For better or worse, you’re going to replicate yourself in your organization. Here are 4 reasons every leader must model good character.

Charisma may be useful in attracting a following, but it is largely useless when it comes to achieving a long-term, positive impact on the people and organizations we lead. For this, we need character. In helping people build their platforms, I frequently meet people whose public image is better developed than their personal character. They […]

Consider some famous names from the business world in recent years. Bernie Madoff. Ken Lay. Bernie Ebbers. What do they all have in common? One thing is that they each demonstrated a tremendous failure of character. They acted viciously with no signs of a moral compass, and as a result, they destroyed their companies and […]

“I knew it was a fake check,” she said. “But if I didn’t come up with the money, we were going to lose our car.” In more than two decades in law enforcement, this one case still stands out in my mind. Angelique was a wife, mother, and by all accounts, a good person with […]

Julius Caesar Watts memorably said that “character”—meaning good character—is about “doing what’s right when nobody’s looking.” Watts would know a lot about people looking on. From the Oklahoma Sooners to the Canadian Football League to a Baptist pulpit and on to elected office, at both state and national levels, and then back into the private […]

All the major sports leagues celebrate their best players. But what if there were a Most Valuable Player award for your team? Would you take home the prize? When I was CEO of Thomas Nelson we established different awards for individuals, service groups, and profit centers. The winners received public recognition, banners, trophies, and prizes. […]

The foundation of effective leadership is character. Nothing else has more impact. Nothing else has greater reach. And nothing else can make up for its lack—not education, experience, talent, or contacts. Every now and then you hear a story about someone’s character that brings this principle into sharp focus. Gail and had this experience when […]

Adultery is not normal. It certainly isn’t inevitable. But in order to avoid falling, we must be intentional about protecting our marriages.

Many of us have succumbed to the curse of busyness. A few of us have started a quiet rebellion. Will you join us?

Even though we’ve lost a great coach and teacher with John Wooden’s death, he left a legacy that that is especially relevant today: his virtuous leadership style.