#1: Character (21 Characteristics of Leadership, as reflected by me)

It won’t surprise you that I love leadership. At least, it shouldn’t, if you know me. I love leadership. I crave to be a better leader, to be more equipped to lead. I don’t have any role, currently, that puts my leadership skills to the test. I am sure one day I will. In preparation, I have begun working my way through John C. Maxwell’s The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader.

The first characteristic is character. Maxwell talks a lot about integrity and whether or not your actions match your words. The first critique I have of myself when I finished the tiny chapter was “I lie a lot and don’t see the harm in it.”

“Karen, do I look good in these jeans?”

“Karen, it’s okay that I was mean to her, right? Like, she totally had it coming?”

“I love you.”

My responses? Yes. Yes. I love you, too. Can I say with 100 percent confidence that I meant and believe in the “Yes. Yes. I love you.”? No. I am so worried about pleasing and not offending everyone, that I forget that my lies can be equally, if not more, harmful. My dishonesty to avoid conflict only made conflict more unavoidable – or more simply, what goes around comes around.

I want to say that I have a lot of character, but there is also a lot of compromise in my life. I compromise my integrity for my not-rocking-the-boat-ness. I compromise my honesty for political-correct-ness. I will lie to your face so I don’t upset you.

Of course, I am sure I have some character. I step up to the plate and swing, often and usually at my own risk. That is because it’s the right thing to do.

I have been counting the times where I wish my character was more aligned with Jesus’s, who, of course, is the most perfect leader. Jesus never lied, knew when and how to deliver criticism and did not mind upsetting people – or rather, didn’t allow the fear of rejection to hinder his mission. That is my prayer for you and I today. I pray the Lord strengthens you in character, giving you courage to for your actions to match your words.

May the Lord be with you.