Leadership Character: The Essence of Leadership

"At the core of personal credibility are one's beliefs. People expect their leaders to stand for something and have the courage of their convictions."

— Kouzes and Posner,
The Leader of the Future

Leadership Character is comprised of values, characteristics and clarity of purpose. It is expressed in consistency of behaviour—the degree to which a leader's actions match his, or her, words.

Character is more critical as one moves toward higher levels of leadership, because people need a leader who is clearly grounded in what he, or she, stands for, especially in times of change. With so many factors disrupting the work environment today, leaders with a well-developed sense of who they want to be as a leader can provide stability—the consistency of purpose and values that employees need to remain focused and on task, regardless of the level in the organisation.

Most leadership development programmes focus only on the "Form"—the skills, tasks and behaviours. The Wilson Learning difference is we not only excel at equipping leaders with strong skills, but we also challenge them to reflect and think critically about their character, values and beliefs about themselves and their organisation. As a result, leaders are better prepared to connect with their direct reports, peers and senior leaders. This connection enables them to engage and inspire others to execute strategy, innovate and create the conditions for both high performance and high levels of professional fulfilment.