Sooner or later it shows, and you can’t hide it with makeup, music or fashion. What am I talking about?

Who you really are
– from the inside out
        – your character.

Recently, an NFL player was interviewed after winning a huge, nationally televised game, “What made the difference for you out there today?”

“It wasn’t about skill today. They really gave it to us. They are very talented and tough. No, today we wanted it more; it was about character.”

Is that what character is? Is it ‘wanting it more’, or is it more than ‘heart’ and determination? I think the big guy short-changed character. I don’t think he really understood it. Maybe he heard his coach talk about ‘character’ and it stuck in his helmet; but he probably really didn’t understand the concept.

Character is a blend of your passion, what’s important to you, and identity. It is who you are – from the inside out, or who are you when no ones looking? Your character will impact your journey in life.

TOUR GUIDES

“Character makes trust possible. And trust makes leadership possible.”
John Maxwell - The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership

Leading people is taking them on a journey. You become a tour guide for life. How the trip turns out largely depends on who you are as a guide. Can you be trusted? Do you have character? With strong character, the journey will be a delight and people will want to go around the world with you; but if your character is weak, the journey will be a disaster and the longer the trip is, the worse it gets.

Delight or disaster?

It mostly depends on the leader.

Why?

Because we enjoy following a leader we trust, but we do not like to follow or spend time with someone we don’t trust.