Good character takes a lifetime to build and a moment to destroy.
The temptations we face, plus the pressures we experience, can lure us to deep regret without the discipline of strong character and trusting God to help us do what we cannot do on our own.
God helps us, but He expects us to do our part too.
Good character, often called integrity, is not literally destroyed in a moment. However, it’s in a moment that we realize the reality of what has happened and how it affects others.
The failure to develop integrity, or the breakdown of good character often takes place over a long slow road that is nearly imperceptible in the beginning.
Keep watch over your sustained stress, prolonged and elevated pressure, and personal and spiritual disappointments. They can trigger justification and rationalization that leads to regret.
What are your triggers, temptations, and most common situations that can contribute to the breakdown of your character?
The cost of bad character always exceeds the cost of good character.
Good character isn’t a mysterious or subjective idea, good character is easy to see in every-day circumstances, here are several examples.
- You keep your promises.
- You give more than take.
- You don’t take advantage of others to advance yourself.
- Your private life matches your public life.
- You demonstrate integrity in the small things.
- You treat others with dignity and respect.
Faithfulness to these practical examples helps you develop your character, and there are many more you could add this list.
There are, however, deeper level practices that will more firmly establish the “who you are” of character underneath those everyday examples.
5 Practices That Build Leadership Character to Last for a Lifetime
1. Guard Your Heart.
The character that will sustain you for a lifetime of leadership starts with God. The world will pull you in one direction, God draws you back to Himself, and makes the path clear.
Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it. Keep your mouth free of perversity; keep corrupt talk far from your lips. Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you. Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways. Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil. (Proverbs 4:23-27)
Godly character, patterned after Jesus example for us, does not hold perfection over our heads; instead, it places grace and ability in our hearts.
2. Establish a “Top Five Traits” of Character for Yourself.
Traveling the long road of leadership is obviously a lifetime endeavor, but it starts fresh every day and you will do better if you have a vision of the person you want to be.
For example, you can list for yourself specific values that you want to guide your life.
In addition, you will likely find it very helpful to select about five character traits that are inspiring to you and seem a lot like the real you according to your values.
