A Passion For Position By Afrika MhlopheSample

Character Is Connected to Integrity  

Instead of choosing to focus on character, some leaders put up a façade or version of themselves that is at odds with who they are. In appearance, they become a public success while in essence they are a private failure.

I believe the only way we avoid walking in pretense is to work on our core values. Core values cannot be traded for anything. They are not for sale. So, what are your core values as a leader? I am not talking about the values of your church or any organization you lead, but your personal values. I believe that your core values will protect you from replicating bad leadership examples of others.

I believe that a leader who chooses character above strategy can speak like Job, who said: “If I have walked with falsehood, or if my foot has hastened to deceit, let me be weighed on honest scales, that God may know my integrity. If my step has turned from the way, or my heart walked after my eyes, or if any spot adheres to my hands, then let me sow, and another eat; yes, let my harvest be rooted out” (Job 31:5–8, NKJV).

Key points to remember:

· A leader is a human being and not a human doing. Therefore, their leadership flows from who they are and not what they do.

· Good leadership is built upon a moral foundation of personal convictions and core values.

· Your convictions are not contingent on the behavior of others or the circumstances around you.

· Core values cannot be traded for anything. They are not for sale.

· Character is an aggregate of features and traits that form the individual of a person or thing.

· Integrity means wholeness.