Leadership: Character Matters More Than Ever
About two years ago, I was compelled to write an editorial about raising the next generation of Maui’s Filipino leaders. Giving serious attention to this issue is more urgent today if we want our community to be led with vigor and passion. To ensure the leadership we want and deserve, we must train, mentor, and guide our youths to become the best that is humanly possible. Due to my earlier editorial on leadership, to my surprise, I have received numerous comments and suggestions on the importance of raising our youth to be our future leaders.
As we wrestle with this challenge, let us consider the qualities we desire in our community leaders. Being a good leader is not only about accomplishments, competency, and doing good work. For most of us, character is the top priority.
Recently, I read a book entitled “The Character of Leadership,” by Dr. Jeff Iorg, who just retired from the position of President of Gateway Seminary and is now the President and CEO of Southern Baptist Convention, with an approximate membership of thirteen million. In addition to frequent speaking jaunts, he has authored and edited seven other books.
Following are some recommendations he offers on the qualities we look for to define great leaders—the character of a leader. Too often, we think of leaders in terms of their wealth and knowledge rather than their character. Leaders are usually remembered for who they were and not for what they did. Instead of noting their building power and monuments and seeking recognition, we should focus on their building lives worth remembering. A good leader is one who makes a long-lasting impact and leaves a positive leadership legacy.
Another significant quality of a leader is integrity, which dictionary definition is the “quality or state of being complete or undivided; or the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles.” According to Dr. Iorg, “A person of integrity has integrated his or her standards, words, and actions into one.” Simply stated, “integrity is saying what you mean, meaning what you say, doing what you say, and meaning what you do.” A good leader follows standards of moral and ethical behavior. It is a lifelong challenge to bring one’s behavior in alignment with these standards required for good, positive leaders. As one lives an integrated life, the leader will engender trust from the people he/she is trying to lead and build a leadership legacy that will not diminish over time.
Another pillar quality of a great leader is humility—a core quality of a leader. Some wrongly think that debasing oneself, putting yourself down, or talking about your personal inadequacies are appealing to others. This is a faulty concept, for humility is different from self-debasement. Somehow, they believe putting themselves down makes them humble. This is far from the truth. What is humility? For a God-fearing Christian, it is a self-appraisal—meaning you see yourself as God sees you and made you. Humility is about being a godly leader with compassion and empathy for those you are trying to serve. It is an attitude from the spiritual discipline of thinking about yourself like God thinks of you. That is the character of a great leader—having a heart of humility.
It is imperative that to be a good leader you must have the heart of a servant as the Bible reminds us in Matthew 20:28, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” This verse expounds on the importance of service. This is the character model that all good leaders should have—this is a worthy model for every servant leader. It is not about the job, title, recognition, power, or the amount of the paycheck. Servant leadership is about the heart—and it is about the motive. Leaving a leadership legacy requires resting your service on proper motives—and you want people to remember the leader you are, more than your list of achievements. We should always, and I mean ALWAYS, be driven by our love for the people we are trying to serve. This is an important character trait of a leader. In summary, let us keep in mind these characteristics of great leaders—character, integrity, humility, servant.
Finally, as we enter the political season, let us be mindful to elect leaders with the best character to lead us. Let us not be blinded by false promises and self-absorbed candidates.
Do we want our national leader to have questionable character? It is all in our hands to answer this profound question!
Have a blessed summer!
