LEADERS CAN NOT RISE ABOVE THE LIMITATIONS OF THEIR CHARACTER

EXAMINE THE CONDITION OF YOUR CHARACTER, AND MAKE SURE YOUR WORDS AND ACTIONS MATCH UP

Have you ever seen highly talented people suddenly fall apart when they achieved a certain level of success? Steven Berglas, a psychologist at Harvard Medical School and author of The Success Syndrome, says that people who achieve great heights but lack the bedrock character to sustain them through the stress are headed for disaster. He believes they are destined for one or more of the four A’s: arrogance, painful feelings of aloneness, destructive adventure-seeking, or adultery. Each is a terrible price to pay for weak character.

If you’ve found yourself being sucked in by one of the four A’s that Berglas identifies, do what you must to step away from some of the stress of your success, and seek professional help. Don’t think that the valley you’re in will pass with time, more money, or increased prestige. Unaddressed cracks in character only get deeper and more destructive with time.

If you’re not struggling in any of these four areas, you should still examine the condition of your character. Ask yourself whether your words and actions match — all the time. When you say you’ll finish an assignment, do you always follow through? If you tell your children that you’ll make it to their recital or ball game, are you there for it?

As you lead others, recognize that your character is your most important asset. G. Alan Bernard, president of Mid Park, Inc., stated, “The respect that leadership must have requires that one’s ethics be without question. A leader not only stays above the line between right and wrong, he stays well clear of the ‘gray areas.”