chapter 7

THE PRINCIPLE OF CHARACTER

Character is the mental and moral quality distinctive to an
individual. A leader’s character has to do with his or her
personality, nature, disposition, turn of mind and mentality (the
way someone thinks, feels and behaves).
It consists of beliefs and moral principles that can guide their
behavior in discrete ways. Personality is the sum of a leader’s
physical, psychological, emotional and social aspects that are
manifested through behavior and actions.
Leadership begins with you as an individual. It is not a position
or title, but it is an influence on other people. It is when you
positively influence others with your character. It is worthy of
note, that no one can rise to leadership without first being a
strong follower. Strong leaders are made out of strong
followers. In other words, a strong follower is a strong leader
tomorrow. - Hebrews 6:12.
It is the quality of your walk with God that determines the
quality of your character and it is what determines the quality
of your work. Leadership is a work; it is not a throne to occupy.
It is a service to God, being good to the people and directing
their progress.
A leader with a good character must be humble enough to
recognize the need for God’s presence, even at the very best of
his/her sincerity – You could still be sincerely wrong. So you rely
on the Lord for help at all times – You will always need God –
Proverbs 3:5.
Leaders after God’s own heart know this. They do not assume,
but in humility, they hide in the hollow of God’s hands. He
brings them through. A committed leader will accomplish an
uncommon vision for God. Every leader that must make an
impact must have (a) voice (b) An action and all these are
embodied or molded in the character of such a leader.
Leader of excellent character are men and women who have
touch the power of God in an in-depth fellowship with the Holy
Spirit. Humility is a winning character any day. Humility as a
character helps a leader to honor other without feeling
humiliated. The reason why some leaders do not honor others
is simply because they want to be honored. It is because they
feel humiliated when they honor other.
But a humble character is a deliberate attitude to treat others
better. It is treating them honorably and yet not feeling
humiliated. – Philippians 2:5-11.
Ability to even give honor to someone else is a winner’s
character. Selfish and self-centered leaders want people to only
focus on them and not others. But humble leaders are carefully
working for others to be honored as well. The Bible says “For
this reason, Jesus was exalted high”.
People can truly feel great in your presence when you as a
leader start respecting them. By this character you start
attracting greatness – you can only attract the patronage of the
people you respect – the people you disrespect will never come
back. It is the meek, the humble in character that God promises
greatness.
THE IMPORTANCE OF CHARACTER IN LEADERSHIP
Character is fundamental to effective leadership because good
character builds trust and without trust, people will not follow
you.
Leaders of good character have integrity, courage and
compassion. They are careful and prudent. Humble in the
awareness of their own limitations, they seek out the
knowledge and counsel of others.
They constantly learn and others want to learn from them.
leadership character extends beyond just ethics and include
traits like compassion, willingness to serve others and
forgiveness.
Character plays a significant role in decision making and
performance, and it’s important for leaders at all levels, not just
these senior roles. Leadership involves setting goals, holding
people accountable, developing and coaching others and
making tough decision along the way. As leaders do this, their
character will determine what they value, how they react, how
they treat people around them, and ultimately, the decisions
that they make.
Character, therefore, makes the difference between someone
who is simply a strong performer, and someone who is truly a
leader. Leader character has been found to be positively
correlated with rating of promotability, leadership, overall
performance and negatively related to the risk of derailment.
Leaders character has also been found to be related to
leadership competencies.
Recent research has also found support for the idea that leader
character is related not only with leadership performance and
leadership competencies, but also to well-being.
HOW TO BE A LEADER OF CHARACTER
Effective leadership character may be in connection with the
following:
1. DON’T MAKE EXCUSES: Becoming a good leader is a
personal responsibility, and no one can achieve your goal
besides you.
Use honest and direct communication. Lies and deception
are rarely seen as traits kind people possess:
 Help others
 Become a good leader
 Always be respectful
 Let your yes be your yes and no be no.
2. COMPLIMENT YOURSELF: Giving yourself a little
emotional boost will make you happy. And when you are
happy with yourself, that emotion can be contagious to
those around you.
3. LEARN FROM MISTAKES: Own your mistakes and learn
from them. When you do this, you will become a better
person – you will become happier and healthier with
improved relationship.
4. LET GO OF ANGER: Letting go of anger is easier said than
done. While anger is a perfectly normal emotion, you can’t
let it faster. When this happens, you may make unwise
decisions and more importantly it may affect your health.
5. PRACTICE FORGIVENESS: Forgive and let go of
resentment, if for no other reason than for yourself, forgive
to untether yourself from the negative experiences of the
past.
6. BEHONEST AND DIRECT: For you to be a better person,
either for your personal or professional life, you should
always tell the truth and state as clearly as possible what
you are trying to do or convey. Learn to articulate your
thoughts, feelings and ideas in an open and honest manner.
7. BE HELPFUL: Being helpful is one of the easiest and most
effective ways to practice becoming a better leader,
especially helping the poor and the disabled persons.
8. ALWAYS BE POLITE: How much effort does it take to say
“Thank You” or to hold the elevator door open for
someone? Always be as polite as possible and show some
respect when you talk to people even those of the same
age bracket with you or below.
9. BE YOURSELF: These includes being able to align yourself
with your values and beliefs, establish your identity, build
courage, create boundaries, and find focus and direction.
10. BE OPEN TO CHANGE: You should always be open to
change. This allows you to grow because you experience
something new. It helps you be high functioning and self-
confident if you are not wary of change.
11. EDUCATE YOURSELF: Take time to educate yourself on
standard morals and ethics and current events. Remember,
we are all interconnected and being aware of different
cultures, different people and what their lives are like can
make you a more well-rounded individual. This will also help
you understand points of view different from your own.
12. THINK BEFORE YOU SPEAK: Words can carry a lot
weight. Words can be awesome and also words can be
hurtful, therefore always take the couple extra seconds to
thinks about the impact of your words before you say them
out loud.
13. USE YOUR STRENGTHS: Remember, your skills and
talents are a gift doesn’t let them go to waste. They are
your strength, use them.
14. CULTIVATE AND DISPLAY EMPATHY: Empathy is a
beautiful quality of a leader that has been described as
feeling another person’s pain in our ‘heart, since both god
and humans show empathy, we too as characteristic
leaders do well to imitate them. How can a leader develop
this character?
One of the most powerful ways to cultivate empathy as a
character, involves using our imagination. We may never
have experienced what our fellow brother or sister is going
through. Yet, you can ask yourself: if I were in this situation,
how would I feel? What would I need? Using our imagination
to answer these questions will help us to be more
empathetic.
Really, every aspect of our leadership will benefit when we
show empathy, including in our social foundation and in our
relationship with other people and family.
15. ENDURANCE: Endurance means more than simply putting
up with trials or adversity. Endurance as a leadership
character involves our mind, our respect, our honor and
wishes, or the way we react to issues, situations and
hardships that may result in our cause to the top.
A leader who endures manifests courage, steadfastness
and patience. Endurance is the character which can bear
things, not simply with resignation, but with blazing hope. It
is the character or quality which keep a leader on his/her
feet with determination. It is the virtue which can transmute
the hardest trial into glory beyond the pain it sees the goal.
16. MAINTAIN NEUTRALITY: People often tout the merits of
their race, tribe, culture, city or nation. However, we know
that taking undue pride in tribe, culture or nation put us at
odds with other people different from our tribe or culture.
Of course, good character does not require us to renounce
our culture. Infact, culture differences illustrates the
marvelous diversity of human family. Still, we must as
leaders remember that all people are equal. Romans
10:12. Neutrality therefore defines that you as character
leader should not in any way, no matter the circumstance,
discriminate against any personality based on tribe or
culture or because of their nationality. You must shun all
forms of prejudice so as not to compromise your
neutrality.
Leadership character, stipulates that as a neutral leader,
you should never favor any personality or your tribe over
another, regardless of whether they seem to support or
oppose you interests.
We must exercise caution when issues are brought up to
us, and try to establish common ground with the
householder by focusing on the underlying problem rather
than sentiments or emotions. Remain strictly neutral and
do not pressure others to agree with your view.

A BALANCED VIEW OF MONEY: When a leader maintains a

balanced view of money – regarding it as a means to an
end rather than an end in itself – it is possible for that
leader to enjoy a greater measure of contentment.
The Bible warns that “ The love of money is a root of all
sorts of injurious things,and by reaching out for this love
some have …… stabbed themselves all over with many
pains”. – 1st Timothy 6:10.
Note that it is the love of money – not money itself – that
brings harm. Indeed, an inordinate focus on money by any
leader can drive a wedge between him or her, friends,
Organization, Church, family and the people he is leading.
A distorted view of money can cause a leader to become
judgmental. For example, a wealthy leader might assume
that those who are poor are too lazy to better themselves
or a leader with lesser means might hastily conclude that
those who have more are materialistic or greedy.
A leader who is content is not immune to financial anxiety;
however, he knows how to put his anxiety in perspective.
– Hebrews 13:5; Proverbs 11:28.

CHARACTER IS BUILT IN PRIVATE

“A principled life can stand up to the worst”. Proverbs
11:4. Abraham Lincoln once said, “Nearly all men can
stand adversity but if you want to test a man’s character,
give him power”. It is easier to focus on our talent
because, generally speaking, it produces results that are
rewarded and celebrated by others.
I other words, there is an element of ego connected to our
gift. Character is built in private. Your reputation is what
people think you are, but character is what God and you
think you are. If you want to go the distance, focus more
on character than talent. The writer of proverbs says “Live
right, and you will eat from the live-giving tree. And if you
act wisely, others will follow” (Proverbs 11:30). If you are
praying for greater results, being must precede doing. To
achieve greater goals, you must become a more effective
leader.
To attract better people, you must become a person of
great character. When you consistently display character,
competence and purpose, you make a powerful statement
to those around you and draw them closer to you. Great
things are rarely accomplished
Alone, so if you want to attract good people, you have to
become a better person yourself. This is particularly true if
you are a person of great ability.
Your may lift you up before others, but your lack of
character will bring you down. The Bible says “A thick
bankroll is no help when life falls apart, but a principle can
stand up to the worst” – A wise leader is willing to admit,
“I am not perfect but I know who is. And I am doing my
best to become more and more like Him in my
professional and personal life”.
 CHAPTER EIGHT
THE PRINCIPLE OF INTER-DEPENDENCE
When we survey our lives and endeavors, we soon
observe that almost the whole of our actions and desires,
as leaders, are bound up with the existence of other
human beings.
We eat food that others have produced, wear clothes that
others have made, live in houses that others have built….
The individual leader is what he is and has like
significance that he has not so much in virtue of his
individuality, but rather as a member of a great human
community, which directs his material and spiritual
existence from the cradle to the grave.
In the animal world, it is common to observe instinctive
companionship. Elephants move about in herds, carefully
guarding their young. Lionesses hunt together and share
their food with the male. Dolphins play together and have
even protected other animals or swimmers in distress.
Among humans, however, social scientists have noted a
tendency that causes growing concern. According to a
newspaper published in Africa, some scientists hold that
“Decades of personal isolation and an erosion of
community life have had a huge toll on African leaders,
especially those who based in the developed capital states
or countries.
They have no knowledge of the sufferings of the people
living in the hinter-lands, as they are caught up in a social
educational, infrastructural and economic collapse of
historic proportions, a collapse so great that it simply
overwhelms politics.
The newspaper stated that “ the well-being of the African
nations depended on broad-based social change, which
involved a return to community life”. This problem has
especially spread among those living in developed lands.
There is a rapidly growing tendency for many to isolate
themselves. People want to live their own lives and
strongly resist having others invade their space. The view
has been expressed that this attitude has led human
society to be more prone to emotional problems,
depressions, and suicide.
King Solomon of ancient Israel declared: “ Two are better
than one, because they have a good rewards for their hard
work. For if one of them should fall, the other one can
raise his partner up. But how will it just be the one who
falls when there is not another to raise him up?
(Ecclesiastes 4: 9-10). This wise observer of human
behavior thus highlights our need for inter-dependence
and the importance of not isolating ourselves. However,
this is not just human opinion. Solomon’s statement
resulted from divine wisdom and inspiration.
It is not wise to isolate ourselves as leaders from the
people we are said to be leading. People need one
another. All of us, both the leaders and the led, need the
strength and help that we can get from other beings.
“One isolating himself will seek his own selfish longing”,
says a Bible proverb. “Against all practical wisdom he will
break forth” (Proverbs 18:1). So it is not strange that
social scientists encourage leaders and individuals to
become part of a group and to take an interest in others.
Today leaders should constitute a united community in
their respective, localities or states, in which every
member plays an important role.
No leader can stand up alone, no matter how highly
placed, wealthy or educated. When King Solomon said
that “Two are better than one”, he had just spoken about
the futility of devoting all one’s energies to the acquiring
of material riches. (Ecclesiastes 4:7-9). That is precisely
what many Nigerian leaders eagerly pursue today, even
though this means sacrificing human relationship both
inside and outside the community and family. That spirit
of greed and selfishness has led many leaders in Nigeria
to isolate themselves. This has brought them neither
happiness nor satisfaction in life, for frustration and
hopelessness are common among those who succumb to
such a high spirit.
Since as humans we depend on one another, it is natural
that doing things for others produces satisfaction. The
 value of a true leader should be on what he or she gives
and not in what he or she is able to receive.
This is in agreement with these words of our Lord Jesus
Christ: “There I more happiness in giving than there is in
receiving”. (Acts 20:35). Therefore, while it is good to
receive love, it is also very healthy to show love for others.
This should be the pride of a true leader.

PREACTICAL STEPS TO INTER-DEPENDENCY IN

LEADERSHIP
Genuine friendship brings great benefits, both emotionally
and spiritually. Addressing companionship as to humans
depending one another, the apostle Paul exhorts: “Speak
consolingly to the depressed souls, support the weak, be
long-suffering toward all…… Always pursue what is good
toward one another and to all others”. 1 st Thessalonians
5:14-15.
Therefore, every true leader should look for practical ways
to do good to others. For this will add real meaning to your
life and will contribute to your contentment and
satisfaction. As a leader, we need to keep an eye, not in
personal interest upon just our own matters, but also in
personal interest upon those of others.
The following are some practical steps to inter-
dependency in leadership:
1. ACCEPTANCE: One fruit of interdependent relationships of
grace is that people experience unconditional acceptance.
Experiencing and offering acceptance is far from merely
practicing some technique; rather acceptance arises from
a process requiring frequent, interactive communication in
committed relationships. Commitment is very important to
the experience of acceptance.
Acceptance only last as long as the commitment lasts,
because commitment creates a soul connection that takes
relationships beyond their utilitarian functions. The same
proves true in our relationship with God. If we know God
loves us, in spite of who we are, this ignites a desire to
please God.
 But if we lack a sense of acceptance, either from God or
from others, we become edgy and apprehensive, and we
secondguess others.
2. NOBLE LOVE: Love is indispensable, regardless of age,
culture, language or race; all humans have a hunger for
love. If that hunger is not satisfied, they are not happy.
Love and intimacy are at a root of what makes us sick
and what makes us well, what causes sadness and what
brings happiness, what makes us suffer and what leads to
healing. Yet, most modern society leaders often places
more emphasis on wealth, power, fame and sex than on
the human need for warm, loving relationships and
interdependence.
Many leaders today, stress secular goals and careers,
defining leadership success primarily in those terms. True,
education and the cultivation of one’s talents are
important, but should they be pursued so single-mindedly
that a leader has no time for family and friends?
Noble love is not sentimentality, based on more personal
attachment, as is usually thought of, but is a moral or
social love based on deliberate assent of the will as a
matter of principle, duty and propriety, sincerely seeking
the other’s good according to what is right.
Noble love transcends personal enmities, never allowing
these to cause one to abandon right principles and to
retaliate in kind. Thus, it could be said that noble love
involves the heart as well as the mind.
Noble love – A fruit of leadership spirit.
3. TOLERANCE: The reality of tolerance is what it fosters
peaceful relationships and interpedent, opens our heart to
others, despite their imperfections and idiosyncrasies.
The bible back of Colossians 3:13 says: “continue putting
up with one another and forgiving one another freely even
if anyone has a case for complaint against another”.
True leaders must cultivate tolerance for all sorts of
people. A tolerating leader sees the need and problems of
others feels sorry for them and wants to help them. for a
fire to burn bright, it needs a lot of oxygen similarly, for
our relationship and interdependence to